The storm
- Tropical storm Harvey is set to make landfall again on Wednesday, with Louisiana this time forecast to bear the brunt of its massive downpours. Flash flood warnings are in place across the entire state, as its neighbour Texas still reels from the devastating rains of the last five days.
- Latest forecasts suggest Houston will see less than an inch of rain on Wednesday.
- 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 had been forecast.
- Harvey now holds the US record for most rainfall from a tropical system.
The casualties
- At least 18 people are confirmed to have died in the storm as it ravaged Texas, including police sergeant Steve Perez; Ruben Jordan, a retired high school coach; 83-year-old Ola Mae Crooks; and Alexander Kwoksum Sung, who was 64.
- 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.
- 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.
- Six members of the Saldivar family are believed to have died when their vehicle became trapped in flooding, although their bodies have not yet been found.
The relief efforts
- New shelters have been opened after the George R Brown convention center, set up with a capacity of 5,000, took in 10,000 evacuees. New arrivals are now being directed to a large hub at the NRG center, which can hold an additional 10,000 people, with smaller numbers sent to the Toyota Center, usually home to the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
- Following stinging criticism, televangelist Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church – a Houston megachurch with capacity for 16,000 people – has reversed its decision not to house people seeking shelter.
- More than 13,000 people have now been rescued by local and federal agencies in the Houston area and across southeastern Texas. It is not known how many people remain in their homes.
- Houston mayor Sylvester Turner has imposed a citywide curfew from midnight to 5am to curb “potential criminal acts” against abandoned properties.
Read More- theguardian