Flash mob ravages mini-mart for 40 minutes with police nowhere in sight
Dozens of people ransacked a gas station mini-mart near the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport in Oakland, California, early Friday morning, leaving the store destroyed.
Shocking surveillance video shows suspects in a flash mob tearing apart the store as they rifled through the refrigerated section and shelves, smashed items and filled shopping baskets full of loot.
Sam Mardaie, the owner of the 76 Gas Station & Mini Market on Hegenberger Road, told FOX 2 the thieves caused an estimated $100,000 in damage at the store and that they threatened two employees working at the time.
LA PLAGUE OF ‘FLASH MOB’ ROBBERIES SENDS POLICE SCRAMBLING
“This is the hardest thing you could ever go through … especially if you’ve been put in sweat and tears day in and day out,” Mardaie told FOX 2.
He also told the news station it took “nine hours” for police to respond after the crime was first classified as priority two, meaning there were no suspects at the location.
$20M IN GOLD STOLEN FROM CANADIAN AIRPORT LIKELY OVERSEAS ALREADY, POLICE SAY
Oakland Police told FOX 2 officers responded within 90 minutes of the 4 a.m. burglary after viewing the surveillance video. Fox News Digital has reached out to police for comment.
“They got away with it. They were here for 40 minutes. You could tear a whole city down in 40 minutes,” Mardaie told KNTV-TV. “Every time I think about it, the more it hurts.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Mardaie estimated there were about 70 suspects linked to a nearby illegal sideshow gathering who broke into the store while the mini-mart was doing window-only business.
Heartbreaking update after two boaters go swimming and never resurface
Search and recovery operations will resume Sunday morning for two boaters who went missing on Lake Michigan in northwest Indiana on Friday, local officials say.
Search efforts for the missing swimmers began Friday, though officials on Saturday turned efforts toward a recovery mission, which will continue Sunday with the help of sonar equipment, according to FOX 32 in Chicago.
The search was called off late Friday as nightfall descended on rescue efforts. Weather conditions in the area are hampering search efforts due to strong winds and high waves, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources tells Fox News Digital.
The two men had been on a boat with ten other people, including adults and juveniles, about two and a half miles off Whiting on Lake Michigan at around 2:30 p.m. when one of the men jumped off the boat to swim but began to struggle, the station reported.
BODY OF FLORIDA SWIMMER, 23, RECOVERED OFF COAST AFTER DISAPPEARING UNDERWATER
The group tried to move the boat closer to him but couldn’t reach him due to the strong winds and waves, and then a second man jumped into the water to try and help the first swimmer.
However, the second man also got into difficulty, prompting a third man in a life jacket to then go into the water but then got separated from the other two men.
The man wearing the life jacket was then rescued by the Coast Guard at around 4:30 p.m. and taken to a hospital for mild hypothermia but has since been released.
MISSING SWIMMER, 17, FOUND DEAD OFF FLORIDA SHORE AFTER DRILLS WITH SWIM TEAM
Marty Benson, of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, tells Fox News Digital that the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the Hammond Fire Department, the Hammond Police Department, and the Hammond Port Authority are helping with search efforts.
One of the missing men is from Elk Grove Village, and the other is from Mount Prospect.
Also on Friday, a man and a teenage girl were rescued from Lake Michigan at Muskegon’s Pere Marquette Park, which is about 45 miles northwest of Grand Rapids, WWMT reports.
The teenager was found first and was initially unresponsive but was responsive as of 6 p.m. Friday. Crews were not able to locate the man for a while, but he was pulled to shore and CPR was performed. He is in serious condition, according to local reports.
FLORIDA MAN ATTACKED BY SHARK ON BOATING TRIP
On Thursday, the Coast Guard rescued two children and two adults from the water off Galveston, Texas, after their vessel capsized.
When the Coast Guard arrived on the scene, they found the four clinging to the capsized vessel. The two children were wearing life jackets, but the two adults were not.
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
They were safely taken to shore, and no injuries were reported, the Coast Guard said.
Family’s $444 receipt from popular grocery store chain goes viral on social media
A California family’s massive Trader Joe’s receipt recently went viral on social media, sparking a debate about which grocery stores are affordable for families.
In a video that’s been viewed over 17 million times on X, a father-of-six’s camera panned across a massive Trader Joe’s receipt from a location in Westlake Village, an affluent city in Los Angeles County.
“Here’s what it takes to feed six kids [for] about a week and a half,” the man is heard saying in the video. Most of the items on the massive receipt cost between $2.99 and $3.99.
The video shows that the family bought fresh produce like strawberries ($4.49 a pound), a bag of four avocados ($4.99) and cucumbers ($2.49 each) on the grocery trip.
FIVE GUYS’ PRICES SPARK OUTRAGE AFTER $24 RECEIPT GOES VIRAL: ‘HIGHWAY ROBBERY’
The receipt also included a large amount of frozen food items, such as Trader Joe’s chicken and cheese tamales ($3.99 each), chicken soup dumplings ($3.49 each) and a margherita pizza ($4.79 each).
The most expensive items on the receipt were the frozen Korean-style beef short ribs, which clocked in at $13.99 each. Other pricier products included breaded chicken tenderloins at $8.99 and a rib-eye steak for $7.27.
In response to the video, some social media users dissed Trader Joe’s prices and endorsed the discount supermarket chain Aldi.
MCDONALD’S $25 ‘DEAL’ GOES VIRAL; USERS BLAME CALIFORNIA’S MINIMUM-WAGE INCREASE: ‘YOUR NEW NORMAL’
“Would cost 1/3 that at Aldi,” one person said.
“Aldi’s got you for like $125,” another chimed in.
Other X users asserted that Trader Joe’s prepared food products are not designed to feed large families at a low price.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
“Shopping at trader joes [sic] instead of costco [sic] with 6 kids is insane,” one tweet, which accrued 22,000 likes, read.
“Trader Joe’s isn’t meant for a large family,” another user wrote.
Some social media users encouraged the family to buy simpler food products to reduce the cost of their grocery bills.
“Trader Joe’s is cheap, but this person didn’t buy anything to cook, it’s all prepared stuff which is always more,” a commentator wrote. “Buy ingredients and make food.”
“Nearly half of everything on the list is organic, which is a luxury. Also things like Gnocci Alla Sorrentina, surfine capers, and Brazil nut body wash (!)?” another argued. “If he’s going to cry about prices, at least have some buying discipline.”
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
FOX Business reached out to the shopper and Trader Joe’s for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
LeBron James’ son has nightmarish NBA Summer League debut
Bronny James got the start in his first Summer League game, but that was just about the lone bright spot.
The son of the NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James was taken by his father’s Los Angeles Lakers in last week’s NBA Draft with the 55th selection, which has been a heavily debated topic.
On one hand, it’s historic. Lebron and Bronny are the first father-son duo to be active players in the NBA.
Yet, talk of nepotism has been rampant since the team hired James’ podcast cohost, JJ Redick, as its head coach.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Bronny was on the court for the Lakers on Saturday in San Francisco against the Sacramento Kings for his Summer League debut in his first chance to show what he’s got.
James scored just four points in the contest on 2-for-9 shooting, while grabbing two rebounds and handing out two assists. He also was a minus-16 on the floor, and the Kings took home a 108-94 win.
In his first press conference as a Laker, Bronny said he didn’t get “that much of an opportunity” to “showcase what I can really do” in his lone season at USC, where he averaged less than five points per game.
NBA PLAYER EJECTED FROM OLYMPICS TUNEUP AFTER PLACING HANDS AROUND FELLOW PRO’S NECK
Bronny was hampered by a sudden cardiac arrest during a warmup over the summer, causing him to miss the beginning of the season. He said the time missed in the summer kept him from “perfecting [his] game more.” In turn, it cost him throughout the season.
James did have three years of NCAA eligibility left, but it is difficult to turn down the opportunity to live out your NBA dream alongside your father.
LeBron once said his final year in the NBA would be with his son, so some have assumed in recent years LeBron would retire after playing with his son for one year. But, before the draft, their agent, Rich Paul, said the two were not a package deal.
It seemed odd, though, that Bronny had invites for workouts with at least 10 teams but only accepted two from the Lakers and Phoenix Suns. However, Paul says that was all “by design.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Scouts weren’t too kind to Bronny, one saying he was “not an NBA prospect.” Yes, it is early, but surely Bronny would like to shoot better than 22.2% from the floor.
Bronny and the Lakers will be back in action Sunday against the Golden State Warriors. He will head to Vegas next week, where his father is gearing up for the Olympics with Team USA.
Female nurses vow to keep fighting over hospital trans policy, speak out for first time
A group of nurses in the United Kingdom who filed a lawsuit against a National Health Service hospital trust over its transgender employee policy are speaking out publicly for the first time to demand the NHS protect female staff.
“I think to go public was just to try and gain some attention really from the government to try and look at the policies around this because there’s nothing in place at the minute to protect women. It’s literally a self-made situation where any person can just [identify] as a woman and go in,” Darlington Memorial nurse Lisa Lockey told Fox News Digital.
“It’s been ongoing for a long time. We’ve been ignored,” she continued. “And it’s kind of been — swept aside, I think, in the hope that we were going to just forget about it and shut up.”
The group of nurses, who shared their story with the media anonymously in May, filed a suit against the County Durham and Darlington Memorial Hospital Trust that month. In the suit, they allege they have been harassed by the biological male colleague who often walks around the female changing room undressed and stares at and initiates conversations with colleagues as they are dressing.
CHRISTIAN SOCIAL WORKER TAKES LEGAL ACTION AFTER JOB WITHDRAWN, TOLD HE MUST ‘EMBRACE AND PROMOTE’ LGBT RIGHTS
County Durham and Darlington Memorial Hospital Trust allows employees to use changing rooms or restrooms that align with their gender identity, the suit claims. The nurses say this has led to several uncomfortable encounters with this individual.
One of the nurses in the suit who had been sexually assaulted as a child described how on one occasion, she was allegedly approached by the transgender colleague while alone in the dressing room and was repeatedly asked to undress while the colleague was only wearing boxer shorts with genitalia visible.
Lockey said a Muslim colleague had also been terrified to encounter the biological male colleague in the changing area while she was half-dressed.
“She knew nothing about this situation going on. Nobody told any of us. And, so she stood there in a bra and she hears this man’s voice, and she said she couldn’t move. She was actually just frozen in panic, holding her hands across her chest and didn’t know what to do. She was just so horrified. And I felt really, really upset about that because, you know, these girls, you know, they’ve come across to help, you know, to work [here] and I just thought that was really, really wrong,” she continued.
CHRISTIAN DOCTOR FIRED FOR NOT USING TRANS PRONOUNS SAYS ‘STANDING UP,’ ‘AFFIRMING TRUTH’ IS ONLY WAY FORWARD
The trans worker also wears men’s clothes, has facial hair and has told colleagues about trying to get a female girlfriend pregnant, the suit claims.
After raising concerns about having to get undressed around the colleague to management last year, over two dozen female nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital signed a letter to the hospital system in April, saying they were uncomfortable over the issue.
Shortly afterward, the suit alleges the head of HR lectured a manager that the female nurses needed to be more “inclusive” and to get “educated” on the issue.
Darlington Memorial nurse Bethany Hutchison, who also spoke with Fox News Digital, called HR’s reaction to their concerns “absolutely insulting.”
She said the policies have left female colleagues fearful and having to find alternative places to change their clothes, which they are required to do at least once per shift.
“I think people are so terrified. I mean, a lot of the Muslim colleagues work in theaters [operating rooms], and people have expressed that they’ve been silenced. People have been brought in for disciplinaries, if they’ve mentioned anything about the changing room situation. So they are threatened. And it’s really governed by fear in theaters particularly,” she said.
The eight nurses in the suit say the hospital has prioritized the single transgender employee over the female staff. They are suing the NHS trust on the basis of sexual harassment and sex discrimination.
Since they’ve come out publicly, Lockey and Hutchison say they’ve been “overwhelmed” with letters and notes of support. “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling even posted about their story under her X account.
“We’re thrilled,” Lockey said, while holding up a stack of cards they received in the mail. Both nurses said they’ve been touched by these messages because, in their workplace, they’ve been made to feel like “bigots” and “bullies” for standing up for their rights.
“All we want to do is just defend our right to a female-only space. We don’t want to attack trans people. We know that there’s a lot of really good trans people out there that wouldn’t mean any harm to anybody,” Lockey continued.
“And ultimately, we want the policy changed. It’s about policy change and safety,” Hutchison added.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said the following in a press release:
“As a Trust, we are committed to providing safe and compassionate, inclusive and respectful care for our patients and visitors as well as an inclusive and respectful work environment for all colleagues. We would like to assure our patients and communities that the well-being and support of all colleagues involved in this, is of the utmost importance to us. At this stage the claims being made need to be fully investigated and reviewed. This work continues through our internal processes. Alternative arrangements and adjustments have been put in place.”
“We recognize that this is a hugely sensitive issue and as well as taking into consideration the feedback and concerns raised, we need to adhere to legal requirements and best practices. We are committed to working together with all parties to find a constructive solution that respects the rights and dignity of all individuals while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and fairness. As this is now an active legal case, we hope you can understand that it is not appropriate for the Trust to share further detail at this stage.”
Radio host who just interviewed Biden makes troubling behind-the-scenes claim
Radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders, who interviewed President Biden on Wednesday, revealed during a discussion on CNN that the president’s team provided a list of questions to approve prior to the interview.
CNN host Victor Blackwell said Saturday he listened to both interviews and said the questions were “essentially the same” in both. Biden spoke to Sanders who hosts “The Source” on WURD in Philadelphia, and Earl Ingram, who hosts “The Earl Ingram Show” on WMCS in Milwaukee.
“The questions were sent to me for approval. I approved them,” Sanders said. Blackwell noted the questions during both appearances were about his accomplishments, debate performance, progress in both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, what’s at stake in the election, and what he would say to voters who are considering not voting in the presidential election.
Blackwell followed up, “So the White House sent the questions to you ahead of the interview?”
BIDEN TAKES BLAME FOR ‘BAD NIGHT’ IN DEBATE AGAINST TRUMP: ‘MY FAULT, NO ONE ELSE’S FAULT’
“Yes, I got several questions, eight of them, and the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved,” Sanders continued.
“It’s not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer. These questions were relevant to news of the day – the president was asked about this debate performance as well as what he’d delivered for black Americans. We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners. In addition to these interviews, the President also participated in a press gaggle yesterday as well as an interview with ABC. Americans have had several opportunities to see him unscripted since the debate,” Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Blackwell said Biden’s team was not helping prove the “vigor” of the president by sending questions ahead of time.
“And the reason I ask is not a criticism of either of you, it’s just that if the White House is trying now to prove the vim, vigor, acuity of the president. I don‘t know how they do that by sending questions first before the interview so that the president knows what‘s coming,” Blackwell said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
Sanders told the Washington Post that she never felt pressured to ask certain questions.
“When I was asked to do this interview it was most important to me to have the voices of the Black people heard. I never once felt pressured to ask certain questions,” Sanders said. “I chose questions that were most important to the black and brown communities we serve in … Philadelphia. Those questions proved to be exactly what black and brown communities desired.”
Blackwell also showed a portion of Biden’s interview with Sanders, specifically when he was responding to a question about his accomplishments.
“I’m proud to be, as I said, the first vice president, the first Black woman, to serve with a Black president,” Biden said during the interview.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“If you listen to these interviews, it is abundantly clear what the president meant. This would be considered a perfectly normal speech pattern for any other person in America, and has certainly been normal for Joe Biden for his entire career,” a campaign official told Fox News Digital, referencing Biden’s remarks.
Ingram expressed during another interview with CNN that his audience believed Biden should remain in the race.
“This morning, for 2 hours, my phone lines were completely jammed as we had the conversation and the debate on whether or not this is something that should occur. And I can tell you that the majority of the listening audience thought that we should leave it as it is and it’s a big mistake for the Democratic Party to attempt to force this on them as well as Joe Biden,” Ingram said.
Biden also spoke to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday, during which he told viewers that he was staying in the race.
Following the CNN debate, Biden continues to face mounting calls to drop out of the race.
MLB rookie completely stuns opposing team with cat-like reflexes: ‘The way he climbed…’
Houston Astros rookie outfielder Joey Loperfido made an indisputable case for catch of the year in Friday night’s win over the Minnesota Twins.
The Astros were holding on to a comfortable 10-5 lead in the eighth when Minnesota utility man Willi Castro hit a deep fly ball to right field on a pitch from Houston Astros reliever Luis Contreras.
Looking like an unlikely catch, Loperfido leaped up and managed to glove the ball before it popped out. The rookie then managed to make a barehanded catch on his way down.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“In the moment, I grabbed it and threw it, and I saw [Christian Vázquez] running back to first,” Loperfido said, via MLB.com.
“It was kind of in slow motion, and I just sort of snagged it on my way down. But [center fielder] Jake [Meyers] and I were like, ‘Somebody has to be out.’ We didn’t know who. He had a good angle and said, ‘I really didn’t think it touched the wall.’ Funny play, cool play. I’d like to catch it the first time, but I’ll take it.”
Initially called a hit, Houston challenged the call, and it was overturned.
OVERZEALOUS PADRES FAN TACKLED BY SECURITY TRYING TO GET A SELFIE WITH MANNY MACHADO AFTER WALK-OFF HOMER
The impressive display of athleticism was too good even for the Twins to deny.
“It’s got to be, right?” Twins shortstop Carlos Correa said of it being the catch of the year, via MLB.com
“I mean, the way he climbed up that wall, hit the glove, stayed with it, caught it barehanded. That was very impressive. He even gave a headache to the umpires, so you know how crazy that play was.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Houston escaped with a narrow 13-12 victory after giving up seven runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
‘Visionary’ Oscar-winning producer of ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar’ dead at 63
Jon Landau, an Oscar-winning producer of “Titanic,” “Avatar” and its sequel “The Way of Water,” has died. He was 63 years old.
Landau’s death was confirmed by Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman, who called him a “visionary.”
“Jon was a visionary whose extraordinary talent and passion brought some of the most unforgettable stories to life on the big screen,” Bergman said of Landau. His remarkable contributions to the film industry have left an indelible mark, and he will be profoundly missed. He was an iconic and successful producer yet an even better person and a true force of nature who inspired all around him.”
COMEDIAN TONY KNIGHT DEAD AT 54 FOLLOWING ‘TERRIBLE ACCIDENT’
Landau started his career in Hollywood in the 1980s, first working as a production manager, then as a co-producer on classics like 1989’s “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” and 1990’s “Dick Tracy.”
He eventually became a close collaborator with “Titanic” and “Avatar” director James Cameron, joining his Lightstorm Entertainment production company as an executive.
RUSTY GOLDEN, SON OF OAK RIDGE BOYS’ WILLIAM GOLDEN, DEAD AT 65
“I can’t act and I can’t compose and I can’t do visual effects, so I guess that’s why I’m producing,” Landau joked alongside Cameron during their acceptance speech when “Titanic” won best picture in 1998.
During “The Way of Water”‘s post-production in 2022, Landau told The Associated Press that despite the ways in which people consume movies changing, the reason we watch is the same.
“One of the things that has not changed is: Why do people turn to entertainment today? Just like they did when the first ‘Avatar’ was released, they do it to escape, to escape the world in which we live,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Landau also oversaw 1990s hits like “Home Alone,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and Cameron’s “True Lies,” after he was named an executive vice president of feature movies at 20th Century Fox when he was just 29 years old.
Landau was born in July 1960 and graduated from the University of Southern California’s film school. He is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Julie; their sons, Jamie and Jodie; and two sisters and a brother.
Hurricane Warnings issued for Texas as Beryl eyes Monday landfall
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Hurricane Warnings have now been issued for Texas‘ Gulf Coast as Beryl continues its threatening march toward the Lone Star State.
A Hurricane Warning means hurricane conditions with sustained winds of 74 mph or greater are expected within the next 36 hours. In addition to the damaging wind threat, a dangerous storm surge and a foot of rain or more is possible through the early half of the week.
The warning is now in effect from south of Corpus Christi to around Sargent, Texas.
Parts of the Houston/Galveston metro and communities north of the Texas-Mexico border are under a Tropical Storm Warning, where winds could reach upwards of 73 mph.
(FOX Weather)
Beryl remains a tropical storm, having lost some of its energy after crossing Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula on Friday morning. But as Beryl slowly regains strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, it will likely regain hurricane status as it eyes a more northerly track toward the heart of the Texas Gulf Coast by Monday.
“We are expecting a lot of that intensification to take place in the last, you know, 12 to 18 hours prior to landfall,” National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan told FOX Weather. “So people do need to prepare as if there is going to be a hurricane, because that’s what we’re expecting and all the hazards that come with that.”
A dangerous storm surge of up to 6 feet is expected to impact a wide swath of the Texas coast by Sunday night into Monday, while torrential rains that total as much as 10-15 inches threaten flash and urban flooding – some of which could be considerable. Beryl’s powerful hurricane-force winds could lead to power outages and property damage.
(FOX Weather)
The weather is expected to rapidly deteriorate on Monday morning from Brownsville to Houston, and preparations should be underway for a hurricane to make landfall later in the day.
“This is going to be a very challenging system to deal with because it’s so disorganized now, and it’s going to look disorganized as it approaches the coast, and it’s harder to get people motivated to take action,” said FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross. “But we have a situation where it could intensify significantly (Sunday) as it’s approaching the coast like right offshore.”
(FOX Weather)
KNOW YOUR ZONE: TEXAS HURRICANE EVACUATION ZONES
How much storm surge can be expected along the Texas coast?
A Storm Surge Warning is also in effect from Padre Island to High Island, including Corpus Christi Bay, Matagorda Bay and Galveston Bay
A Storm Surge Warning means there is a potential for life-threatening water rises within the next 36 hours.
(FOX Weather)
Storm Surge models indicate a water rise of 3-6 feet is possible from Baffin Bay to Sargent, along with Corpus Christi Bay and Matagorda Bay starting as early as Sunday night and lasting into Monday.
“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the center, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the NHC warned. “Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.”
How much rain is expected in Texas from Beryl?
(FOX Weather)
Much of East Texas should brace for several inches of rain from Beryl. Wide swaths of 5-10 inch accumulations are expected with localized amounts up to 15 inches, across portions of the Texas Gulf Coast and eastern Texas from Sunday through the middle of next week.
“This rainfall is likely to produce areas of flash and urban flooding, some of which may be locally considerable in nature,” the NHC warned.
The Houston area is currently forecast to see around 5-8 inches of rain with heavier amounts in the southern and western suburbs.
(FOX Weather)
Any of the outer rain bands could also produce tropical storm-force gusts and even spin up an isolated tornado, meteorologists with the National Weather Service office in Corpus Christi, Texas said.
WHAT IS THE IKE DIKE?
Evacuation orders issued for some Texas communities
Cameron County, Texas was one of the first in the state to issue voluntary evacuations.
Authorities advised those living in mobile homes and visitors staying at parks to seek more substantial shelter.
Nueces County issued similar orders and advised all visitors to leave by Sunday afternoon.
The counties were two of the 40 that were part of a disaster declaration signed by acting Governor Dan Patrick.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is currently out of the country, but said he is monitoring the situation.
Communities in low-lying areas and along the coast have already started to offer sandbags to residents, which will be available as long as supplies last.