Curfew to go into effect tonight for Walker County

Walker County officials have implemented a curfew effective today at 10 p.m. for people who do not need to be on roadways for work.

County Judge Danny Pierce issued the curfew this morning after emergency responders had to deal with several high-water rescue situations Sunday night as Tropical Storm Harvey hammered Walker County with heavy rain. People who do not have to travel for work are prohibited from driving on any roads in Walker County from 10 p.m. today until 6 a.m. Tuesday.

"This us primarily for safety," Pierce said. "We had more than 30 water rescues last night and a lot of that was from people who are dealing with cabin fever and were just out driving around. The county has one high-water rescue team with a boat in New Waverly and they were having to run around all over the place. They are stretched thin and need to be available to evacuate people in areas where it is truly needed.

"This will not affect anyone going to work."

People assisting in emergency operations and disaster relief, traveling through Walker County, driving to and from work or have an emergency are exempt from the curfew.

A violation of the order is could carry a punishment of up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Drivers are also reminded not to drive around barricades indicating road closures, not only for their safety but for the safety of emergency responders who have to come to the rescue. It is also a class B misdemeanor which carries a punishment of up to 180 days in jail and a fine not to exceed $2,000.