White House still deciding who gets Trump’s Harvey donation

Harvey’s flood waters have heavily damaged tens of thousands of homes across Texas and killed at least 30 people. Rainfall from the storm has set a record for the continental US, according to the National Weather Service, and the response is expected to be among the most expensive natural disaster rebuilding efforts in American history.

After he asked residents to leave the area on Friday, 300 inundated homes in the zone remain unevacuated.

“There are a lot of components that need to be looked at”, Sanders explained. “I expect the House to move rapidly to approve this assistance”, House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen said in a written statement on Sunday. “They are just telling everyone to call FEMA, tell them about the damage”.

The Cedar Bayou area in Harris County has received nearly 52 inches of rain.

More than 17,000 people have sought refuge in Texas shelters, the American Red Cross said earlier this week. He flagged down a passing rescue boat and spent the rest of the night at a church before being taken on a city transit bus to the Lake Charles civic centre on Tuesday. “We won’t say congratulations”, the president remarked. The recovery from Katrina cost $110 billion and was riddled with corruption.

“This request is a down-payment on the president’s commitment to help affected states recover from the storm, and future requests will address longer-term rebuilding needs”, Mulvaney said. Some 195,000 people have begun the process of seeking federal help, FEMA said. He’s reportedly scheduled to return to the state on Saturday.

“There’s reason to hope that in the wake of the tragedy in Texas. there will be a renewed sense of community and common goal that can help get things done”, said Michael Steel, a Republican strategist who once worked as spokesman for former House Speaker John Boehner.

But the immediate focus will be on rushing an aid package to storm-ravaged Texas and Louisiana, and that bipartisan imperative has pushed aside talk of a government shutdown and President Donald Trump’s feuding with GOP lawmakers.

Even first lady Melania Trump, who accompanied her husband to Texas, did not escape some fashion criticism, for being photographed wearing stiletto heels boarding Air Force One en route to Hurricane Harvey.

“Our first responders have been doing absolutely heroic work to shepherd people out of harm’s way”, Trump said.

The Trump administration on Friday asked Congress for a higher-than-expected $7.85 billion as part of an initial request for funds in response to Hurricane Harvey, with an additional request expected by the end of this month. Multiple sources reported the same to McClatchy.