Athletes play on despite Texas flooding

ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - The sports world is feeling the impact of Hurricane Harvey.

With so much of southeast Texas under water this week, the Houston Astros were unable to host games against their cross-state rivals, the Texas Rangers.

St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field is hosting the series that started on Tuesday night.

Hundreds of fans came out to show their support, with general admission tickets costing just $10. All the proceeds will benefit flood victims of Hurricane Harvey.

"Everybody in the country supports them, and whether you're going to a sporting event or donating to the Red Cross, like we did today as well, our heart goes out to them," said Randy Carpenter, who drove to the game from Orlando with his two young sons.

Carpenter said he has a friend living in Houston who planned to go to the game before it was moved to St Pete. Others in the stands were Texas residents visiting Tampa Bay.

Del Smith, who lives in Dallas, said his home was unaffected by flooding, but his brother had to be rescued from his Houston home.

“People are used to flooding, but nothing like what they’ve seen this week. Nobody expected it to be that bad," said Smith. "{The game] was just a good opportunity to come out and support both teams, and support Houston," he added.

Rodney Monk, who lives south of Austin, said he also came to the game during his work trip in St Petersburg to support his home state.

"I just found out about it yesterday morning. I was reading the headlines and found out that they were going to be playing, and it just so happens that I was coming here,” said Monk.

Some Texas residents living in Tampa Bay are left relying on loved ones for updates on the conditions in their cities.

Temi Alaka is a football player for the University of South Florida and a resident of Houston.

“It feels pretty helpless. My family is back in Houston. I try to talk to them every day. They give me updates, send me pictures," said Alaka.

He said seeing the devastation in Houston is shocking.

“These are all places where I’ve been, you know? Every time I go home these are places that I drive through," said Alaka.

With USF’s home opener game this Saturday, Alaka said he’s trying to keep his head in the game when he's on the field and focus on his family during his downtime.

Bucaneers Wide Receiver Mike Evans said Monday he can relate to the victims of Harvey flooding, as a Galveston, Texas native.

“My sophomore year of high school, I had to relocate for a little while, because Hurricane Ike hit," said Evans. "It ruined my home and many others homes. It’s just a process. Living in that area you’ve got to deal with that.”

Texas residents are not in this alone.

Ticket sales from Tuesday’s baseball game at Tropicana Field will benefit victims of Hurricane Harvey flooding. The Astros and the Rangers will play at Tropicana Field again at 7:10 PM Wednesday and 1 PM Thursday.

The Astros could also host the New York Mets at Tropicana Field starting Friday, depending on the flood conditions in Houston.