After Houston, Harvey is now bearing down on eastern Texas and Louisiana
ADVERTISEMENTAfter Houston, Harvey is now bearing down on eastern Texas and Louisiana.
Torrential rain is set to cause more misery, with a trail of destruction already costing tens of billions of dollars and a death toll of at least 20.
On Wednesday Harvey, which began as a hurricane and then became a tropical storm, went on to batter a stretch of coast from Port Arthur, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Follow all of our coverage tracking Hurricane Harvey: https://t.co/e9vzRKVChbpic.twitter.com/4aEPaOojOz
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 26, 2017
It has been described as the strongest hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years.
The crucial energy hub in Houston remains out of action.
LIVE: Texas Gov. Abbott holds a news conference to update the latest on Tropical Storm Harvey https://t.co/2UO5QSOMvBpic.twitter.com/CLDGFSCevi
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 30, 2017
A curfew has also been imposed in Houston amid reports of looting, armed robberies and people impersonating emergency workers.
Harvey’s Deadly Toll: The Victims Of Texas’ Devastating Floods https://t.co/3gtQtZnGDA
— NPR (@NPR) August 30, 2017
Many of the 30,000 people forced to flee their homes in Houston are being cared for in emergency shelters.
Volunteers are helping the authorities cope with the huge numbers in need of assistance.
Dr. Essam Girgawy, who volunteered at a church shelter, said: “I’m a physician and this is what I do for a living and whenever there is a need I come.”
Neighbors formed a human chain to help a pregnant woman in labor wade through Houston’s floodwaters. https://t.co/DfLIDACJdL
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 30, 2017
So far in Texas authorities say close to 49,000 homes have suffered flood damage, with more than 1,000 destroyed.
Emergency teams using helicopters and boats have rescued more than 4,000 people to safety.
Officials say 132 centimetres of rain has fallen in Texas, an all-time record.
Under Texas law, insurers may be able to dodge Harvey-related legal fights https://t.co/8Ni5oPl3HXpic.twitter.com/UJ8zu8MUuT
— Bloomberg (@business) August 30, 2017