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Dallas Takes In Hundreds Of New Evacuees From Beaumont-Port Arthur Region

Stella Chavez
/
KERA News
The "mega-shelter" in Dallas can hold up to 5,000 people, according to Mayor Mike Rawlings.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Dallas takes in hundreds of new evacuees from Beaumont; Troy Aiken gets married; first responders from out of state try Whataburger for the first time; and more.

Nearly 600 new evacuees from the Beaumont area arrived at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center “mega-shelter” over the weekend – bringing the total number of people sheltered across the Dallas-Fort Worth area to roughly 3,000.

The towns of Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange and the rest of the Golden Triangle region in Southeast Texas were hit with floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey Wednesday night.  

As totals at the convention center have grown, people have begun leaving Dallas' additional shelters, which were set up at the city's recreation centers late last week. By Saturday afternoon, the city had closed the Tommie Allen Recreation Center, moving its 50 evacuees to the Samuell Grand Recreation Center.

It's unclear how many more people may arrive in the Dallas area, but Mayor Mike Rawlings said the city will keep the mega-shelter open as long as it’s needed. The city is prepared to take in up to 6,000 evacuees.

The Red Cross is hosting more than 130 evacuees at the Lively Point Youth Center in Irving and about 150 evacuees in the Wilkerson-Greines Athletic Center in Fort Worth. [The Dallas Morning News]

  • In Houston, baseball fans welcomed back their team on Saturday. The Astros played a double-header against the New York Mets – the first games at home since Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas Gulf Coast. [KERA News]
  • American astronaut Peggy Whitson landed in Kazakhstan Saturday night, wrapping up a record-breaking mission. She spent 665 days – close to two years – in space, which is longer than any American has ever spent away from Earth and more time than any woman worldwide. The Iowa native was due back home in Houston Sunday night. [NPR]
  • Rescue crews from across the country are in Texas assisting with the relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey – and a New Yorker got his first-ever taste of a Texas staple: Whataburger. In a tweet that has now gone viral, the fast-food chain shared a video of the first responder taking a bite out of the iconic Texas burger. The verdict: “That is a good burger.” [NBC DFW]

  • Troy Aikman got hitched! The retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback married fashion retailer Catherine "Capa" Mooty in Montecito, California, over the weekend. Aikman tweeted a picture of the couple on Sunday with the caption: "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. & Mrs Aikman." The two announced their engagement back in June. [WFAA]

The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.

Former KERA staffer Stephanie Kuo is an award-winning radio journalist who worked as a reporter and administrative producer at KERA, overseeing and coordinating editorial content reports and logistics for the Texas Station Collaborative – a statewide news consortium including KERA, KUT in Austin, Houston Public Media and Texas Public Radio in San Antonio.