Corpus Christi, August 25 (RHC)-- In the U.S. state of Texas, tens of thousands of residents began evacuating coastal communities Thursday, as forecasters predicted Hurricane Harvey could make landfall early Saturday as a major category-three storm, delivering a life-threatening 35 inches of rain to some parts of the Gulf Coast. 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott called out 700 members of the National Guard as several coastal counties ordered mandatory evacuations.  Hurricane trackers expect the storm’s eye to come ashore near the city of Corpus Christi, where mayor Joe McComb called for a voluntary evacuation. 

Some computer models predict Harvey could stall over Texas, delivering catastrophic flooding before drifting back over the Gulf of Mexico towards Louisiana.  

In New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu admitted Thursday that turbines and pumps needed to drain low-lying parts of the city remain below capacity, after torrential downpours flooded parts of New Orleans earlier this month.  Climate scientists say human-driven global warming is leading to more intense storms and increasing the maximum intensity of rainfall.