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Next version
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Ex-hurricane Harvey: Houston flooded as catastrophe unfolds in Texas – latest updates | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2.10am BST | |
| 02:10 | |
| The mayor also defended his decision not to order the city to evacuate. “The decision that we made was a smart one. It was in the best interest of Houstonians. It was the right decision in terms of their safety ... absolutely no regrets. We did what was the right thing to do,” he said. | |
| This is an issue that will no doubt be much-discussed at a later date. | |
| 2.04am BST | |
| 02:04 | |
| The mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, has said that as of 5pm on Sunday – or about three hours ago – Houston emergency services had received nearly 6,000 calls for rescues and had rescued more than 1,000 people. Many of them had been trapped on their roofs or in their attics. | |
| He said 22 aircraft were scouring the area to identify people stranded on roofs. Thirty-five boats and 93 trucks were being used by the city for high-water rescues. | |
| He confirmed one fatality from Saturday evening, when a woman was found dead after getting out of her car in a flooded street. | |
| 2.01am BST | |
| 02:01 | |
| The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, has predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require the agency’s involvement for years.“This disaster’s going to be a landmark event,” Long said. | |
| Meanwhile, the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, heaped praise on the agency and Donald Trump. “I’ve got to tell you, I give Fema a grade of A+, all the way from the president down,” he said. “I’ve spoken to the president several times, to his cabinet members, such as secretary of homeland security, such as the administrator of Fema, such as Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services.” | |
| “All across the board, from the White House to the federal administration to Fema, they’ve been very helpful,” Abbott said. | |
| 1.54am BST | |
| 01:54 | |
| Storm forecast to strengthen | |
| Harvey, which made landfall as a category 4 hurricane before quickly losing its power, could strengthen again as it moves slowly south-east, back towards the coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. | |
| It said it would maintain its strength over the next 24 hours but then “some slight re-strengthening is possible after the center moves off the coast on Monday night and Tuesday”. | |
| It is now just before 8pm in Houston and the risk of flash flooding will continue throughout the night. | |
| In an advisory issued by the center less than an hour ago, the centre of the storm is sitting about 120 miles (193km) south-west of Houston and inching south-east at 3mph (6km/h). | |
| The storm is expected to rain an additional 15 to 25 inches (up to 63cm) through to Friday over the upper Texas Gulf coast and into south-western Louisiana. Isolated storm totals may reach 50 inches over that area, including the Houston-Galveston area. | |
| See the centre’s rundown in the tweet below for details on specific areas. | |
| Flash Flood Emergency continues tonight for the greater Houston/Galveston area @NWSHouston pic.twitter.com/EHbVkdielU | |
| 1.43am BST | |
| 01:43 | |
| The US Coast Guard says it has received more than 300 search and rescue requests in the Houston area. At the moment it has has five helicopters in the area and is asking for additional helicopters from New Orleans. | |
| Officials are advising people in dire straits to get to the roofs of their homes and mark them somehow to be seen from the air. One suggestion is for people to wave sheets or towels. | |
| 1.40am BST | |
| 01:40 | |
| #USCG Video: Coast Guard assess the aftermath of damage caused by #HurricaneHarvey during their search and rescue operations. pic.twitter.com/23eSED1ka5 | |
| 1.36am BST | 1.36am BST |
| 01:36 | 01:36 |
| People walk through the floodwaters on Telephone Road in Houston on Sunday. | People walk through the floodwaters on Telephone Road in Houston on Sunday. |
| 1.29am BST | 1.29am BST |
| 01:29 | 01:29 |
| The rains have created a sinkhole in Rosenberg, just south-west of central Houston, washing away part of the Texas highway. | The rains have created a sinkhole in Rosenberg, just south-west of central Houston, washing away part of the Texas highway. |
| 1.25am BST | 1.25am BST |
| 01:25 | 01:25 |
| Downtown Houston, giving a view of Buffalo Bayou. | Downtown Houston, giving a view of Buffalo Bayou. |
| 1.22am BST | 1.22am BST |
| 01:22 | 01:22 |
| A dealership in Dickinson off Interstate 45, just south-east of Houston’s centre. | A dealership in Dickinson off Interstate 45, just south-east of Houston’s centre. |
| 1.19am BST | 1.19am BST |
| 01:19 | 01:19 |
| The scale of the rescue challenge that authorities are facing is beginning to emerge. I will post some images next showing street scenes in and around Houston. | The scale of the rescue challenge that authorities are facing is beginning to emerge. I will post some images next showing street scenes in and around Houston. |
| Anyone with a boat who can volunteer to help please call 713-881-3100 #HurricaneHarvey | Anyone with a boat who can volunteer to help please call 713-881-3100 #HurricaneHarvey |
| 1.17am BST | 1.17am BST |
| 01:17 | 01:17 |
| On Sunday, parts of Houston were inundated with more than 22 inches (55cm) of rain. That is too much for the bayous to handle, too much for roads to remain passable and threatening to overwhelm emergency teams. | On Sunday, parts of Houston were inundated with more than 22 inches (55cm) of rain. That is too much for the bayous to handle, too much for roads to remain passable and threatening to overwhelm emergency teams. |
| 1.13am BST | 1.13am BST |
| 01:13 | 01:13 |
| Across Houston, thousands of people have been forced to take refuge on rooftops, and rescues are being carried out across America’s fourth-largest city as its flood control systems are tested to their limits by ex-hurricane Harvey. | Across Houston, thousands of people have been forced to take refuge on rooftops, and rescues are being carried out across America’s fourth-largest city as its flood control systems are tested to their limits by ex-hurricane Harvey. |
| Several deaths have been reported, including that of a woman and child in a submerged vehicle on Interstate 10. The deaths cannot confirmed by authorities because they cannot reach them. | Several deaths have been reported, including that of a woman and child in a submerged vehicle on Interstate 10. The deaths cannot confirmed by authorities because they cannot reach them. |
| We will bring you the latest updates here. If there is anything you would like to share, you can reach me on graham.russell@theguardian.com or on Twitter at @G_J_Russell | We will bring you the latest updates here. If there is anything you would like to share, you can reach me on graham.russell@theguardian.com or on Twitter at @G_J_Russell |