Michigan Coast Guard sector rescues 115 in Texas deployment

(WJBK) - Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit have saved over 115 people and a dog as they work in the Houston area to help people in need after Hurricane Harvey.

According to the group's Facebook page, the crew from Detroit's Station Saginaw River deployed to Texas in a 20 foot air boat and rescued more than 115 people and the canine on Monday.

The boats are uniquely designed to operate on ice and in shallow water. This is typically useful during the winter months in Michigan but it also makes them valuable in urban rescues after Harvey pummeled the area.

Crews from Marblehead and St. Clair Shores are also deployed to the area to help.

Hurricane Harvey made landfall early Saturday morning as a category 4 hurricane, the strongest to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina. The storm is no longer a hurricane but has lingered over the Houston area, causing devastating floods and killing at least 15.