HOUSTON, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Greg Abbott, Governor of the U.S. state of Texas, said on Tuesday that mosquito control measures are important after the Hurricane Harvey.
Briefing reporters about continuing recovery and relief from Hurricane Harvey, Abbott said that mosquito control measures are being implemented all across the Houston area in the southeast of the state.
He said local spraying had already started to thwart mosquito breeding in floodwaters across Houston, and spraying in other parts of the state would begin within the next few days.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Defense is set to begin "wide-area spraying" to curb any invasion of mosquito.
Abbott said the spraying will be fully paid by the federal government if it's done within the first 30 days after the storm, so state officials were quick to launch the initiative.
Local officials and pest control specialists had warned over the weekend that mosquitos could be the next big storm to move into Houston, as they take advantage of the massive floodwaters to breed quickly after Harvey moved out.
Dr. Frank Fan, a medical expert in Houston, told Xinhua that the public health concern as well as mosquito issue are top challenges facing local people, but he is confident that the risks are under control.
Harvey blew ashore on Aug. 25 as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years, displacing more than one million people and damaged some 200,000 homes in a path of destruction that stretches for more than 300 miles (480 kilometers). The Houston area has been devastated by severe flooding after receiving about 1.4 meters of rain.
