WASHINGTON \u2013 The National Guard is prepared to activate between 20,000 and 30,000 troops to assist southeast Texas with deadly flooding, swamped bridges and overrun levees as Tropical Storm Harvey continues bring devastation to the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hundreds of thousands of homes\u201d that are surrounded by floodwaters now and need help, said Air Force Maj. Gen James Witham, the National Guard Bureau director of domestic operations. \u201cI just can\u2019t put a magnitude on the square mileage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday the scope of the storm and flooding raised questions as to whether Texas has activated enough military assets to assist all of the residents trapped, and whether additional federal military forces could be pulled in to help with the rescue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The greater Houston area has a population of about 6 million people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday he had activated 12,000 Texas National Guardsmen, however to date only about 3,000 were on the ground in the Houston area assisting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs far as I am aware of, Texas to date has been given everything they have asked for,\u201d said Witham, who briefed reporters at the Pentagon on the military\u2019s response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard had reported conducting 3,600 rescues, and Witham said the Texas National Guard had conducted about 3,500 rescues. It was not immediately clear if some of those figures overlapped, Witham said.<\/p>\n\n\n Federal military forces that have already begun assisting with search and rescue include members of U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Marine Corps reservists from Charlie Company, 4th<\/sup> Amphibious Assault Vehicle Battalion. The amphibious assault ship Kearsarge, which would be needed to support scores of additional helicopters Texas is requesting, is also headed to the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\t