ORANGE, Texas/HOUSTON (Reuters) - Rescuers searched painstakingly through flooded neighborhoods across southeastern Texas on Friday for people stranded by Hurricane Harvey’s deluge as President Donald Trump asked Congress for $7.85 billion in federal disaster relief. 
 
 The storm, one of the costliest to hit the United States, has displaced more than 1 million people, with 50 feared dead from flooding that paralyzed Houston, swelled river levels to record highs and knocked out the drinking water supply in Beaumont, Texas, a city of 120,000 people. 
 
 The Trump administration in a letter to Congress asked for a $7.85 billion appropriation for response and initial recovery efforts. White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert told reporters on Thursday aid funding requests would come in stages as more became known about the impact of the storm. 
 
 Texas Governor Greg Abbott has said that his state may need more than $125 billion. 
 
 Bossert said the Trump administration wanted Congress to pass the disaster relief measure on its own and not add it to other measures, such as the effort to raise the debt ceiling. 
 
 The U.S. government has a statutory limit on how much money it can borrow to cover the budget deficit that results from Washington spending more than it collects in taxes. Only Congress can raise that limit. 
 
 Trump plans a second visit to the region on Saturday. 
 
 Though the sun was out in Houston on Friday and water levels down in many areas, Mayor Sylvester Turner called for voluntary evacuations on the city’s west side. He said already-flooded neighborhoods there may be in greater danger as the Army Corps of Engineers continues to release water into the adjacent Buffalo Bayou to prevent dam and levee failures. 
 
 About 80 miles (130 km) to the east, the Neches River, which flows into Beaumont and nearby Port Arthur, was forecast to crest early on Saturday well above flood levels, the National Weather Service said. 
 
 “It (the Neches River) is about 7 feet (2.1 meters) above the record and it will continue to remain at or be near that high for about the next week. This flooding poses an ongoing threat,” Texas Governor Abbott told reporters. 
 
 Rescue officials were still working to determine the scope of flooding, said Rodney Smith, deputy chief of the Cedar Hill, Texas, Fire Department. 
 
 The storm’s impact played out in ways large and small, a full week after Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas coast Friday night as the strongest hurricane to hit the state in more than 50 years. 
 
 At the Hollywood Community Cemetery in Orange, floodwaters had caused three coffins to pop out of concrete vaults. One belonged to Dewey Mosby, who died in 2003 at the age of 82. 
 
 “He won’t stay put,” said Ron Kendall, 63, who helps maintain the cemetery and said he knew Mosby well in life. Kendall had helped direct Mosby’s coffin back to its resting place after the 2008 floods from Hurricane Ike and again during floods in 2016. 
 
 “Everybody knows where Mr. Mosby goes now because he always comes up,” Kendall said. 
 
 Nancy McBride is carried out of her flooded home by volunteer Cody Collinsworth, after returning home for the first time since Harvey floodwaters arrived in Houston, Texas September 1, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking 
 
 BURNING CHEMICALS 
 
 At chemical maker Arkema SA, a fire started on Thursday in a truck storing chemicals at a flooded plant east of Houston had burned itself out by Friday. But more blasts were likely in eight other trucks storing the same chemicals.. 
 
 Meanwhile a new storm, Irma, had strengthened on Friday into a Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. It remained hundreds of miles from land but was forecast to possibly hit Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti by the middle of next week. 
 
 Harvey, which lingered around the Gulf of Mexico Coast for days, dumped unprecedented amounts of rain and left devastation across more than 300 miles (480 km) of the state’s coast. 
 
 A list of the dead put out by Harris County painted a grim picture of the storm’s brutality, describing bodies found floating face down in floodwaters, lying in ditches or across fences. Many were unidentified. 
 
 The storm shut about a fourth of U.S. refinery capacity, much of which is clustered along the Gulf Coast, and caused gasoline prices to spike to a two-year high ahead of the long Labor Day holiday weekend. 
 
 The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has risen 17 cents since the storm struck, hitting $2.519 as of Friday morning, according to motorists group AAA. 
 
 Supply concerns prompted the U.S. Energy Department to authorize the release of up to 4.5 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. 
 
 Several East Coast refineries have run out of gasoline, raising fears that travelers will face fuel shortages during the three-day holiday. 
 
 In Texas cities including Dallas, there were long lines at gas stations. Abbott said the state was taking steps to ensure adequate supplies, adding: “Don’t worry. We will not run out of gasoline.” 
 
 Slideshow (17 Images) 
 
 Harvey came on the 12th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which killed about 1,800 around New Orleans. Then-U.S. President George W. Bush’s administration was roundly criticized for its botched early response to the storm. 
 
 “The people of Texas and Louisiana were hit very hard by a historic flood and their response taught us all a lesson, a very, very powerful lesson,” Trump said. “There was an outbreak of compassion only ... and it really inspired us as a nation.” 
 
 Some 440,000 Texans have already applied for federal financial disaster assistance, and some $79 million has been approved so far, Abbott said. 
 
 (For a graphic on Harvey's energy impact, click: tmsnrt.rs/2evXAus) ||||| (CNN) With countless Houstonians still awaiting rescue, Tropical Depression Harvey devoured another Texas city. 
 
 The unrelenting storm unleashed its wrath on a wide swath east of Houston, leaving thousands stranded in flooded homes and forcing the evacuation of a nursing facility and even an emergency shelter where residents had sought refuge. 
 
 "Our whole city is underwater right now but we are coming!" Port Arthur Mayor Derrick Freeman posted Wednesday on Facebook. "If you called, we are coming. Please get to higher ground if you can, but please try (to) stay out of attics." 
 
 My uncles have been rescuing people in Port Arthur for 24hrs! So blessed to have such a helpful family who help others in times like this! pic.twitter.com/O2qIVGHqxR 
 
 At least 37 deaths related to Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath have been reported in Texas. One of them, Houston police Sgt. Steve Perez , drowned while trying to get to work. 
 
 "To those Americans who have lost loved ones, all of America is grieving with you and our hearts are joined with yours forever," President Donald Trump said in Springfield, Missouri. 
 
 The storm left record-setting rain in Harris County -- which saw 19 deaths -- before unleashing 15 inches in the Beaumont area, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. 
 
 "While there may still be flooding, the good news is there shouldn't be any rain in the region for the next several days," said CNN Meteorologist Taylor Ward. 
 
 Evacuees at the Bob Bowers Civic Center in Port Arthur face flooding again as waters rise at the shelter. 
 
 Misery in Houston 
 
 While heavy rains have ended in the Houston area, more danger looms. 
 
 Emergency workers and throngs of volunteers went door to door for a fifth day Wednesday, trying to rescue victims of the flood. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said authorities have received 60,000 to 70,000 calls for help. 
 
 "We just pray that the body count ... won't rise significantly." Acevedo said. 
 
 The US Coast Guard is searching for two civilian rescuers who were swept away after their boat capsized Tuesday night, the Harris County Sheriff's Office tweeted Wednesday. 
 
 Three volunteers were trying to cross Cypress Creek when their boat crashed and capsized, sending all three under a bridge. One of the volunteers was found clinging to a tree. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Torrential downpour submerges parts of Houston Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Torrential downpour submerges parts of Houston 01:06 
 
 About one-third of the Houston area is covered in water. And it's unclear exactly how many people still need to be rescued, Texas Military Department spokesman Lt. Col. Travis Walters said. 
 
 For the first time since the weekend, authorities said, the flooding in Houston is slowly receding in some areas. 
 
 The Houston Astros announced they will play a doubleheader at home on Saturday against the New York Mets. The team played the Texas Rangers in St. Petersburg, Florida, earlier this week because of the hurricane. 
 
 Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the home game will provide "a much needed boost for our city" and offer residents "some aspect of normal life." 
 
 But dangerous flooding will continue from Houston all the way into southwestern Louisiana for the rest of the week, the National Weather Service said. 
 
 Houses built 'inside a lake' could degrade 
 
 Controversy has surrounded the placement of houses near Houston's Barker and Addicks reservoirs, especially since floodwater overflowed the latter. 
 
 Residents evacuate their homes Tuesday near the Addicks Reservoir in Houston. 
 
 "They allowed them to build homes inside the reservoir. And these homes are flooded -- 2,500 homes are flooded, some of them up to 5 feet deep," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said Wednesday. "They built homes inside a lake." 
 
 And those homes "will be inundated for several weeks," said Jeff Lindner with Harris County Flood Control. 
 
 "The closest comparison that I can draw to those homes ... is Hurricane Katrina," Lindner said. 
 
 "When water sits in a house for several weeks, the house begins to degrade." 
 
 Lindner said those residents will be able to return after several weeks, but "we are not sure what the condition of those homes are going to be." 
 
 He also said it's unclear whether rebuilding homes in the same area will be allowed. 
 
 Louisiana weathers Harvey, Texas 'taking it on the chin' 
 
 Louisiana was largely spared from Harvey's wrath on Wednesday. 
 
 "While things are still serious and there is a long way to go, we ... have fared much better than we'd feared might be the case, but our neighbors are still taking it on the chin," Gov. John Bel Edwards said. "In Texas, we're going to do everything we can do to be good neighbors to them." 
 
 Edwards requested a federal disaster declaration be extended to seven additional Louisiana parishes. 
 
 Harvey is still threatening to dump an additional 3 to 6 inches of rain from northern Louisiana into western Kentucky, forecasters said. It weakened over land and fizzled to a tropical depression Wednesday night, with winds of 35 mph. 
 
 New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said volunteers helped New Orleans recover after Katrina and they will do the same for Texas residents affected by Harvey. 
 
 New Orleans officials announced a fundraiser to help the residents of Houston and other flooded Texas cities recover from Harvey. 
 
 "No city was more welcoming for the citizens of New Orleans than the people of Houston," Landrieu said. "And our heart breaks for them as they go through their trying to times." 
 
 More rescues, mother dies 
 
 In Beaumont, rescuers Tuesday afternoon came upon a toddler in a pink backpack clinging to her mother's body in floodwaters about a half mile from their car. The mother was getting out of her car when she stepped into a canal, Mayor Becky Ames said. 
 
 The girl was in stable condition with hypothermia. 
 
 "Had we been a few moments later, they would have been swept underneath (a trestle) and our boats wouldn't have been able to get them," Haley Morrow, spokeswoman for the Beaumont Emergency Management Office, told CNN on Wednesday. 
 
 "A true testament of a mother who put her own life at risk and sacrificed her life to save her child. That was devastating." 
 
 In Port Arthur, about 90 miles east of the devastated Houston area, the deluge was so severe that floodwaters overwhelmed the Bob Bowers Civic Center, which was serving as a shelter. It was evacuated Wednesday after taking on water overnight, according to volunteer Ana Platero. 
 
 Cots where people slept the night before floated on 2 feet of water on Wednesday as people waited on tables or sat on elevated bleachers to be evacuated to a nearby middle school. 
 
 At Lake Arthur Place, a nursing home in Port Arthur, rescue workers evacuated up to 74 bedridden patients after an altercation involving relatives who tried to take out loved ones on their own, CNN affiliate KTRK reported. 
 
 All residents were taken to local hospitals in Beaumont, the nursing home operator said. 
 
 Some Port Arthur residents sought shelter in a bowling alley. 
 
 Cynthia Harmon told CNN by phone that she was trapped with her two sons and two grandsons in the attic of her Port Arthur home. They began waiting for rescuers at midnight Tuesday and had run out of food and water by Wednesday afternoon. 
 
 "I didn't think the water was going to rise like that," she said. "I've never been in anything like this." 
 
 The family was rescued later on Wednesday. 
 
 Police made an appeal for volunteers to bring boats and help. 
 
 "Rescue boats welcome in Port Arthur to assist emergency personnel," the police department posted on Facebook. The city asked anyone trapped to hang a white towel, sheet or shirt outside to alert rescuers. 
 
 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Downtown Houston is reflected in the flooded Buffalo Bayou on Wednesday, August 30, five days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas. The Category 4 storm came ashore late Friday, August 25, just north of Port Aransas, and has caused historic flooding. Correction: Previous versions of this gallery incorrectly reported that Hurricane Harvey is the strongest storm to make landfall in the United States since Wilma in 2005. Harvey is actually the strongest storm to make landfall in the United States since Charley in 2004. Hide Caption 1 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Members of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Louisiana National Guard help rescue elderly people from a flooded assisted living home in Orange, Texas, on August 30. Hide Caption 2 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A baby sits with family belongings at a Gallery Furniture store in Houston being used as a temporary shelter on August 30. Hide Caption 3 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Floodwaters engulf homes in Port Arthur on August 30. Hide Caption 4 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Janice Forse cries at an emergency shelter in Beaumont on August 30. Her home in Beaumont was flooded Wednesday morning. "Even Katrina wasn't this bad," Forse told the Austin American-Statesman. Hide Caption 5 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Tammy Dominguez, left, and her husband, Christopher Dominguez, sleep on cots at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where nearly 10,000 people are taking shelter in Houston, on August 30. Hide Caption 6 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A cat tries to find dry ground around a flooded apartment complex on August 30 in Houston. Hide Caption 7 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Volunteer rescue workers help a woman from her flooded home in Port Arthur on August 30. Hide Caption 8 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas The Florida Air Force Reserve Pararescue team from the 308th Rescue Squadron helps evacuees board a helicopter in Port Arthur on August 30. Hide Caption 9 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Water from the Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods in Houston as floodwaters rise Tuesday, August 29. Hide Caption 10 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Chris Gutierrez, second from right, helps his grandmother, Edelmira Gutierrez, down the stairs of their flooded house and into a waiting firetruck in the Concord Bridge neighborhood of Houston on August 29. Hide Caption 11 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Members of the National Guard rest at a furniture store in Richmond, Texas, on August 29. Hide Caption 12 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Alexis Hernandez holds her daughter Faith at the George R. Brown Convention Center, which is serving as a shelter in Houston. Hide Caption 13 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Evacuees make their way though floodwaters in Houston on August 29. Hide Caption 14 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas President Donald Trump takes part in a briefing on Harvey as he visits Corpus Christi on August 29. In a stop in Austin, Trump spoke of the long-term effort and stiff costs that will be needed to rebuild the region. "Nobody's seen this kind of water," he said. "Probably, there's never been something so expensive in our country's history." While talking about recovery and relief efforts, Trump said, "We want to do it better than ever before." Hide Caption 15 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Civilian rescuers put a boat into a flooded road to search for people in Cypress on August 29. Hide Caption 16 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Volunteers organize items donated for Hurricane Harvey victims in Dallas on August 29. Hide Caption 17 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas An overview of downtown Houston on August 29 shows the scale of the catastrophic flooding. Hide Caption 18 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Matthew Koser searches for important papers and heirlooms inside his grandfather's house in Houston's Bear Creek neighborhood on August 29. The neighborhood flooded after water was released from nearby Addicks Reservoir. Hide Caption 19 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Shane Johnson removes items from a family home in Rockport, Texas, on August 29. Hide Caption 20 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Airplanes sit at a flooded airport in Houston on August 29. Hide Caption 21 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas People set up a shelter for volunteer rescue workers at Fairfield Baptist Church in Cypress, Texas, on August 29. Hide Caption 22 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Shardea Harrison looks at her 3-week-old baby, Sarai, as Dean Mize, right, and Jason Legnon use an airboat to rescue them from their home in Houston on Monday, August 28. Hide Caption 23 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Thousands take shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on August 28. Hide Caption 24 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Rescue boats fill Tidwell Road in Houston as they help flood victims evacuate the area on August 28. Hide Caption 25 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas People wait to be rescued from their flooded home in Houston on August 28. Hide Caption 26 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A firefighter helps Sara Golden and her daughters Paisley, Poppy and Piper board a Texas Air National Guard C-130 at Scholes International Airport in Galveston, Texas, on August 28. Hide Caption 27 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas People make their way out of a flooded neighborhood in Houston on August 28. Hide Caption 28 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Sam Speights removes possessions from his damaged home in Rockport on August 28. Hide Caption 29 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Flood victims wait to unload from the back of a heavy-duty truck after being evacuated from their homes in Houston on August 28. Hide Caption 30 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas People leave a flooded area of Houston on August 28. Hide Caption 31 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas People are rescued in Houston on August 28. Hide Caption 32 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Bridget Brundrett presents an American flag to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott while he was in Rockport on August 28. The flag had been recovered from city hall after flying during the hurricane. Hide Caption 33 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A Coast Guard helicopter hoists a wheelchair on board after lifting a person to safety from a flooded area of Houston on August 28. Hide Caption 34 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Houston flood victims eat and rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center on August 28. Hide Caption 35 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Belinda Penn holds her dogs Winston and Baxter after being rescued from their home in Spring, Texas, on August 28. Hide Caption 36 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A firefighter is wheeled to a waiting ambulance after he became fatigued while fighting an office-building fire in downtown Houston on August 28. Hide Caption 37 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas People evacuate a neighborhood in west Houston on August 28. Hide Caption 38 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Julie Martinez, right, hugs her daughter, Gabrielle Jackson, in front of a relative's damaged apartment in Rockport on August 28. Hide Caption 39 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Cattle are stranded in a flooded pasture in La Grange, Texas, on August 28. Hide Caption 40 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Volunteer rescue boats make their way into a flooded subdivision in Spring, Texas, on August 28. Hide Caption 41 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Houston police officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son, Aiden, after rescuing them from floodwaters on Sunday, August 27. Hide Caption 42 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas People push a stalled pickup through a flooded street in Houston on August 27. Hide Caption 43 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Residents of Rockport return to their destroyed home on August 27. Hide Caption 44 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas The Buffalo Bayou floods parts of Houston on August 27. Hide Caption 45 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Two men try to beat the current that was pushing them down an overflowing Brays Bayou in Houston on August 27. Hide Caption 46 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Jane Rhodes is rescued by neighbors in Friendswood, Texas, on August 27. Hide Caption 47 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Volunteers at Sacred Heart Catholic Church prepare cots for evacuees in Elgin, Texas, on August 27. Hide Caption 48 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Damage to a home is seen in the Key Allegro neighborhood of Rockport on August 27. Hide Caption 49 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Melani Zurawski cries while inspecting her home in Port Aransas on August 27. Hide Caption 50 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Wilford Martinez, right, is rescued from his flooded car along Interstate 610 in Houston on August 27. Assisting him here is Richard Wagner of the Harris County Sheriff's Department. Hide Caption 51 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A car is submerged by floodwaters on a freeway near downtown Houston on August 27. Hide Caption 52 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A resident of the Bayou on the Bend apartment complex watches its first floor flood in Houston on August 27. Hide Caption 53 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A city flag, tattered by the effects of Hurricane Harvey, flaps in the wind over the police station in Rockport on August 27. Hide Caption 54 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls and Lucas Wu lift Ethan Wu into an airboat as they evacuate the Orchard Lakes subdivision in Fort Bend County, Texas, on August 27. Hide Caption 55 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Damage is seen at a boat storage building in Rockport on August 27. Hide Caption 56 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Water rushes from a large sinkhole along a highway in Rosenberg, Texas, on August 27. Hide Caption 57 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Evacuees wade through a flooded section of Interstate 610 in Houston on August 27. Hide Caption 58 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Evacuees are loaded onto a truck on an Interstate 610 overpass in Houston on August 27. Hide Caption 59 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A graveyard is flooded in Pearland, Texas, on August 27. Hide Caption 60 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A driver works his way through a maze of fallen utility poles in Taft, Texas, on Saturday, August 26. Hide Caption 61 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Steve Culver comforts his dog Otis on August 26 as he talks about what he said was the "most terrifying event in his life." Hurricane Harvey destroyed most of his home in Rockport while he and his wife were there. Hide Caption 62 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas People walk through flooded streets in Galveston on August 26. Hide Caption 63 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Aaron Tobias stands in what is left of his Rockport home on August 26. Tobias said he was able to get his wife and kids out before the storm arrived, but he stayed there and rode it out. Hide Caption 64 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Brad Matheney offers help to a man in a wheelchair in Galveston on August 26. Hide Caption 65 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Jessica Campbell hugs Jonathan Fitzgerald after riding out Hurricane Harvey in an apartment in Rockport. Hide Caption 66 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Boats are damaged in Rockport on August 26. Hide Caption 67 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A damaged home in Rockport on August 26. Hide Caption 68 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Donna Raney makes her way out of the wreckage of her home as Daisy Graham assists her in Rockport on August 26. Raney was hiding in the shower after the roof blew off and the walls of her home caved in. Hide Caption 69 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A laundromat's machines are exposed to the elements in Rockport on August 26. Hide Caption 70 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A semi-truck is overturned on a highway south of Houston on August 26. Hide Caption 71 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas An American flag flies in front of a damaged mobile-home park in Rockport on August 26. Hide Caption 72 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas NASA astronaut Jack Fischer photographed Hurricane Harvey from the International Space Station on Friday, August 25. Hide Caption 73 of 74 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Waves pound the shore as Harvey approaches Corpus Christi, Texas, on August 25. Hide Caption 74 of 74 
 
 The disaster in Port Arthur is part of Tropical Storm Harvey's devastating encore. Harvey made landfall once again Wednesday morning, slamming into the Louisiana coast near the Texas border. 
 
 26 inches in 24 hours 
 
 Harvey has broken the US record for rainfall from a single storm, CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said. It has dumped almost 52 inches of rain in parts of Texas. 
 
 The coastal cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur got pummeled with 26 inches of rain in 24 hours. 
 
 "Life-threatening flash flooding continues in far east Texas around Beaumont and Port Arthur," Hennen said. 
 
 Port Arthur, a city of about 55,000, is in exceptional danger because water from Beaumont is expected to flow toward it. 
 
 In Beaumont, a man who accidentally drove a truck into a flooded ravine that looked like a street was rescued by CNN correspondent Drew Griffin, producer Brian Rokus and photographer Scott Pisczek on Wednesday. "I want to thank these guys for saving my life," said the driver, Jerry Sumrall. 
 
 In Woodville, a town north of Beaumont, US Rep. Brian Babin was trapped for part of Wednesday at home with members of his family after a creek overflowed. 
 
 "I'm in my home in Tyler County, and we could not get out unless a helicopter plucks me out or I get my boat and launch it," the Texas Republican told CNN by phone early in the day. "We're fine. These waters are going to recede hopefully sometime this evening." 
 
 On Wednesday afternoon, a US Navy helicopter plucked seven people from floodwaters. 
 
 'We help each other out' 
 
 Strangers from across the country descended on Texas and braved treacherous floodwater to evacuate victims. 
 
 JUST WATCHED CNN crew helps rescue man from truck Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH CNN crew helps rescue man from truck 02:05 
 
 Tom Dickers is among those who came hauling boats from Dallas and San Antonio. 
 
 "This is what Texans would do. We help each other out," Dickers said. 
 
 At least 9,000 to 10,000 people have been rescued in the Houston region by first responders. Volunteers said they have helped as many as 400 in one day. 
 
 Some would just "come crying, just wanting help," volunteer Bobba Bedri said. "I just felt like I had to get more people out, keep going and keep going." 
 
 CLARIFICATION: Harvey made its first landfall at 10 p.m. local time Friday, initially striking a barrier island near Port Aransas, Texas, before moving onto the US mainland two hours later near Copano Bay, Texas. After re-emerging into the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, it made another landfall Wednesday in Louisiana. ||||| President Trump on Sunday afternoon held a second Cabinet meeting on Hurricane Harvey to shore up response and recovery efforts, according to the White House. 
 
 Trump along with Vice President Pence led a video teleconference with Cabinet and senior administration officials “to discuss ongoing federal support for Hurricane Harvey response and recovery,” the White House press office said in a statement. 
 
 Trump will also visit affected areas in Texas on Tuesday, according to the White House. 
 
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 The storm has hammered Texas since Friday, when it first made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. The federal government has 5,000 people on site in Texas and Louisiana, where the storm continues to bring torrential rain and flooding. 
 
 Trump, who spent Sunday morning praising the federal government’s response to Harvey in a series of tweets, “continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives,” the statement reads. 
 
 Vice President Mike Pence Michael (Mike) Richard PenceSouth Carolina governor wins runoff after strong backing from Trump Pence talks border in South America: 'If you can't come legally, don't come at all' Laura Ingraham: George Will is ‘sad and petty’ for urging votes against GOP MORE in a tweet on Sunday emphasized the White House statement that Trump’s top priority is saving lives. 
 
 
 
 “.@POTUS stressed all depts & agencies stay committed to supporting Govs of Texas & Louisiana & his number one priority of saving lives,” Pence wrote on Twitter, including a readout of the teleconference the two held earlier. 
 
 The statement adds that Trump “reminded everyone that search and rescue efforts will transition to mass care, restoring power, providing life-sustaining necessities for the population that sheltered in place, and economic recovery.” 
 
 He also “urged survivors impacted by the storm to continue to heed the instructions of their State and local officials.” 
 
 At least five deaths from the storm have been reported. The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said recovery efforts would take years. 
 
 This is "probably the worst disaster the state’s seen,” Brock Long told The Washington Post of Texas. 
 
 -This report was updated at 4:20 p.m. ||||| Droves of people stranded and displaced by deadly Hurricane Harvey are being transported to nearby evacuation centers and shelters around the Houston area. 
 
 Interested in Hurricane Harvey? Add Hurricane Harvey as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Hurricane Harvey news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest 
 
 As masses arrived on the back of city dump trucks -- by boat, by bus and some by foot to downtown Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center -- they were met with cots, blankets, towels, food and medical attention. 
 
 The American Red Cross has set up stations inside the convention center to serve as an acting hospital, hotel and food court for those seeking refuge. The center had about 8,800 people inside as of early Tuesday morning, topping the original capacity of 5,000. 
 
 #RedCross is providing shelter, meals & comfort to people impacted by #Harvey. To find a location: https://t.co/sizEp51qtg or 1-800-REDCROSS pic.twitter.com/jfewo2EJh0 — American Red Cross (@RedCross) August 28, 2017 
 
 ABC Houston station KTRK-TV has a full list of all designated multiservice centers in the surrounding areas. 
 
 City officials announced that in the past 24 hours there have been 4,000 water-related incidents and 290 water rescues. 
 
 Creating a sense of stability for survivors is the top priority for now, emergency administrator Brock Long of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said. 
 
 "Once we move them we’re able to extract them from different areas; we've got to get them into shelters,” Long said in a news conference this morning. “This shelter rescue is going to be a very heavy lift. We're anticipating 30,000 people placed in shelters temporarily to basically stabilize the situation and provide for their care.” 
 
 Texas asked for a presidential disaster declaration, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration director Louis Uccellini, which President Trump enacted to help mobilize all resources to help when the state's resources are depleted. 
 
 "Underneath the president's disaster declaration, we have turned on what we call individual assistant programs,” Uccellini said. “We are expecting, based on this event, over 450,000 potential registers of disaster victims. That is a huge number but we are ready to go, process. We've already processed nearly 15,000 calls over the last 24 hours.” 
 
 ABC News Karma Allen contributed to this report. ||||| Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said flooding in Houston from Tropical Storm Harvey may be the worst the city has ever seen. 
 
 “Houston is an area that is prone to flood at least once a year,” Abbott told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” Sunday, “but this is one of the worst, if not the worst that Houston has suffered.” 
 
 Harvey, which hit the Texas coast Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph winds and has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, has so far left at least two people dead. The storm is lingering over the Houston area, causing severe flooding that is expected to grow worse over the next few days, with a total of up to about three feet in rain possible through Wednesday. 
 
 Abbott said he appreciates the federal government's help in responding to Harvey. 
 
 “We could not be more appreciative of what the federal government has done, from the president on down,” Abbott, a Republican, told Stephanopoulos. 
 
 President Trump granted Governor Abbott’s request for a disaster proclamation on Friday, activating response from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for relief to the state. 
 
 “FEMA has been very active, involved, and engaged in this whole process long before the hurricane even hit ground,” said Abbott. “Because of their assistance it means that Texas will be able to begin the rebuilding process very swiftly.” 
 
 Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman via AP 
 
 Asked by Stephanopoulos if it makes sense for the president to visit Texas this week, or if it will divert resources from the relief effort, Abbott said, “it depends on where he goes.” 
 
 “We are already involved in the cleanup process in Corpus Christi, if the president were to visit there it wouldn’t hinder any efforts. We’ll just have to wait and see where the storm goes, understanding that this entire storm has been very unpredictable in its movement, and I couldn’t tell you right now where it will be in two days,” he said. 
 
 The president tweeted Sunday morning that he will visit Texas once he can do so without disrupting emergency response efforts. 
 
 I will be going to Texas as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption. The focus must be life and safety. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017 
 
 The White House point man on the storm, Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert echoed the president’s tweet in a separate interview on “This Week” Sunday saying that Trump “doesn't want to get in the way” of relief efforts. 
 
 “We’ll go where we can without getting in the way of the operators,” said Bossert. “We certainly won’t go in a place where we would prevent lifesaving activities from taking place. The president wants to go to show support. He doesn’t want to go to get in the way.” ||||| CLOSE Tropical Storm Harvey sent massive floods through the Houston area Sunday, chasing thousands to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelming rescuers. Federal disaster declarations indicate the storm has so far affected about 6.8 million people. (Aug. 28) AP 
 
 Aerial footage from Rockport, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey on Aug 27, 2017. (Photo: Courtney Sacco and Matt Woolbright, Caller-times via the USA TODAY Network) 
 
 HOUSTON — More than 5,500 weary refugees of Tropical Storm Harvey's fury sought refuge in the city's cavernous convention center and other shelters Monday as local, state and federal officials warned that the human crisis in southeast Texas was just beginning. 
 
 Mayor Sylvester Turner said he expects the number of people seeking shelter to rise sharply by Tuesday. FEMA Administrator Brock Long said more than 30,000 people ultimately could need shelter as the storm continues to pound the region with unrelenting rains and flooding. 
 
 "The sheltering mission is going to be a very heavy lift," Long said. About 50 Texas counties and parts of Louisiana will face serious repercussions from the "landmark event," he said. 
 
 Meantime, officials confirmed at least two deaths while KHOU-TV, citing interviews with relatives, said four children, ages 6 to 16, and their great-grandparents drowned in a white van Sunday afternoon while trying to flee from rising floodwaters. The driver, a relative, survived, the report said. 
 
 The bodies have not been recovered, a man who identified himself as the children's great-uncle told The Chronicle. 
 
 On Monday afternoon, it was still raining in Texas and expected to do so for days. Local officials put out a call for boats, and Long said people across the nation could help with financial donations or volunteer efforts. 
 
 "We need citizens to be involved," Long said. "You could not draw this forecast up, you could not dream this forecast up." 
 
 More: Nursing home residents rescued from Harvey floodwaters after photo goes viral 
 
 More: Here's how to help victims of Hurricane Harvey 
 
 Across much of the city, Harris county and southeast Texas, the waters rose to new heights Monday, plunging the greater Houston area and more than 6 million residents into uncharted chaos. 
 
 Evacuees described turmoil and uncertainty. 
 
 Surrounded by people taking a smoking break outside the George R. Brown Convention Center Monday night, Danielle Brown hugged her boyfriend, Lorenzo Harps. They arrived at the shelter Sunday night after being rescued by boat from a ground-level Houston-area apartment. 
 
 They awoke about 11 p.m. Saturday amid water a few inches deep. 
 
 “Everything was already flooded,” Brown said late Monday, huddled beneath a relatively dry overhang as rain poured down. “It was about to our feet, and it just kept rising. We had to move to the top floor, to a neighbor.” 
 
 Before moving up, they tried putting electronics, clothes and keepsakes on counters and shelves. The water climbed to 3 feet within hours, and rescuers evacuated them by boat the next day. 
 
 “They were strictly business,” Harps said of the rescuers’ efforts. 
 
 Now, the couple is stranded at the shelter. They shared a phone, which fell in the water during the chaos — something they can only laugh about now. Brown’s recently purchased Saturn sedan was destroyed. 
 
 The wrath of Harvey is Brown’s first brush with a tropical storm or hurricane. And she had one message to the untold numbers of residents experiencing a similar crisis as rescue efforts intensify. 
 
 “Be prepared. Be cautious,” she said. “Grab only what you need. Grab your life.” 
 
 City Police Chief Art Acevedo said officers had rescued more than 2,000 people trapped by the overwhelming waters; another 185 rescue requests were still pending. The city has grappled with 75,000 911 calls, and the system has backed up but never went down, authorities said. 
 
 The Coast Guard said it had conducted 300 air and 1,200 boat rescues and had 20 helicopters and more than 20 boat teams in the Houston area. Coast Guard Capt. Kevin Oditt called Harvey an "all-hands-on-deck event." 
 
 Gov. Greg Abbott activated the state's entire National Guard force, increasing to 12,000 the number of guardsmen deployed to flooded communities. 
 
 "Texas (officials) and FEMA will be involved here for a long, long time," Abbott said. "Until we can restore things as back to normal as possible. But we have to realize it will be a new normal for the region." 
 
 Some areas of southeast Texas have already seen more than 30 inches of rain, said Louis Uccellini, director of the National Weather Service. A wide swath of the region has been hit with 15-20 inches of rain, and that much more could be coming, he said. 
 
 In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers began releasing water from the overfilled Addicks and Barker reservoirs in west Houston. The release was necessary, officials said, to avoid a collapse of the reservoirs’ dam and inundate downtown Houston. But it put several thousand homes in the area at further flood risk. 
 
 “The idea is to prepare ... pack up what you need and put it in your vehicle and when the sun comes up, get out,” Jeff Lindner, of the Harris County Flood Control District, said Sunday. “And you don’t have to go far, you just need to get out of this area.” 
 
 With the floodwaters rising and no order from headquarters, Marty Lancton, a Houston firefighter with Station 51, took matters into his own hands. He connected with his immediate boss, Capt. Chris Sillman, and the two hopped into Sillman’s personal flat-bottom fishing boat and began searching for stranded residents. 
 
 All day Sunday, Lancton and Sillman motored around Brays Bayou in the western part of the city, ferrying residents from flooded homes to Interstate 610, where they were taken to shelters. The pair went back and forth, over and over again, taking more than 20 trips and rescuing close to 100 people. 
 
 The scene in the flooded neighborhood was a hodgepodge of firefighters on private boats, drivers in high-water vehicles, helicopters rescuing residents from rooftops and scores of private citizens motoring around in private boats, said Lancton, who is also president of the Houston Professional Firefighters Association. 
 
 “You’re talking about hundreds and hundreds of people, if not thousands, being rescued from helicopters and everybody and anybody who could get to them,” he said. 
 
 As of Monday, Houston firefighters still hadn’t been recalled – or officially called to service – so the firefighters on the bayous were acting largely on their own, he said. Better planning would have helped, Lancton said. 
 
 “Planning is a really good thing,” he said, “especially when you have these catastrophic emergencies like this.” 
 
 More: Texas-bound cruise ships rerouted to New Orleans, Miami in wake of Harvey 
 
 Harvey, spinning near Port O'Connor, Texas, was forecast to move back into the Gulf of Mexico before making a second landfall along the Texas/Louisiana border, likely on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said. Isolated storm totals may reach 50 inches in some areas around Houston. 
 
 Harvey is then expected to slowly move northeast across Louisiana and Arkansas as a tropical depression into Saturday. 
 
 President Trump, who was scheduled to visit Texas on Tuesday, issued a federal disaster declaration Monday for many parishes in southwestern Louisiana. Gov. John Bel Edwards sought the declaration, saying he expects "significant damage" in his state. 
 
 In flood-gorged Houston, a break in the rain wasn't enough to stop the deliberate, alarming march of floodwaters toward the home of Marissa Nunez. Nunez, 19, and her family escaped to the second floor of a neighbor's home before being rescued Monday by volunteers with boats. 
 
 "Our entire house was under water," Nunez said. 
 
 IMPORTANT: If you are awaiting rescue, hang a towel or sheet prominently so we can find you. Adresses are hard to spot. #harvey#hounews — HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) August 28, 2017 
 
 In Houston, the George R. Brown Convention Center was being outfitted to handle 5,000 evacuees, city officials said. More than a dozen smaller shelters have been opened across Harris County. 
 
 Desiree Mallard, who carried her toddler son to the center, said she initially heard on the news that residents were advised not to leave the city, and so she didn’t. She said she finally fled her apartment by floating her son on an air mattress through floodwaters. 
 
 “I could have (left), if I would have known it was going to be this bad, but I didn’t know,” Mallard said. “And then when it got bad, they said, ‘It’s too late to evacuate.’” 
 
 A Kroeger Supermarket on Westpark Tollway in West Houston reopened noon Monday. It quickly drew a long line of shoppers, who waited in the pelting rain outside and then endured 1-hour checkout lines for a chance to stock up on food and supplies. 
 
 Shopper Donna Balin, 45, said her house in nearby Seven Meadows didn’t flood, but she was worried that plans to release water from reservoirs could push the flooding closer to home. 
 
 “There wasn’t a lot of warning, like in previous storms,” she said, adding “They should’ve evacuated.” 
 
 Outside of Houston, communities scrambled to house the hordes of displaced residents fleeing the rising waters and heeding the increased calls for mandatory evacuations of flood-prone areas. 
 
 In Richmond, 30 miles south of Houston, the Red Cross was moving its shelter from a church community center to a bigger high school in nearby Rosenberg located further away from the floods. There were around 79 people at the shelter with another 10 on the way, officials there said. 
 
 Hector Marez, 34, had planned a 58th birthday party for his mother, who had driven last week to his Richmond home from her house in the Rio Grande Valley. But as the water starting rising, Marez was forced to leave his mother behind — along with a sister, brother-in-law, 1-year-old niece and 2-year-old goddaughter — wade down his street in waist-high water and look for help. 
 
 He arrived at a Richmond shelter Sunday night without them. 
 
 “I’m worried for them,” he said. “This has been crazy.” 
 
 Other communities helped in other ways. 
 
 In Brevard County, Fla., where residents experienced fear after last year's Hurricane Matthew approached their area before veering east, government officials issued a directive allowing employees to get paid leave to help with Harvey relief efforts. 
 
 County employees with special skill sets that would help in a serious disaster may take off work as long as serious needs persist, according to the directive. 
 
 Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY; Jason Pohl, the Arizona Republic; The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, La.; Florida Today; The Associated Press 
 
 People use a inflated mattress to evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Monday in Houston. (Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images) 
 
 Pearl Lyons is rescued from her subdivision in Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Aug. 28,2017. (Photo: Henrietta Wildsmith, The Shreveport Times via the USA TODAY Network) 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2xFNJWD ||||| A power generator tips in front of Texas' CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, as Hurricane Harvey hits Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. (Courtney Sacco /Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP) (Associated Press) 
 
 CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — The Latest on Tropical Storm Harvey (all times local): 
 
 8:25 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump says he will be traveling to Texas "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption" in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. 
 
 Trump tweeted that the "focus must be life and safety." 
 
 At least two people are dead and more than a dozen injured due to the storm that has battered the region, including the cities of Corpus Christi and Houston. 
 
 Trump has been complimenting the response to the storm on his Twitter feed, commending "Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government." 
 
 Trump adds that: "Many people are now saying that this is the worst storm/hurricane they have ever seen. Good news is that we have great talent on the ground." 
 
 The storm could linger for days in the region and could unload as much as 40 inches of rain on cities including Houston. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:15 a.m. 
 
 The U.S. Coast Guard says it's received more than 300 requests for urban search and rescue in the Houston area. 
 
 The Coast Guard has five helicopters working the emergency calls and is asking for additional helicopters from New Orleans to help. 
 
 Officials are advising people in dire straits to get to the roofs of their homes and mark them somehow to be seen from the air. They're suggesting people wave sheets or towels. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:45 a.m. 
 
 Flooding in some parts of the county that includes the city of Houston is so bad that residents are being urged to seek refuge on their roofs. 
 
 Harris County Flood Control District official Jeff Lindner says people inundated by rising waters shouldn't crawl into attics of their homes but should get on top of them. 
 
 He says rainfall of more than 4 inches per hour has sent water higher than in recent Houston floods side and are exceeding levels seen in Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001. 
 
 Lindner says areas south of the city appear hard-hit and some flooding is reported in downtown Houston and in the Texas Medical Center, which was devastated in Allison. 
 
 He calls Harvey "a different animal" from Allison and a "historic situation." 
 
 He says he's most amazed that he's getting reports "of water into second-story of apartments and homes." Considering Houston's flat terrain, "it's very rare to get that depth of water." 
 
 ___ 
 
 6:20 a.m. 
 
 Authorities say rescue attempts continue in Houston for those stranded inside flooded homes and submerged vehicles in the wake of Harvey. 
 
 The Houston Chronicle reports that hundreds of calls have been fielded for water rescues as of early Sunday, including Houston police officials who evacuated two apartment complexes and rescued more than 50 children. 
 
 Meanwhile, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Sunday continued urging residents via Twitter to "shelter in place" and stay off rain-swollen roadways. 
 
 Gonzalez actively used Twitter overnight to field assistance for those trapped inside water-soaked homes, attics and vehicles. Those appealing for assistance or being steered to help via Gonzalez's Twitter feed included a person suffering "cardiac-arrest," and a woman who posted: "I have 2 children with me and the water is swallowing us up. Please send help." 
 
 Gonzalez at one point appealed for calm and patience, saying officials were "trying to make it to everyone as best we can." 
 
 Turner's official Twitter account said "911 services at capacity. If u can shelter in place do so, a few inches in your home is not imminent danger. Only call if in imminent danger." 
 
 ___ 
 
 4:03 a.m. 
 
 The National Hurricane Center says Harvey continues to cause "catastrophic flooding in southeastern Texas." 
 
 The hurricane center says in its 4 a.m. Sunday update that the tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72.42 kph) and remains stationary about 45 miles (72.42 kilometers) northwest of Victoria, Texas. 
 
 A storm surge warning and a tropical storm warning also are both in effect for Port O'Connor to Sargent. The hurricane center says a storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline. 
 
 The center says Harvey is likely to weaken to a tropical depression later Sunday. Harvey made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane. 
 
 Meanwhile, the National Weather Service says a Flash Flood Emergency over west and central Harris County, where Houston is located, as well as for eastern Fort Bend and northern Brazoria counties remains in effect until 6:15 a.m. Sunday, calling it a "Particularly Dangerous Situation." 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:11 a.m. 
 
 Jersey Village, Texas, officials are recommending that people who live along the White Oak Bayou, about 17 miles northwest of Houston, consider whether they need to evacuate their homes. 
 
 Jersey Village City Manager Austin Bleess says the city issued a notice to residents about 1:30 a.m. saying the bayou looked like it would be out of its banks before long. He says city officials worried that streets may soon become impassable and wanted those residents to have time to make arrangements. 
 
 "Certainly if people can stay in their homes, they can do that," Bleess said. "It's quite possible that the streets could get impassable so we wanted to get that recommendation out." 
 
 Bleess says the city is in the process of opening a storm shelter at the Champion Forest Baptist Church, Jersey Village chapter. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:20 a.m. 
 
 The National Hurricane Center says Harvey continues to weaken at a slow pace as it produces torrential rains across parts of Southeast Texas. 
 
 In its early Sunday update, the hurricane center said the tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72.42 kph) and it is practically stationary about 45 miles (72.42 kilometers) northwest of Victoria, Texas. 
 
 The airport in Austin, about 165 miles (265.53 kilometers) west of Houston, reported sustained winds of 38 mph. 
 
 The center says Harvey is likely to weaken to a tropical depression later Sunday. Harvey made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane. 
 
 Meanwhile, the National Weather Service extended a Flash Flood Emergency over west and central Harris County, where Houston is located, as well as for eastern Fort Bend and northern Brazoria counties until 6:15 a.m. Sunday, calling it a "Particularly Dangerous Situation." 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:30 a.m. 
 
 At least two people have died as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to dump rain on Southeast Texas. 
 
 The Harris County medical examiner's office confirmed the death of one person late Saturday in Harris County, but the office did not identify the cause of death. 
 
 Gary Norman, a spokesman for the Houston emergency operations center, says the woman appeared to have gotten out of her vehicle in high water. She was found by neighbors about 30 yards away from the vehicle. Norman says she was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor who was in the area. 
 
 Earlier Saturday, Aransas County Judge C.H. "Burt" Mills Jr. said the storm left one person dead in the county. 
 
 Harvey came ashore Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane, but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. ||||| A contractor walks over debris from Hurricane Harvey Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Missouri City, Texas. Harvey rolled over the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, smashing homes and businesses and lashing the... (Associated Press) 
 
 CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Harvey (all times local): 
 
 2:15 p.m. 
 
 A Coast Guard official says helicopters rescued 18 people from boats and barges that were in distress because of Harvey. 
 
 Capt. Tony Hahn, commander of the Corpus Christi sector, said Saturday that the two helicopters managed to rescue the people when it became safe enough to do so. He says they retrieved three people from a fishing boat, four from a barge and 11 from two tugboats. 
 
 He says several boats sank in the Port of Corpus Christi and there will be a lot of work to do before it can reopen. 
 
 Hahn also says that since Corpus Christi is the third largest petrochemical port in the nation, there is the potential for chemical and crude oil spills, so they'll be watching for that. 
 
 He says the Port of Brownsville reopened Saturday morning and they haven't yet been able to assess the Port of Victoria. 
 
 Harvey came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane Friday night but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:12 p.m. 
 
 The White House says President Donald Trump has met with his Cabinet and other senior administration officials to discuss the federal response to the flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Harvey. 
 
 It issued a statement Saturday saying that Trump held a video conference from Camp David in which he instructed the relevant departments and agencies to "stay fully engaged and positioned to support his number one priority of saving lives." 
 
 It says Trump also reminded his department heads that the full impact of the storm won't be apparent for days, as residents of Texas and Louisiana recover from the heavy flooding and wind damage. 
 
 Harvey came ashore in Texas on Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm as it weakens while moving inland. Forecasters warn of the possibility of catastrophic flooding, including in Houston, the nation's fourth largest city. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:45 p.m. 
 
 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says there have been no confirmed deaths linked to Tropical Storm Harvey. 
 
 Abbott said at a news conference Saturday in Austin that he's working with local officials and seeking information about the storm, but that there's nothing yet confirming that it killed anyone. 
 
 Abbott says it's too early to speculate as to how much property damage the storm has caused, but he has expanded his disaster declaration to cover more counties. 
 
 Harvey made landfall in Texas on Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane, but it has since been downgraded to a tropical storm as it weakens while moving inland. 
 
 Forecasters warn that the storm could cause catastrophic flooding as it lingers in the area for several days. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1 p.m. 
 
 The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Harvey from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm. 
 
 But officials say they are still worried about potentially catastrophic rainfall that will continue for days, with more than 40 inches and flash flooding possible even well inland. 
 
 Harvey came ashore Friday along the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds, the most powerful hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade. 
 
 Experts say hurricanes almost always lose strength quickly after making landfall and moving away from the warm waters that fuel their winds. But the danger doesn't end there. 
 
 Harvey is expected to keep slowing and dumping rain through the middle of next week. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:45 p.m. 
 
 Hurricane Harvey has been dumping nearly 3 inches (76.2 millimeters) of rain per hour at times and has left some streets in flood-prone Houston submerged in water. 
 
 Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, the chief administrator of the county that includes Houston, says flooding so far is a "minor issue." He says most of the watersheds are well within their banks "but we're not out of this." 
 
 Forecasters are predicting major flooding in the area by Tuesday. Houston has about 1,700 miles (2735.76 kilometers) of channels that drain to the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 A handful of freeway service roads and streets and some scattered neighborhoods that normally experience high water in heavy rain have been flooded. 
 
 Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner cautions that although major flooding hasn't happened yet, "that can change." 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:30 a.m. 
 
 Families who escaped Rockport before Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas coastal city are worried about neighbors and whether their homes are still standing. 
 
 Johanna Cochran says she's panicking over whether her house or the McDonald's where she works survived the storm, which dealt Rockport a direct blow. She and her boyfriend evacuated to a San Antonio shelter along with dozens of other coastal residents. 
 
 Another Rockport resident, Pamela Montes, says she's also worried about her friends and her home. She says she knows many people who stayed behind because "no one felt like it was going to hit." 
 
 Harvey made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane but has since been downgraded to a Category 1, which is the least powerful classification. Forecasters warn that it could cause catastrophic flooding over the coming days. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11 a.m. 
 
 Texas officials say they are evacuating about 4,500 inmates from three state prisons in Brazoria County south of Houston because the nearby Brazos River is rising from Hurricane Harvey's heavy rain. 
 
 The Department of Criminal Justice says inmates from the Ramsey, Terrell, and Stringfellow Units in Rosharon are being taken by bus to other prisons in east Texas. 
 
 Additional food and water has been delivered to the prisons receiving the displaced inmates. 
 
 Harvey came ashore in Texas on Friday night as the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade. It has since weakened to a Category 1 storm. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:35 a.m. 
 
 The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Harvey's maximum sustained winds have decreased to about 75 mph (120 kph) and that the storm is now centered about 25 miles west of Victoria, Texas. 
 
 The center says in its 10 a.m. update that the storm is expected to weaken over the next 48 hours and to become a tropical storm by Saturday afternoon. The storm is moving north at 2 mph (3 kph). 
 
 The hurricane center says that although the winds are weakening, the storm could cause catastrophic flooding over the coming days. 
 
 Harvey came ashore in Texas on Friday night as the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:15 a.m. 
 
 The Coast Guard has sent two helicopters to try to rescue the crews of three tugboats in distress near the Lydia Ann Channel near Port Aransas, Texas. 
 
 The Coast Guard at Corpus Christi says it received a mayday notification Saturday from crew members aboard the Belle Chase, Sandy Point and Sabine Pass. 
 
 Two MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrews have been sent to rescue the crews. 
 
 Texas is being pounded by Hurricane Harvey, which came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane Friday night but has since been downgraded to a Category 1 as it moves inland. Forecasters warn that it could cause catastrophic flooding in the coming days. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:40 a.m. 
 
 Hurricane Harvey has knocked out power to nearly 300,000 customers along the Texas coast and has dumped nearly 20 inches (half a meter) of rain in some places. 
 
 The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages about 90 percent of the state's electric grid, says there were 211,000 outages in the few hours after Harvey made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane. 
 
 That figure rose to 293,000 on Saturday, when the hurricane was downgraded to Category 1. 
 
 In addition to loss of power, emergency personnel in the communities northeast of Corpus Christi where Harvey made landfall are reporting loss of cellphone service and other forms of communication. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9 a.m. 
 
 The rain was so torrential along Interstate 45 coming out of Galveston as Hurricane Harvey settled over southeast Texas that motorists had to stop under bridges to avoid driving in whiteout conditions. 
 
 The downpour on Saturday has also caused minor street flooding along a highway in Dickinson, about 25 miles northwest of Galveston. 
 
 Harvey, the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade, made landfall Friday night about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Corpus Christi as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph (209 kph) winds. 
 
 It gradually weakened over the next several hours and the National Hurricane Center said that by 5 a.m. Saturday Harvey was downgraded to a Category 1. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:30 a.m. 
 
 A Texas mayor says Hurricane Harvey hit his coastal community "right on the nose" and left "widespread devastation." 
 
 Rockport Mayor Charles "C.J." Wax told The Weather Channel on Saturday that some homes and businesses were heavily damaged or even completely destroyed. Schools were also damaged. 
 
 He says emergency response system for the city of about 10,000 people has been hampered by the loss of cellphone service and other forms of communication. 
 
 Harvey made landfall Friday evening as a Category 4 hurricane but has since been downgraded to a Category 1. The National Hurricane Center says the threat in coming days is sustained rains that could unleash "catastrophic" flooding. 
 
 The city of Victoria, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of Rockport, had received more than 16 inches of rain by Saturday morning. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:15 a.m. 
 
 Daybreak has revealed some of the damage caused when Hurricane Harvey came ashore overnight, including downed lamp posts and tree limbs in Corpus Christi and roof tiles torn off buildings. 
 
 Harvey came ashore along Texas' Gulf Coast on Friday night as the most powerful hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade. It has since been downgraded from a Category 4 to a Category 1 hurricane, but the storm is expected to hover in the region for days and to dump as much as 40 inches (1 meter) of rain in places. 
 
 Corpus Christi's marina has been left nearly unscathed, save an awning ripped from a restaurant entrance and a wooden garbage bin uprooted and thrown. 
 
 An old white sport fishing boat was partially submerged and several boats' sails came unfurled and were ripped and whipping in wind gusts of more than 50 mph. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:45 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump has commended the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for his handling of the hurricane now hitting the Texas Gulf Coast. 
 
 In a tweet Saturday morning addressed to FEMA head Brock Long, Trump said: "You are doing a great job - the world is watching! Be safe." 
 
 Hurricane Harvey, the fiercest to hit the U.S. in more than a decade, is posing the first major emergency management test of Trump's administration. 
 
 In a separate tweet, Trump said he is monitoring the hurricane closely from Camp David and "We are leaving nothing to chance. City, State and Federal Govs. working great together!" 
 
 He also tweeted that "We have fantastic people on the ground, got there long before #Harvey. So far, so good!" 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:45 a.m. 
 
 Harvey has been further downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as it churns slowly inland from the Texas Gulf Coast, already depositing more than 9 inches of rain in South Texas. 
 
 Harvey made landfall about 10 p.m. Friday east-northeast of Corpus Christi as a Category 4, with winds in excess of 130 mph (210 kph). 
 
 But wind speeds quickly weakened and by early Saturday Harvey was downgraded. It continues to produce gusts of up to 120 mph (193 kph) and sustained winds of 90 mph (144 kph). The National Hurricane Center warns of "catastrophic flooding" over the next few days. 
 
 Emergency personnel in coastal communities like Rockport, just northeast of Corpus Christi, say there's broad damage to buildings. But Rockport Volunteer Fire Department Chief Steve Sims said early Saturday that firefighters were hunkered down at the city's fire station waiting for conditions to improve to assess the damage. 
 
 ___ 
 
 4:22 a.m. 
 
 Hurricane Harvey has settled over southeast Texas, dumping rain and lashing the state's Gulf Coast with damaging winds. 
 
 The storm made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 with 130 mph (209 kph) winds. It gradually weakened over the next several hours and by early Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said it back to a Category 2 — still sustaining winds of 110 mph (185 kph) as of 3 a.m. 
 
 Early damage reports from Gulf Coast cities included collapsed roofs and walls. One community transported multiple people from a senior living home to the county jail for treatment after a roof caved in. 
 
 But officials remained largely unable to assess the damage before daylight. 
 
 The storm is expected to slow further and flood the area with rain through the middle of next week. The center warned that Harvey could produce life-threatening storm surges along a coastal area of more than 400 miles (643 kilometers). ||||| People rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM... (Associated Press) 
 
 HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on Tropical Storm Harvey (all times local): 
 
 11:15 p.m. 
 
 The Rockport-Fulton Fighting Pirates won't take the field Friday for their season opener, but some of their players took to the field Tuesday to help clean it up. 
 
 Winds from Harvey last week sheared the uprights from both goal posts, stripped most of the metal from the stadium scoreboards, scattered sheet metal through the stands and destroyed the gymnasium where the girls' volleyball team plays. 
 
 By word of mouth, some football and volleyball players met Monday afternoon to begin the cleanup. Even more players showed up Tuesday. 
 
 Athletic director Jay Seibert said that after three weeks of practice and a scrimmage, his players are now scattered all over the state after evacuating the coastal town near Corpus Christi and that the Pirates will not be able to play this week. 
 
 Right guard Angelo Trevino said that returning to the field will help the community recovery effort. 
 
 Harvey made landfall near Rockport last Friday as a Category 4 hurricane. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:45 p.m. 
 
 Officials say they have received disturbing reports of people impersonating Homeland Security special agents and telling residents to evacuate in order to rob their homes. 
 
 The city of Houston says people should ask anyone knocking on their doors for official badges and credentials with their name and organization. The city's statement also notes that during Harvey relief efforts, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not conducting immigration enforcement operations in the area. 
 
 The city also says in a tweet in both English and Spanish that it is not checking the immigration status of anyone coming into shelters. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10 p.m. 
 
 The death toll from Harvey has risen to at least 18 as three more fatalities have been confirmed in the Houston area. 
 
 The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences updated its storm-related deaths Tuesday night to include an 89-year-old woman, Agnes Stanley, who was found floating in 4 feet (1.2 meters) of floodwater in a home. A 76-year-old woman was found floating in floodwater near a vehicle. Her name was not released. A 45-year-old man, Travis Lynn Callihan, left his vehicle and fell into floodwaters. He was taken to a hospital, where he died Monday. 
 
 Family members and authorities have reported at least 18 deaths although the bodies of some victims apparently swept away in the floodwaters have not been found. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:30 p.m. 
 
 Singapore's defense ministry says as many as four of its military helicopters will start assisting in Tropical Storm Harvey relief efforts Wednesday. 
 
 The CH-47 Chinook helicopters are stationed in Grand Prairie, Texas, as part of a decades-long partnership between the Republic of Singapore Air Force and Texas National Guard. Singaporean airmen who train there learn how to face large-scale emergencies. 
 
 The ministry says the helicopters will be able to airlift troops, evacuees and supplies in the relief effort. 
 
 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made the offer in a call with President Donald Trump late Tuesday. Both leaders are set to meet at the White House in October. 
 
 Singapore made a similar offer after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:15 p.m. 
 
 Houston officials are opening a major shelter at NRG Park that can accommodate up to 10,000 evacuees from Harvey. 
 
 Darian Ward, a spokeswoman for Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, said the convention center adjacent to the city's NFL stadium and the Astrodome will open at 10 p.m. Tuesday. 
 
 The new shelter will provide the city with additional capacity because the number of evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center is approaching 10,000, double its original capacity. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:40 p.m. 
 
 Just 500 cots are being added to the floor of the Toyota Center, as the nearby downtown convention center will remain the primary major shelter for evacuees of Tropical Storm Harvey. 
 
 Tom McCasland, Houston's housing and community development director, told The Associated Press Tuesday that the Toyota Center— where the NBA's Houston Rockets play — will serve as an overflow center for people still arriving Tuesday night and early Wednesday. It will only serve families with children that don't have pressing medical needs. 
 
 The George R. Brown Convention Center has an estimated 9,000 people seeking shelter. McCasland says more cots are on the way for thousands of people who didn't have one Monday night. Some people slept on towels or strips of cardboard. 
 
 He says, "We fully expect to have everyone in a cot tonight." 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:30 p.m. 
 
 Federal and local agencies say they have rescued more than 13,000 people in the Houston area as well as in surrounding cities and counties in Southeast Texas since Tropical Storm Harvey inundated the area with torrential rain. 
 
 Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Tuesday his agency has rescued about 4,100 people. 
 
 Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña says his agency has rescued more than 3,000. 
 
 Parisa Safarzadeh, a spokeswoman for the Harris County Sheriff's Office says her agency has rescued more than 3,000 people. Houston is located in Harris County. 
 
 U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Mike Hart says his agency has rescued more than 3,000 individuals. Hart says the Coast Guard total includes rescues in Houston, but also in outlying cities and subdivisions outside of Houston, as well as in surrounding counties, including Brazoria, Galveston and Matagorda. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:15 p.m. 
 
 Beaumont police say a woman has died after she and her young daughter were swept into a rain-swollen drainage canal while trying to escape their stalled vehicle. 
 
 A police statement said the woman pulled her vehicle into an office park's flooded parking lot about 3:35 p.m. Tuesday, where it became stalled by high water. The woman then took her daughter, exited the car and was swept about a half-mile away. 
 
 Two Beaumont police officers and two fire-rescue divers in a rubber boat spotted the mother floating with the child, who was holding onto her mother. Officers pulled the child and the mother into the boat. The child was responsive but suffering from hypothermia; the mother was unresponsive and efforts to revive her failed. The child is hospitalized in stable condition. 
 
 Authorities and family members have so far reported more than a dozen deaths from Harvey. 
 
 ___ 
 
 This item corrects the location of the parking lot. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:55 p.m. 
 
 Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has amended his curfew order to run from midnight to 5 a.m., instead of beginning at 10 p.m. 
 
 Turner announced the change on Twitter Tuesday evening, about an hour after initially imposing the curfew. 
 
 Police Chief Art Acevedo said at an earlier news conference that curfew violators will be stopped, questioned, searched and arrested. 
 
 There have been scattered reports of looting during the flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:35 p.m. 
 
 Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says that the Toyota Center — home of the NBA's Rockets — has been opened as a shelter for people displaced by flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey. 
 
 Turner announced during a news conference Tuesday evening that the downtown basketball arena will be used to help reduce overflow at the nearby George R. Brown Convention Center, which is now sheltering 10,000 people. Officials had initially planned to have 5,000 individuals at the convention center. 
 
 Turner says people will still have to go to the convention center first before going into the Toyota Center. 
 
 Turner thanked Rockets owner Les Alexander for letting the city use the basketball arena as a shelter and also thanked him for his donation of $10 million for Harvey relief efforts. 
 
 Turner says because Houston police have been spread thin due to ongoing water rescues and other efforts, 50 Texas National Guard members will be stationed at the convention center to provide security. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:20 p.m. 
 
 Officials say they have evacuated homes northeast of Houston after a chemical company said there is a risk of an explosion at its flooded plant. 
 
 The Harris County Fire Marshal's office said in a tweet Tuesday that homes within 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) of the Arkema plant in Crosby have been evacuated out of precaution. 
 
 Arkema says in a news release that it manufactures organic peroxides in Crosby, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Houston. The company says the chemical compounds must be stored at low temperatures, but it lost refrigerated storage after power went out and backup generators were inundated. 
 
 Arkema said it shut down the Crosby site before Harvey made landfall last week, but a crew of 11 had been kept onsite. That group was removed Tuesday. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7 p.m. 
 
 Harris County has confirmed the storm-related death of 64-year-old Alexander Kwoksum Sung, who drowned at a clock repair business Sunday in Houston. He was found in more than a foot of debris on Monday. 
 
 Authorities and family members have so far reported more than 10 deaths from Harvey. 
 
 ___ 
 
 6:45 p.m. 
 
 Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says he is imposing a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew in order to ensure public safety. 
 
 Turner says at a news conference Tuesday that there is no reason for people to be on the streets during those hours. 
 
 Police Chief Art Acevedo said violators will be stopped, questioned, searched and arrested. 
 
 There have been scattered reports of looting during the flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey. 
 
 ___ 
 
 6:30 p.m. 
 
 Authorities at a small city near Houston say a boater who was helping rescue people from the Harvey floodwaters has located a deceased man. 
 
 Friendswood Police spokeswoman Lisa Price said Tuesday authorities are not exactly sure how the man died and they haven't been able to confirm his identity. 
 
 Price says officers are still on the scene and the body has been taken to a funeral home. 
 
 Authorities earlier had confirmed five deaths that are believed to be related to Harvey. Another six people are missing and presumed dead after a van fell into a bayou. 
 
 ___ 
 
 6:25 p.m. 
 
 One of the nation's busiest trauma centers has abandoned evacuation plans and will discharge patients more quickly as it prepares for an expected surge of new patients with injuries related to Harvey. 
 
 Spokesman Bryan McLeod said Tuesday that Ben Taub Hospital's case management workers will help patients who "no longer require hospitalization" get back home or to shelters if their homes are flooded or inaccessible. 
 
 McLeod said "we're going to need those beds once the next wave comes." 
 
 Ben Taub is Houston's main public hospital of last resort, and many patients are poor and uninsured. 
 
 Building repairs continue on a burst sewage pipe and leaks that damaged the basement of the hospital's main building and affected pharmacy, food service and other key operations. 
 
 McLeod said the hospital has enough food to last until Thursday, when all hospital staff and administrators will be expected back at work. 
 
 ___ 
 
 6:10 p.m. 
 
 Authorities say an 83-year-old woman has died after her vehicle was caught in floodwaters caused by Tropical Storm Harvey in Walker County, north of Houston. 
 
 Officials with the Texas Department of Public safety say a state trooper out checking the road conditions early Tuesday morning came across Ola Mae Crooks' vehicle. Sgt. Richard Standifer with the Texas Department of Public Safety tells The Associated Press that the trooper contacted the swift water rescue team, which recovered the body. 
 
 Sgt. Steven McNeil with the Texas Department of Public Safety tells the Huntsville Item newspaper that a preliminary investigation indicates Crooks drowned when her car was swept off a farm-to-market road at the San Jacinto River near her home. McNeil says it appears Crooks was trying to cross the bridge and the swift water carried her vehicle off the road and into the flood waters. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:50 p.m. 
 
 Hundreds of people are waiting in line at the George R. Brown Convention Center to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster assistance. 
 
 Many evacuees arrived with what was in their pockets and nothing else. 
 
 John Boyce lived in a west Houston apartment and had to be pulled out by boat. He was initially taken to a local hospital and was given paper scrubs to wear before being taken to the convention center, because his clothes were wet and soaked in sewage. 
 
 His two possessions are a cell phone and a wallet. He dried the cards inside the wallet on a piece of cardboard, and his cellphone worked after he held the battery under a bathroom hair dryer. 
 
 He took his first shower Tuesday in a mobile unit brought in by the Red Cross. 
 
 FEMA is expected to provide assistance to people left homeless in Harvey. 
 
 The 49-year-old Boyce hopes he can get enough money to travel to Alaska and join his daughter and grandchild. He says, "I have nothing to go back to here." 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:30 p.m. 
 
 For the drenched Houston region, an end to the rain and a sunny day are almost in sight. But that's only because meteorologists forecast Harvey to come inland Wednesday, then slog through Louisiana and take its downpours north. Arkansas, Tennessee, parts of Missouri and southern Illinois are on alert for Harvey flooding in a couple days. 
 
 Harvey is forecast to return inland around the Texas-Louisiana line and close to Beaumont, Texas, early Wednesday morning or late Tuesday night with 45 mph (72 kph) winds and heavy rains, spending much of Wednesday in Louisiana. Along the Gulf Coast, rain is expected to continue Wednesday but taper off. 
 
 Dennis Feltgen, National Hurricane Center spokesman says, "Texas is going to get a chance to finally dry out as this system pulls out." 
 
 But Feltgen cautioned that this doesn't mean Harvey is ending. 
 
 Flash flood watches are already posted for parts of Tennessee, southern Illinois and southeast Missouri. 
 
 Those areas and Arkansas could get six or seven inches of rain, but it won't be anything like what southeast Texas got. 
 
 The National Weather Service in Houston forecasts less of an inch for the city on Wednesday, and only a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms for Thursday. And then for Friday it says, "mostly sunny." 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:15 p.m. 
 
 In far North Dallas, hundreds of volunteers are handling a steady stream of cars, trucks and trailers loaded with water, diapers and other goods for hurricane relief. 
 
 The drop-off point announced by the city of Dallas is managed by the nonprofit Trusted World, which also has other drop off points in office buildings and other public locations. 
 
 The volunteers say they have seen thousands of vehicles loaded Tuesday with items to donate for hurricane relief. The volume of vehicles loaded with items to donate extended out onto and down the northbound frontage road of the Dallas North Tollway. One 34-foot trailer belonging to a cabinet maker was filled with bottled water and other items. The drop-off point was open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. 
 
 ___ 
 
 4:15 p.m. 
 
 Harvey has gained a bit of strength but stayed a tropical storm. Its winds increased from 45 mph (72 kph) to 50 mph (80 kph). 
 
 But the National Hurricane Center says that reading Tuesday afternoon may be unusual because it was from a low flying hurricane hunter airplane. 
 
 Forecasters say heavy rains are continuing to spread over southeastern Texas and southern Louisiana. 
 
 The rains in Cedar Bayou, near Mont Belvieu, Texas, reached 51.88 inches (132 centimeters) as of 3:30 p.m. CDT. That's a record for both Texas and the continental United States but it doesn't quite pass the 52 inches (133 centimeters) from tropical cyclone Hiki in Kauai, Hawaii, in 1950 (before Hawaii became a state). 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:20 p.m. 
 
 An official says that a levee protecting a subdivision of homes in a county south of Houston has been fortified after being breached but warns the threat is far from over. 
 
 Brazoria County spokeswoman Sharon Trower said Tuesday afternoon that the levee had been fortified. Earlier in the day the county had posted on Twitter: "NOTICE: The levee at Columbia Lakes has been breached!! GET OUT NOW!!" 
 
 She says that some water did get through but it wasn't substantial. She warns that authorities don't know how long the fortification will hold. She also notes the breach happened due to rainwater but that the nearby Brazos River continues to spill out of its banks. 
 
 Trower says that the mandatory evacuation ordered Sunday morning still stands and notes that most of the residents in the area have left. 
 
 Brazoria County Judge Matt Sebesta has said that there are hundreds of homes in the tree-lined subdivision situated around a golf course. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:10 p.m. 
 
 Federal regulators say dozens of offshore oil-and-gas platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico have been evacuated as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to dump heavy rainfall on the region. 
 
 The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said in a statement Tuesday that workers were evacuated from 102 production platforms, which is nearly 14 percent of the 737 manned platforms in the Gulf. 
 
 Five of the 10 drilling rigs currently operating in the Gulf also had been evacuated as of noon Tuesday. The bureau estimated that approximately 19 percent of the Gulf's oil and natural gas production was "shut-in," or temporarily halted, as of midday Tuesday. Offshore facilities will be inspected once the storm has passed. 
 
 The Texas Gulf is a key area for U.S. oil refineries and oil and gas production. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:55 p.m. 
 
 Facebook and Google are matching donations to people affected by Hurricane Harvey, the tech giants announced on Tuesday. Facebook says it will match every dollar raised through its platform, up to $1 million, for the Center for Disaster Philanthropy's Hurricane Harvey Recovery Fund. The money will support local recovery and rebuilding efforts. U.S. Facebook users are getting a message at the top of their news feed on how to donate. 
 
 Google says it is matching $1 million in donations to the American Red Cross. To donate, go to https://www.google.org/harvey-relief/ . The company also matched donations from employees, and said Tuesday it donated $750,000 between its nonprofit arm, Google.org, and employee contributions to organizations such as the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and Save the Children. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:30 p.m. 
 
 Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed that police Sgt. Steve Perez has died after he became trapped in his patrol car as he was driving to work. 
 
 The Houston Chronicle has reported that the 30-year officer was heading to work Sunday when he became trapped in high water on Interstate 45 in north Harris County and then couldn't get himself out of his car. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:05 p.m. 
 
 NAACP interim President Derrick Johnson says his organization will carefully monitor government assistance in Houston and other areas to ensure minority neighborhoods get adequate resources following Harvey's destruction on the Gulf Coast. 
 
 Johnson says the NAACP's goal will be "to ensure that resources directed from the federal government don't skip neighborhoods." 
 
 Johnson told the National Press Club Tuesday that he met with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier in the day. He says the NAACP has a responsibility to make sure "equity is at the table" during recovery efforts, noting that minority neighborhoods suffered disproportionately during Hurricane Katrina. 
 
 Johnson is the former president of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP. He says Katrina shows "it is critically important for the association to ensure that the recovery is equitable." 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:35 p.m. 
 
 Gov. John Bel Edwards says Louisiana is offering to shelter storm victims from Texas while the state also helps its own residents who were rescued from Harvey's floodwaters overnight. 
 
 Edwards said at a news conference Tuesday in Baton Rouge that he expects Texas officials to decide within 48 hours whether to accept the offer and transport flood victims to Louisiana shelters. 
 
 Approximately 500 people were evacuated Monday night and early Tuesday from flooded neighborhoods in southwest Louisiana. Edwards says about 200 of them spent the night in area shelters. 
 
 Edwards says more than 600 members of the Louisiana National Guard are on storm-related duty. Many are assisting with rescue efforts. 
 
 Edwards says Tropical Storm Harvey was strengthening slightly after moving back into the Gulf of Mexico but wasn't expected to become a hurricane again before its predicted Wednesday landfall in Louisiana. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:35 p.m. 
 
 Volunteers and donors are lining up outside of the Toyota Center, the downtown arena that's home to the Houston Rockets, in anticipation that it will open as a shelter for Harvey evacuees. 
 
 City officials and Red Cross spokesmen have not confirmed that the arena will open to shelter evacuees. But several people who went to the George R. Brown Convention Center to volunteer or drop off clothes were told that the Toyota Center would open Tuesday afternoon. Around 30 people are waiting outside an arena entrance. 
 
 The convention center has nearly doubled its original 5,000-person capacity, and Mayor Sylvester Turner says the city may open multiple major shelters to accommodate the thousands of people still seeking shelter. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:25 p.m. 
 
 Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña says his agency has responded to more than 1,000 calls for service — including 400 water rescues — since Harvey inundated much of the city. 
 
 Peña says some fire department crews have been working for three days straight, without a break, and he has implemented procedures to ensure firefighters get the nourishment and rest they need. 
 
 Peña says it has been difficult to get in fresh crews to replace firefighters at some locations because in many areas, "we can't get in and out of the fire stations" due to flooding. "We can't deploy them to where we need them with their equipment." 
 
 Peña says the fire department is managing the resources it has on hand and will rotate in fresh firefighter crews as it is able to do so. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:10 p.m. 
 
 The University of Tampa has fired a visiting assistant professor who suggested in a tweet that Harvey's destruction is "instant karma" for Texas because it voted Republican. 
 
 Sociology professor Kenneth L. Storey posted the tweet and two responses on Sunday before removing the entire thread and his profile photo. 
 
 University spokesman Eric Cardenas said in a statement Tuesday that Storey was fired after the school weathered an outpouring of online outrage over the comments. 
 
 The Tampa Bay Times reports Storey issued an apology on Monday, writing that he "never meant to wish ill will upon any group." 
 
 In a Facebook post on Monday evening, the university said it "stands in solidarity with the people impacted by Hurricane Harvey." 
 
 Officials said another sociology professor will take over Storey's classes. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1 p.m. 
 
 Weather forecasters expect Tropical Storm Harvey to come ashore somewhere near Louisiana's southwestern corner, following its trip through Texas and return to the Gulf. 
 
 National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Erickson said Tuesday that officials project a landfall in Cameron Parish around midday Wednesday. Erickson says another 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain is likely across southwest Louisiana. 
 
 Forecasters also project heavy rain running east from New Orleans to Pensacola along the Gulf Coast. 
 
 Harvey is expected to bring gusts up to 45 mph (70 kph) in coastal areas and gusts of up to 35 mph (55 kph) in Lake Charles and along the Interstate 10 corridor. 
 
 Erickson warns that some coastal rivers won't be able to drain rains effectively because Harvey's winds are pushing storm surge into coastal waters, aggravating flooding in places that have already received more than 20 inches of rain. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:55 p.m. 
 
 The Salvation Army says it has provided more than 5,000 meals in the Houston area since Harvey swamped parts of the city. 
 
 A Salvation Army statement Tuesday said the charitable group has deployed 42 mobile units that each can provide up to 1,500 meals per day. The group also sent two field kitchens, which can each serve up to 15,000 meals per day, to emergency personnel and flood survivors. 
 
 The Salvation Army says multiple staging areas are being set up across Texas to coordinate relief efforts as Harvey impacts more people. Those sites include Houston, San Antonio, Victoria and Arlington. 
 
 Lt. Col. Ron Busroe says donations from the public will help provide food, shelter and other valuable resources to people in Houston. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:45 p.m. 
 
 There was no escaping Harvey for members of one Southeast Texas family who found themselves on an extended stay at a New Orleans bed-and-breakfast — where sandbags are in place to guard against possible Harvey-related floods. 
 
 The Auld Sweet Olive Bed and Breakfast is the new, temporary home for Joe Aldape (ahl-DAH'-pey), his sister Cynthia, his son Joseph and other family members from the League City, Texas, area. 
 
 They had forged ahead with New Orleans vacation plans as Harvey developed. As of Tuesday, they had no way to return to their flooded homes. Meanwhile, bands of rain from Harvey prompted flash flood watches in New Orleans. 
 
 Bed-and-breakfast owner Nancy Gunn said her business took on water during Aug. 5 flash floods, but that it has not flooded so far during Harvey's rains. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:35 p.m. 
 
 A South Texas ferry system operated by the state is closed to the public until further notice after at least two vessels were damaged during Hurricane Harvey. 
 
 A Texas Department of Transportation spokesman said Tuesday that all seven boats in the Port Aransas (uh-RAN'-suhs) Ferry System are being assessed. Rickey Dailey says the ferries must pass Coast Guard inspection before returning to service. 
 
 The ferry system provides free transportation connecting travelers between Aransas Pass on the mainland and Port Aransas on Mustang Island. It's a quarter-mile trip. 
 
 The ferries, each capable of transporting at least 20 vehicles, were taken out of service Friday morning as Harvey approached Port Aransas, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Corpus Christi. The area is where Harvey made landfall Friday night. 
 
 Dailey says all seven ferries were docked on the Port Aransas side when the storm hit. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:30 p.m. 
 
 Kim Kardashian West and her famous siblings are donating $500,000 to help victims of Hurricane Harvey. 
 
 A spokeswoman for the reality star says she and her mother and sisters have given $250,000 to the Red Cross and $250,000 to the Salvation Army on Tuesday. 
 
 Kardashian West announced the donation on Twitter Tuesday, saying: "Houston we are praying for you." She used the hashtag #HoustonStrong. 
 
 They are among several stars who've said publicly they are helping hurricane victims. Kevin Hart on Monday announced a $25,000 donation to the Red Cross for storm victims and called on other celebrities to do the same. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:25 p.m. 
 
 Houston plans to open up at least two more big shelters to house people trying to escape Harvey's floodwaters. 
 
 Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a news conference Tuesday that more than 9,000 people are now staying at George R. Brown Convention Center — the largest shelter that has so far been opened. The capacity at the convention center was supposed to be 5,000 people. 
 
 Turner says Houston will open up two new big shelters, and possibly a third. He didn't identify where the shelters would be. More details are expected later Tuesday. 
 
 Turner says the number of people at the convention center has continued to grow because the facility is housing not only Houston residents but people from surrounding communities outside the city limits who are in need of shelter. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:25 p.m. 
 
 The mayor of Galveston is asking residents to stay put and off flooded roads as the city anticipates more rain from Harvey. 
 
 Mayor Jim Yarbrough says the city of about 50,000 could get up to 4 more inches (10 centimeters) of rain by Wednesday. The mayor says he wants Galveston residents to stay off the roads until conditions improve. Public transportation is not in service in Galveston. The city is 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Houston. 
 
 The Port of Galveston remains closed. 
 
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 Sign up for AP's daily newsletter showcasing our best all-formats reporting on Harvey and its aftermath: http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:20 p.m. 
 
 Houston's top law officer is warning would-be looters amid flooding from Harvey. 
 
 Police Chief Art Acevedo said during a news conference Tuesday that armed robbers were apprehended overnight and a "handful" of looters were also taken into custody. He didn't say just how many have been arrested on charges related to looting. 
 
 Acevedo says he's spoken with the Harris County district attorney's office to ensure anyone suspected of looting is prosecuted. He also says he'll lobby judges and prosecutors to secure the most severe punishment Texas law allows. 
 
 State law allows for penalty enhancements for crimes like burglary and robbery that occur during a state of disaster
– President Trump plans to go to Texas on Tuesday to view the devastation caused by Harvey, reports the Hill. Trump had tweeted Sunday morning that he wanted to make the trip as a show of support as soon as possible without "causing disruption." Also on Sunday, Trump held a Cabinet meeting by video teleconference about the storm to discuss relief efforts. The latest on Harvey: Deaths: The New York Times reports that five deaths and more than a dozen injuries have been attributed to Harvey in southeast Texas. Details were sketchy about the fatalities, but at least two people were swept away in floodwaters, per ABC News. Forecast: Harvey is currently a tropical storm with 40mph winds, and the National Hurricane Center expects it to spend most of Tuesday back over the ocean before returning to land around the Houston area on Wednesday, reports the AP. The National Weather Service tweeted that rainfall may reach an unprecedented 50 inches in some areas, adding that "catastrophic flooding" is expected to continue for days. Rescues: Houston police say that more than 1,200 people had been rescued for far, with no end in sight, per NBC News. (People had been urged to go to their rooftops earlier.) Authorities are trying to evacuate the city's main public hospital, but it's currently surrounded by too much water. Some highways were under 10 feet of water Recovery could take years: The worst of the flooding may be over in days, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency expects recovery to take much, much longer. "FEMA's going to be there for years," agency chief Brock Long told CNN. "This disaster is going to be a landmark event." Why no evacuation? Per the Washington Post, some are questioning why Houston wasn't evacuated, with conflicting messages about how to weather the storm being sent by officials. How to help: The American Red Cross is taking online donations of money. You can text a donation as well. The Houston Chronicle rounds up other ways to help, including through crowdfunding.