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Ex-hurricane Harvey: Houston flooded as catastrophe unfolds in Texas – latest updates Ex-hurricane Harvey: Houston flooded as catastrophe unfolds in Texas – latest updates
(35 minutes later)
5.34am BST
05:34
ABC Houston has frightening footage showing the rescue of two people from the Katy Freeway, one of the major thoroughfares feeding Houston from the west.
AMAZING RESCUE: A person was holding on to their car and trying to survive when two men saved him on the Katy Frwy https://t.co/pIUUByO9QM pic.twitter.com/42JevueFc3
5.22am BST
05:22
5.20am BST
05:20
5.19am BST
05:19
5.17am BST
05:17
Here’s what the Federal Emergency Management Agency says it has done so far. It has also issued safety tips and contact numbers here.
Here's a look at our response operations for #Harvey. For resources: https://t.co/QYz65o9EIG pic.twitter.com/sVQqoxiFX8
5.14am BST
05:14
As of Sunday night, 54 counties in Texas have been declared state disaster areas by the governor, Greg Abbott. Texas has 254 counties.
Houston’s George Bush intercontinental airport and William P Hobby airport halted all commercial flights on Sunday. Nearly 1,500 flights in and out of Houston have been cancelled, according to FlightAware.com.
5.09am BST
05:09
'Catastrophic' flooding along Buffalo Bayou
Buffalo Bayou has reached 69ft at a spot in western Houston called West Belt Drive. That is about 7ft over the stage at which it floods. It is predicted to rise at least another 4ft.
See here for more details on the status of Buffalo Bayou.
5.00am BST5.00am BST
05:0005:00
A Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund has been set up by Houston mayor Sylvester Turner to take donations from the public. It will be administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation. Donations can be made via its site.A Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund has been set up by Houston mayor Sylvester Turner to take donations from the public. It will be administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation. Donations can be made via its site.
Turner said he was taking phone calls from across the country and “the generosity of people who understand this disaster is truly amazing”.Turner said he was taking phone calls from across the country and “the generosity of people who understand this disaster is truly amazing”.
4.57am BST4.57am BST
04:5704:57
A picture of Houston right now:A picture of Houston right now:
Widespread catastrophic and life threatening flooding continues #houwx #hounews #txwx pic.twitter.com/SzJUaGpVFSWidespread catastrophic and life threatening flooding continues #houwx #hounews #txwx pic.twitter.com/SzJUaGpVFS
4.52am BST4.52am BST
04:5204:52
Below are two images of North Post Oak Lane in Houston. One is a historical Google Streetview image, the other is how it looked on Sunday.Below are two images of North Post Oak Lane in Houston. One is a historical Google Streetview image, the other is how it looked on Sunday.
4.41am BST4.41am BST
04:4104:41
A voluntary evacuation order has been issued by Harris County flood control for the Inverness Forest area. It fears Cypress Creek will spill over the levee by Monday morning. See here for more details on which precise areas could be affected.A voluntary evacuation order has been issued by Harris County flood control for the Inverness Forest area. It fears Cypress Creek will spill over the levee by Monday morning. See here for more details on which precise areas could be affected.
4.37am BST4.37am BST
04:3704:37
Tom Dart wrote this piece about Houston’s flooding problem a little more than two months ago. Some snippets:Tom Dart wrote this piece about Houston’s flooding problem a little more than two months ago. Some snippets:
The Texas metropolis has more casualties and property loss from floods than any other locality in the US, according to data stretching back to 1960 that [flood expert Sam] Brody researched with colleagues. And, he said: ‘Where the built environment is a main force exacerbating the impacts of urban flooding, Houston is number one and it’s not even close.’The Texas metropolis has more casualties and property loss from floods than any other locality in the US, according to data stretching back to 1960 that [flood expert Sam] Brody researched with colleagues. And, he said: ‘Where the built environment is a main force exacerbating the impacts of urban flooding, Houston is number one and it’s not even close.’
Near the Gulf coast, Houston is also at annual risk from hurricanes: it is now into the start of the 2017 season, which runs from June to November. Ike, the last hurricane to hit the Houston region, caused $34bn in damage and killed 112 people across several states in September 2008.Near the Gulf coast, Houston is also at annual risk from hurricanes: it is now into the start of the 2017 season, which runs from June to November. Ike, the last hurricane to hit the Houston region, caused $34bn in damage and killed 112 people across several states in September 2008.
4.34am BST4.34am BST
04:3404:34
To report a #harvey emergency you must call numbers below or 911 for assistance. If busy keep trying. Do not report distress on social media pic.twitter.com/2YROOVWwDkTo report a #harvey emergency you must call numbers below or 911 for assistance. If busy keep trying. Do not report distress on social media pic.twitter.com/2YROOVWwDk
4.26am BST
04:26
The damage from Hurricane Harvey might equal that from Hurricane Katrina, the costliest natural disaster in US history, an insurance research group has said.
The Insurance Information Institute said it was still too soon to make precise estimates but it based its prediction on the sheer amount of water still coming in, rather than the earlier damage from hurricane winds.
Andrew Siffert at at insurance broker BMS Group said it was easy to understand that Harvey would cause well over $10bn in economic loss.
Hurricane Katrina resulted in more than $15bn in flood insurance losses in Louisiana and Mississippi that were paid by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a federal program that is the only source of flood insurance for most Americans.
Many residents in Texas rely on the NFIP, which is about $25bn in debt and has been a target for congressional reform. It will expire at the end of September unless it is renewed.
It worth mentioning that Donald Trump’s proposed budget calls for a $667m cut to state and local Federal Emergency Management Agency programmes that focus on disaster preparation.
4.18am BST
04:18
The Houston Chronicle has extraordinary drone footage showing some of Houston’s flooded bayous. It says the footage was taken by Ahmed Gul from the University of Houston.
4.10am BST
04:10
Mandatory evacuation for homes on Huntington Rd. Unknown if bridge into area will hold as river levels rise. Bridge is only way out. #Harvey pic.twitter.com/InblQc5Rej
4.08am BST
04:08
The National Weather Service has released some extraordinary rainfall totals from the past 72 hours. Parts of Harris County (eastern Houston) and Galveston County, further south-east on the coast, have been hit by 26 inches (66cm) of rain.
4.02am BST
04:02
More from our correspondent on those water releases that will affect Buffalo Bayou, a vital waterway through Houston.
Tom Dart writes:
Houston is dubbed the Bayou City for good reason, and Buffalo extends all the way through the city and suburbs for dozens of miles, right through downtown, through some of the richest areas – and the poorest. It feeds from the west into the Ship Channel in the east, leading to Galveston Bay. Anyone living near a bayou is especially vulnerable right now, and notorious, regular flood hotspot Meyerland, just south-west of downtown, has again been one of the worst-hit areas because of its proximity to Brays Bayou.
3.59am BST
03:59
This map from storm chaser Josh Morgerman gives a good picture of the path that Harvey has taken since its category 4 hurricane days. The concern – which was widely predicted – is that it will return to the coast, gather strength and create more problems. The National Hurricane Center has recently said that Harvey has increased slightly in power.
Big picture: #HARVEY's track since landfall, (NHC positions). Center wobbled ashore, looped NW of Victoria, now heading for Matagorda Bay. pic.twitter.com/CLdfMpefhF
3.55am BST
03:55
Dallas – which is 240 miles (390km) north of Houston – has so far opened up three shelters to take in the displaced. It plans to open the city’s main convention center, the Kay Bailey Hutchison convention center, to offer another 5,000 beds by Tuesday morning.
3.51am BST
03:51
3.46am BST
03:46
Tom Dart
Rain in far west Houston is now the strongest it has been all weekend and radar images suggest no let-up for several hours, bringing added anxiety to residents close to the Barker and Addicks reservoirs, which collect water and protect central Houston by reducing the impact of flooding along the Buffalo Bayou.
The Army Corps of Engineers is set to release water from the reservoirs in the coming hours, in effect allowing some neighborhoods to flood in order to keep a bigger disaster from unspooling downriver. Some are already under a voluntary evacuation order. Population growth in this part of Houston has been explosive over the past decade, fueled by the oil boom. It’s close to a quarter known as the Energy Corridor, where many oil companies big and small are headquartered. That means more houses and apartments built close to the bayou and the reservoirs. And where once were fields helping to absorb rainwater are now large areas of non-porous concrete.
3.43am BST
03:43
In this press briefing, the US Coast Guard says it has conducted more than 1,000 rescues, of which 200 were from the air.
US Coast Guard: We've rescued 1,200 from the #HoustonFloods - 200 from the air pic.twitter.com/v9Suvxrxjz