Texas mayor issues absolutely chilling directive to residents who chose not to evacuate for Harvey

Prior to Hurricane Harvey making landfall in southeastern Texas late Friday, the mayor of a coastal Texas city issued a chilling directive to his residents.

Patrick Rios, mayor pro tem of Rockport, Texas, on Friday advised his residents who did not evacuate to write their names and social security numbers on their arms in the grim case that they died during the storm.

"We’re suggesting if people are going to stay here, mark their arm with a Sharpie pen with their name and Social Security number," Rios said at a press conference on Friday, according to ABC News.

"We hate to talk about things like that," he explained. "It's not something we like to do but it’s the reality, people don’t listen."

Rockport is just north of Corpus Cristi and took a direct hit from Harvey when it made landfall. It was one of five cities and seven counties that issued mandatory evacuations.

Harvey made landfall late Friday night as a category 4 storm with sustained winds of 130 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is expected to ravage Texas for days. Flooding is the biggest concern as the storm will bring 2-4 feet of rainfall to some areas.

Harvey is the first major hurricane to strike the U.S. since 2005, which was one of the most intense and busy Atlantic basin Hurricane seasons ever recorded. That year Katrina, Wilma, Rita and Dennis were the major hurricanes that made U.S. landfall.