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Next version
| Version 28 | Version 29 |
|---|---|
| Tropical storm Harvey: Houston mayor imposes curfew – live | Tropical storm Harvey: Houston mayor imposes curfew – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 5.33am BST | |
| 05:33 | |
| One-fifth of US oil refineries – including the country’s largest crude oil refinery – have been shut down as a result of Harvey. | |
| On Tuesday night, Motiva Enterprises’ plant in Port Arthur, Texas, the largest in the US, was closing due to flooding, Reuters reported. The plant produces 603,000 barrels a day. | |
| Reuters also reported that Total was down to 53% of capacity at its Port Arthur refinery. | |
| Texas and Louisiana, the states struck by Harvey, are the heart of the US petroleum industry. | |
| Reuters estimates that at least 3.6 million barrels per day of refining capacity are offline in Texas and Louisiana, or nearly 20% of total US capacity. Restarting plants can take at least a week. | |
| In the meantime, gasoline prices have spiked to their highest point since July 2015, prompting fears of a fuel shortage. | |
| 5.14am BST | |
| 05:14 | |
| Death toll rises to 18 | |
| The official death toll from Harvey has risen to 18 – although with many people still unaccounted for, it could be a while before authorities have a reliable figure. | |
| On Tuesday night, the Harris county institute of forensic sciences said it had identified three more victims: Agnes Stanley, 89, who was found in floodwater in a home; Travis Lynn Callihan, 45, who died after leaving his vehicle in high waters; and an unnamed 76-year-old woman, who died in waters around her vehicle. | |
| Others who are confirmed to have died include police sergeant Steve Perez; Ruben Jordan, a retired high school coach; 83-year-old Ola Mae Crooks; and Alexander Kwoksum Sung, who was 64. | |
| Six members of the same family are believed to have died when their vehicle became trapped in flooding, although their bodies have not yet been found. | |
| On Tuesday evening, Beaumont police said they had recovered the body of a woman from floodwaters. Her young daughter, who was clinging to her mother, is being treated in hospital. | |
| 5.05am BST | |
| 05:05 | |
| Texas woman Arlene Kelsch posted video of a startling sight in the wake of Hurricane Harvey – two alligators swimming in her backyard. | |
| The reptiles managed to get into the backyard after flooding inundated the neighbourhood, submerging the garden fence. | |
| 4.44am BST | 4.44am BST |
| 04:44 | 04:44 |
| Megachurch opens its doors to evacuees | Megachurch opens its doors to evacuees |
| Following stinging criticism, a Houston megachurch – with capacity for 16,000 people – has reversed its decision not to house people seeking shelter from Harvey. | Following stinging criticism, a Houston megachurch – with capacity for 16,000 people – has reversed its decision not to house people seeking shelter from Harvey. |
| Televangelist Joel Osteen opened Lakewood Church on Tuesday, saying: | Televangelist Joel Osteen opened Lakewood Church on Tuesday, saying: |
| Houstonians, Texans, are generous people, gracious people. We like to help others in need. That’s what you’re seeing here today people stepping up and you know and helping these people that have been displaced. | Houstonians, Texans, are generous people, gracious people. We like to help others in need. That’s what you’re seeing here today people stepping up and you know and helping these people that have been displaced. |
| It came after days of criticism after the church said it would not serve as a shelter, claiming to be flood-damaged. Some residents shared pictures appearing to show that the church was in fact accessible. | It came after days of criticism after the church said it would not serve as a shelter, claiming to be flood-damaged. Some residents shared pictures appearing to show that the church was in fact accessible. |
| Many other places of worship, including churches and mosques, have opened their doors to people displaced by flooding. | Many other places of worship, including churches and mosques, have opened their doors to people displaced by flooding. |
| Don Iloff, a church spokesman and Osteen’s brother-in-law, told the Associated Press that floodwaters had left the building mostly inaccessible before receding on Monday afternoon, but denied the church had been closed. Three people spent the night at the church on Sunday before being taken to a city shelter, Iloff said, adding: | Don Iloff, a church spokesman and Osteen’s brother-in-law, told the Associated Press that floodwaters had left the building mostly inaccessible before receding on Monday afternoon, but denied the church had been closed. Three people spent the night at the church on Sunday before being taken to a city shelter, Iloff said, adding: |
| You can’t change your life because of Twitter haters. You need to do what you need to do. | You can’t change your life because of Twitter haters. You need to do what you need to do. |
| 4.14am BST | 4.14am BST |
| 04:14 | 04:14 |
| Earlier fears that two reservoirs could overspill, threatening surrounding communities with more flooding, seem to be receding. | Earlier fears that two reservoirs could overspill, threatening surrounding communities with more flooding, seem to be receding. |
| An update on Tuesday evening from the US Army Corps of Engineers said water levels in the Addicks and Baker reservoirs are now not expected to rise as high as was forecast. | An update on Tuesday evening from the US Army Corps of Engineers said water levels in the Addicks and Baker reservoirs are now not expected to rise as high as was forecast. |
| According to a report in the Houston Chronicle, although levels in the Addicks reservoir rose by six inches (15cm) between noon and 6pm on Tuesday, this was not as much as expected, and engineers now believe its maximum will reach 109.1 feet (33m) – over 12 inches less than predicted. | According to a report in the Houston Chronicle, although levels in the Addicks reservoir rose by six inches (15cm) between noon and 6pm on Tuesday, this was not as much as expected, and engineers now believe its maximum will reach 109.1 feet (33m) – over 12 inches less than predicted. |
| Similarly, the expected maximum level for the Baker reservoir has been revised downwards to 101.7 feet, around three feet lower. | Similarly, the expected maximum level for the Baker reservoir has been revised downwards to 101.7 feet, around three feet lower. |
| Uncontrolled releases of water from Baker have now stopped, and overspill from Addicks is said to be minimal. Engineers are continuing to make controlled releases into the Buffalo bayou. | Uncontrolled releases of water from Baker have now stopped, and overspill from Addicks is said to be minimal. Engineers are continuing to make controlled releases into the Buffalo bayou. |
| 4.02am BST | 4.02am BST |
| 04:02 | 04:02 |
| This animation from the National Weather Service shows the path of Harvey over five days – and the incredible amount of rainfall it unleashed: | This animation from the National Weather Service shows the path of Harvey over five days – and the incredible amount of rainfall it unleashed: |
| Radar animation of #Harvey now extends a little more than 5 days long. Amazing and scary to watch this engine churn out all that rain. pic.twitter.com/h0LyBQzQ1C | Radar animation of #Harvey now extends a little more than 5 days long. Amazing and scary to watch this engine churn out all that rain. pic.twitter.com/h0LyBQzQ1C |
| 3.38am BST | 3.38am BST |
| 03:38 | 03:38 |
| Another person has been confirmed to have died in the flooding. | Another person has been confirmed to have died in the flooding. |
| Beaumont police said a woman spotted floating in the water with her young daughter has died. The girl survived, but has hypothermia and is being treated in hospital. | Beaumont police said a woman spotted floating in the water with her young daughter has died. The girl survived, but has hypothermia and is being treated in hospital. |
| Officers said the pair were swept into a drainage canal while trying to escape from their vehicle, which was trapped in high water, on Tuesday afternoon. | Officers said the pair were swept into a drainage canal while trying to escape from their vehicle, which was trapped in high water, on Tuesday afternoon. |
| Two Beaumont police officers and two fire-rescue divers in a rubber boat later pulled them from the water, but they were unable to revive the woman, who has not been named. | Two Beaumont police officers and two fire-rescue divers in a rubber boat later pulled them from the water, but they were unable to revive the woman, who has not been named. |
| 3.31am BST | 3.31am BST |
| 03:31 | 03:31 |
| With 10,000 evacuees sheltering at the George R Brown convention center – originally set up with a capacity of 5,000 people – new hubs are opening to take in those forced to leave their homes. | With 10,000 evacuees sheltering at the George R Brown convention center – originally set up with a capacity of 5,000 people – new hubs are opening to take in those forced to leave their homes. |
| Residents are still asked to check in at the GRB, but some will now be forwarded to shelter at the Toyota Center, usually home to the NBA’s Houston Rockets. | Residents are still asked to check in at the GRB, but some will now be forwarded to shelter at the Toyota Center, usually home to the NBA’s Houston Rockets. |
| Tom McCasland, Houston’s housing and community development director, told the Associated Press that the Toyota Center would serve only as an overflow shelter for families with children with no immediate medical needs. | Tom McCasland, Houston’s housing and community development director, told the Associated Press that the Toyota Center would serve only as an overflow shelter for families with children with no immediate medical needs. |
| Another large shelter is opening at 10pm local time – around half an hour from now – at the NRG center, which can hold an additional 10,000 evacuees. | Another large shelter is opening at 10pm local time – around half an hour from now – at the NRG center, which can hold an additional 10,000 evacuees. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.33am BST | at 3.33am BST |
| 3.14am BST | 3.14am BST |
| 03:14 | 03:14 |
| Tom Dart | Tom Dart |
| Although it is one of the world’s widest motorways – eight lanes in each direction in places, with an extra four lanes on each side of a parallel frontage road – the I-10 Katy Freeway resembles a giant parking lot during rush hours. | Although it is one of the world’s widest motorways – eight lanes in each direction in places, with an extra four lanes on each side of a parallel frontage road – the I-10 Katy Freeway resembles a giant parking lot during rush hours. |
| As the sun set on Tuesday, it really was a parking lot: military vehicles, civilian pick-up trucks towing boats and TV news vans stopped near the severely flooded exit for Eldridge Parkway at the heart of the Energy Corridor district, 20 miles west of downtown Houston, where oil majors ConocoPhillips, Shell and BP America have big corporate offices. | As the sun set on Tuesday, it really was a parking lot: military vehicles, civilian pick-up trucks towing boats and TV news vans stopped near the severely flooded exit for Eldridge Parkway at the heart of the Energy Corridor district, 20 miles west of downtown Houston, where oil majors ConocoPhillips, Shell and BP America have big corporate offices. |
| The Corridor’s website touts the location’s proximity to Buffalo Bayou and the Addicks and Barker reservoirs for their recreational potential. | The Corridor’s website touts the location’s proximity to Buffalo Bayou and the Addicks and Barker reservoirs for their recreational potential. |
| That very proximity to large bodies of water is why much of the area is currently submerged, as the US Army Corps of Engineers continues to try to manage the flow out of the reservoirs, making deliberate discharges as well as having to cope with uncontrolled spills. | That very proximity to large bodies of water is why much of the area is currently submerged, as the US Army Corps of Engineers continues to try to manage the flow out of the reservoirs, making deliberate discharges as well as having to cope with uncontrolled spills. |
| While I-10 was useable and drivers endured the familiar experience of backed-up traffic, since police have blocked off most of the lanes, the frontage roads are waterways. Despite an improvement in the weather around here, things appear to be getting worse, not better. | While I-10 was useable and drivers endured the familiar experience of backed-up traffic, since police have blocked off most of the lanes, the frontage roads are waterways. Despite an improvement in the weather around here, things appear to be getting worse, not better. |
| Hershel Coleman and Anton Mackey drove from Austin with their boats to help the rescue mission. Watching the disaster unfold on television, they felt an urge to contribute so travelled 150 miles to save people from flooded properties, with water up to four feet deep. | Hershel Coleman and Anton Mackey drove from Austin with their boats to help the rescue mission. Watching the disaster unfold on television, they felt an urge to contribute so travelled 150 miles to save people from flooded properties, with water up to four feet deep. |
| Reality felt like something you’d see on screen, Coleman said: “It was something out of a horror movie.” | Reality felt like something you’d see on screen, Coleman said: “It was something out of a horror movie.” |
| Not that gratitude was universal. “Lots of people didn’t want to come. They were stubborn,” Coleman said. But one man who had only moved into his home a month ago, initially reluctant to leave because of his child, who has autism, did offer them some bacon by way of thanks. | Not that gratitude was universal. “Lots of people didn’t want to come. They were stubborn,” Coleman said. But one man who had only moved into his home a month ago, initially reluctant to leave because of his child, who has autism, did offer them some bacon by way of thanks. |
| What did they plan to do, now that night was falling? “We’re going to keep helping,” Coleman said. | What did they plan to do, now that night was falling? “We’re going to keep helping,” Coleman said. |
| Hershel and Anton came from Austin to rescue Houstonians by boat pic.twitter.com/sRjKKehIil | Hershel and Anton came from Austin to rescue Houstonians by boat pic.twitter.com/sRjKKehIil |
| 2.55am BST | 2.55am BST |
| 02:55 | 02:55 |
| This view over Buffalo bayou from Memorial Heights in Houston – before and after Harvey struck – shows how the flooding has transformed the landscape. | This view over Buffalo bayou from Memorial Heights in Houston – before and after Harvey struck – shows how the flooding has transformed the landscape. |
| See more before and after images here: | See more before and after images here: |