News conference by Houston Mayor Bill White

The following information was communicated by Mayor Bill White who requested spreading the word to anyone who may have not heard it because of loss of power or other reasons. If you are on a laptop and read this, pass the word along to others.

1. Stay off the road

The Houston Police Chief is driving around assessing the damage. Too many people are out on the road. People are driving around and getting stuck and then needing help. You should not go out unless you have a vehicle capable of handling high water. Even then some high water vehicles are getting stuck as well. In some cases the debris is making roads impassable regardless of the water level.

2. Drink bottled water

The Houston municipal water system pressure has dropped low enough to present the possibility of back flow of water from outside the system. There is no evidence of contamination To play it safe, the mayor recommends drinking bottled water. If you do not have bottles water, then boil the tap water for one minute as a precaution.

3. Conserve water

The less water is used the sooner the system pressure may be brought up to acceptable levels. If you don't need a bath right now don't take a bath right now.