When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, the VA hospital in downtown Houston remained open, operated by about 700 staff members who made the facility their temporary home, according to an article on the Stars and Stripes website.
Hospital staff members were sleeping on floors or small cots in their offices or in a small auditorium. The facilty cares for 400 veterans and also serves as a shelter for the homeless.
The facility is now bracing for a possible "deluge" of veterans in the area seeking help in the aftermath of the disaster. More than 500,000 veterans live in the areas affected, including more than 175,000 who are enrolled in VA healthcare.
Mobile veterans centers opened in Houston, Corpus Christi and Dallas to offer counseling to veterans and others affected by the storms.