Louisiana braced for floods as Storm Harvey makes landfall for second time
President Donald Trump on Tuesday inspected the huge cleanup and rescue work in southeastern Texas from Hurricane Harvey and said the storm recovery would probably be one of the most expensive efforts the US has ever undertaken.
The first couple visited Corpus Christi and the state capital of Austin, however, they avoided the severely damaged and hardest hit areas in Houston, as they did not want to “disrupt” the safety efforts, according to the New York Daily News. He’s en route back to Washington, but he mentioned during a news conference Monday he may return to the state later this week.
Trump’s Wednesday morning tweet comes the day after he traveled to Texas to meet with state and local officials.
“The 123rd STS has taken all of it’s equipment down, ATVs and inflatable motor boats, to provide search and rescue, and any support as needed”, said Major Steve Martin.
“I’m just grateful I can do it”, she told People.
As flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey drives thousands of people from their homes across southeast Texas, more and more houses of worship are opening their doors to evacuees.
If you do happen to live near the affected areas, you may be able to help in person.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund has already shrunk to about $3.3 billion from the $7 billion Congress gave it this year and isn’t expected to cover the long-term recovery.
With the water still high in places and many hard-hit areas still inaccessible, those numbers seemed certain to increase.
Officials acknowledge that fatalities from Harvey could soar once the floodwaters start to recede from one of America’s most sprawling metropolitan centres.
An overnight curfew was imposed on hurricane-struck Houston from midnight Tuesday for an indefinite period amid incidents of looting, armed robbery and people impersonating police officers, city officials said. He described the Greater Houston area, where almost 200,000 Indian-Americans live, as a “ghost town”.
Matt Sebesta, the chief administrator of Brazoria County, urged residents on Tuesday of the Columbia Lakes neighbourhood to leave. The city opened its arms to those fleeing from Harvey by opening up shelters and, in some cases, residents opening their homes to friends and family.
The Texas communities of Beaumont and Port Arthur struggled with rising floodwaters and worked to evacuate residents after Harvey rolled ashore early Wednesday for the second time in six days, hitting southwestern Louisiana as a tropical storm with winds of 45 miles per hour and heavy rain.