Harvey made landfall for the third time Wednesday morning, drenching the Texas and Louisiana region with rain that could lead to “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding.”

The tropical storm made landfall around 5 a.m. just west of Cameron, Louisiana.

The rainfall that caused a deluge in Texas has ended for the most part in Houston and is moving east, threatening to dump an additional 3-6 inches from southwestern Louisiana into western Kentucky, the National Hurricane Center said.

Before Harvey made landfall around 5 a.m. ET, two people were killed when a tree fell onto a truck in Jackson County, Texas, an area that was “particularly hard hit” by the storm, officials said.

Louisiana has beefed up its emergency resources, doubling up on high water vehicles, boats and helicopters on duty.

Harvey is expected to bring winds of 30-40 mph and a 2-4 foot storm surge along the Louisiana-Texas border.

“We are dealing with a state that has already had a lot of rain this summer, so we are very aware and conscious of the potential for flooding,” said Col. Ed Bush, a public affairs officer for the Louisiana National Guard.

Southeastern Texas, including the saturated Houston area, is dealing with the aftermath of the catastrophic storm that has already claimed 11 victims.

Houston Police sergeant on his way to work and a Beaumont mother who was swept by water were confirmed dead on Tuesday.

First responders are loading boat after boat with evacuees, looking for an undetermined number of people who are missing, including six family members whose vehicle was swept away in the floods, and getting ready to face what is hidden under water.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a midnight to 5 a.m. curfew until further notice. He tweeted the move is meant to prevent property crimes at evacuated homes.

Five days have passed since Harvey made landfall in Texas and an uncounted number of people are still trapped waiting for aid.

From her home in a northeast Houston suburb, Anike Allen has seen many of her neighbors being airlifted as she slowly runs out of food. While her home is not completely flooded, she’s not sure if there’s a way out of her neighborhood.

“The water is receding here, but we are not sure if it’s going to come back,” Allen said.

For the first time since Harvey rammed Houston over the weekend, authorities say the floodwaters that turned the city into rivers, are slowly receding in some areas.

“We are starting to see a glimmer of hope in what has happened,” Harris County Flood Control Meteorologist Jeff Linder said in a news conference Tuesday evening. “Things are going to get better.”

There’s hope, Linder said, but it will be days, even weeks before the massive volume of water — which is the most rain ever recorded in the contiguous United States from a tropical storm that made landfall — is completely gone.

‘We help each other out’

Volunteers have come the Houston region to lend a hand and their boats.

Tom Dickers is just one of many people who came hauling their boats from Dallas and San Antonio to evacuate people ever since Harvey began pounding the city with rain.

“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,” said volunteer Bobba Bedri. “I just felt like I had to get more people out, keep going and keep going.”</s>HOUSTON (AP) -- The Latest on Tropical Storm Harvey (all times local):

 4 a.m.

 The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is back on land after coming ashore early Wednesday just west of Cameron, Louisiana. The tropical storm is expected to weaken and continue to the north.

 The storm returned to land about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of Cameron with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph).

 Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said Tuesday that when Harvey came back to shore, "it's the end of the beginning."

 Harvey is forecast to drop substantial amounts of rain on Louisiana before moving on to Arkansas, Tennessee and parts of Missouri, which could also see flooding.

 Feltgen said there's still a lot of residents in multiple states "who are going to feel the impacts of the storm."

 Harvey first made landfall Friday in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane.

 ------

 2 a.m.

 The National Weather Service has issued flash flood emergencies for parts of Southeast Texas, including Beaumont and Port Arthur.

 KFDM-TV reports the situation in Port Arthur is dire as homes were expected to fill with rising floodwaters and residents unsure of how to evacuate the city.

 Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens tells the station that county resources cannot get to Port Arthur because of the flooding and some residents have gone into survival mode.

 Mayor Derrick Freeman said on his Facebook page that the "city is underwater right now but we are coming!" He also urged residents to get to higher ground, but avoid becoming trapped in attics.

 Deputy Marcus McLellan says city's 911 system has been inundated with calls, which are bouncing to other law enforcement agencies. McLellan says the sheriff's office is working to relay those calls to the proper authorities in Port Arthur.

 ------

 1:15 a.m.

 After five days of torrential rain, the latest weather forecast predicts less than an inch of rain and perhaps even sunshine for the Houston area.

 However, the dangers remain far from over. Authorities and family members have reported at least 18 deaths from Harvey, while law enforcement agencies say more than 13,000 people have been rescued in the Houston area and surrounding parts of Southeast Texas.

 Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also implemented a curfew of midnight to 5 a.m. in an apparent response to scattered reports of looting. Police Chief Art Acevedo said violators would be searched and arrested.

 Two additional shelters -- the Toyota Center and NRG Park -- opened to house displaced residents. Louisiana's governor also offered to take in Harvey victims from Texas, and televangelist Joel Osteen opened his Houston megachurch, a 16,000-seat former arena, after critics blasted him on social media for not acting to help families displaced by the storm.

 Harvey is expected to come inland Wednesday near the Texas-Louisiana border.

 AP-WF-08-30-17 0904GMT</s>HOUSTON (AP) - The Latest on Tropical Storm Harvey (all times local):

The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is back on land after coming ashore early Wednesday just west of Cameron, Louisiana. The tropical storm is expected to weaken and continue to the north.

The storm returned to land about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of Cameron with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph).

Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said Tuesday that when Harvey came back to shore, "it's the end of the beginning."

Harvey is forecast to drop substantial amounts of rain on Louisiana before moving on to Arkansas, Tennessee and parts of Missouri, which could also see flooding.

Feltgen said there's still a lot of residents in multiple states "who are going to feel the impacts of the storm."

Harvey first made landfall Friday in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane.

The National Weather Service has issued flash flood emergencies for parts of Southeast Texas, including Beaumont and Port Arthur.

KFDM-TV reports the situation in Port Arthur is dire as homes were expected to fill with rising floodwaters and residents unsure of how to evacuate the city.

Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens tells the station that county resources cannot get to Port Arthur because of the flooding and some residents have gone into survival mode.

Mayor Derrick Freeman said on his Facebook page that the "city is underwater right now but we are coming!" He also urged residents to get to higher ground, but avoid becoming trapped in attics.

Deputy Marcus McLellan says city's 911 system has been inundated with calls, which are bouncing to other law enforcement agencies. McLellan says the sheriff's office is working to relay those calls to the proper authorities in Port Arthur.

After five days of torrential rain, the latest weather forecast predicts less than an inch of rain and perhaps even sunshine for the Houston area.

However, the dangers remain far from over. Authorities and family members have reported at least 18 deaths from Harvey, while law enforcement agencies say more than 13,000 people have been rescued in the Houston area and surrounding parts of Southeast Texas.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also implemented a curfew of midnight to 5 a.m. in an apparent response to scattered reports of looting. Police Chief Art Acevedo said violators would be searched and arrested.

Two additional shelters - the Toyota Center and NRG Park - opened to house displaced residents. Louisiana's governor also offered to take in Harvey victims from Texas, and televangelist Joel Osteen opened his Houston megachurch, a 16,000-seat former arena, after critics blasted him on social media for not acting to help families displaced by the storm.

Harvey is expected to come inland Wednesday near the Texas-Louisiana border.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>The storm — first spotted Aug. 17 as a "potential tropical cyclone" swirling in the Atlantic — exploded into a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall in Texas, gaining the title the "worst disaster Texas has ever seen," Long said.

Harvey is the first major hurricane to inundate Texas since 2005, bringing historic flooding. Rivers are rising, forcing people to seek refuge in attics and rooftops while they wait for rescue boats in the flooded roadways. Houston officials Monday morning released more water from reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey in an attempt to protect the city from the devastating floods. The impacts of Harvey are still unfolding, and the death toll rising, as the torrential rains continue, totaling 15 to 25 inches through Friday, with up to 50 inches possible in some areas.

So, what lead to all this destruction? Let's follow Harvey from the beginning.

The National Hurricane Center first kept its eye on the storm as it traversed the Atlantic Ocean, tracking toward the Caribbean Sea. First, tropical storm warnings were issued for Martinique, Barbados, St. Vincent, the Grenadines and St. Lucia. The storm center pushed west, with maximum gusts reaching 46 mph, as the Hurricane Center expected the low-pressure area to strengthen to a tropical cyclone later in the evening. The NHC forecasted rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches across portions of the Windward Islands from Martinique southward to Grenada, causing life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft reports indicated "slow strengthening" possible during the next 2 days.

Harvey continued to track west across the Caribbean Sea, threatening adjacent land areas of eastern Central America and northern South America. Later that evening, Harvey weakened to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds reaching 35 mph, and was expected to turn west-northwestward over the next few hours. At this point, Harvey was predicted to slowly strengthen, but it was believed it would only reach, and maintain, its tropical storm status. Later that evening, Harvey degenerated further into remnants.

Public advisories on the remnants of Harvey by the NHC ended as Harvey dissipated. But by Wednesday morning, the storm re-strengthened into a tropical depression, with hurricane and storm surge watches issued for portions of the Texas coast as Harvey neared. At this point, the Hurricane Center believed Harvey was heading for the coast by Friday, simultaneously as it grew into a hurricane.

Forecasted rainfall was believed to reach 10 to 15 inches with isolated maximums of 20 inches over the middle and upper Texas coast and southwest Louisiana through Tuesday, with the heavy rainfall expected to begin Friday morning. The National Hurricane Center noted "rainfall from Harvey could cause life-threatening flooding." The storm surge, the deadliest effect of hurricanes, was forecasted to reach 4 to 6 feet across Port Mansfield to High Island "if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide." The NHC predicted the deepest water along the immediate coast and to the northeast of the landfall location, where the surge would be accompanied by large and destructive waves.

Later that day, Harvey became nearly stationary for hours, dumping more rain than expected.

Harvey took a northwestward turn as it strengthened slightly due to the warm Gulf waters, acting as fuel. The first hurricane warning for the United States was issued for Port Mansfield to Matagorda along the Texas coast, with a tropical storm warning for north of Matagorda to High Island. Rainfall forecasts continued to ramp up, with the NHC predicting amounts over 25 inches in isolated areas on the Texas coast through Wednesday.

Later that day, the headlines started predicting disaster, as Harvey strengthened quickly and was now projected to make landfall as a major hurricane, inducing life-threatening storm surge and freshwater flooding. It didn't take long for rainfall predictions to rise again, jumping to over 30 inches forecasted for isolated regions in the middle and upper Texas coast through Wednesday. Storm surge estimates continued to rise as well, with up to 10 feet of surge expected in some areas.

By the afternoon, Harvey reached hurricane status, as the NHC warned "preparations along the middle Texas coast should be rushed to completion." Life-threatening and devastating flooding was soon to come with Harvey's rainfall and storm surge.

Overnight Thursday into Friday, Harvey strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane with winds topping 105 mph. At this point, the NHC was predicting Harvey to make landfall on the middle Texas coast that evening or early Saturday as a major hurricane, when the storm would likely meander near the middle Texas coast through the weekend. Rainfall estimates continued to grow as predictions more clearly showed Harvey's slow movement. Harvey's outer rain band was just beginning to swipe the lower and middle Texas coasts that morning. By the 3 p.m. hurricane update, Harvey reached Category 3 status with winds over 120 mph, and rainfall estimates escalated to 40 inches in isolated areas across the middle and upper Texas coast.

Later that evening, Harvey intensified to a Category 4 hurricane and the eye approached the Texas coast between Port Arkansas and Port O'Connor. Harvey continued northwest, with an expected decrease in forward speed, conducive to further flooding. Winds now reached up to 130 mph, and storm surge estimates jumped to 9 to 13 feet from Port Arkansas and Port O'Connor, with lesser impacts in surrounding areas.

By that evening, the Category 4 hurricane made landfall.

As the rain continues another day, further impacts from Harvey begin to unfold. Over 20 inches is expected, with some localized amounts up to 50 inches possible.

Long is asking citizens to volunteer with FEMA to help recover from Harvey. The flooding has been so historic, some are comparing the devastation to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Harvey and Katrina share incredibly close dates, which comes to no surprise as we're in the midst of the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1, peaks in September, ending Nov. 30.

The devastating impacts of both storms go hand-in-hand. The National Hurricane Center says structural damage to sturdy buildings is possible from Harvey, some with "complete roof and wall failures." Mobile homes will be destroyed, with damage greatly accentuated by large, airborne projectiles. Some locations may be "uninhabitable for weeks or months." Numerous trees will be snapped and uprooted, along with fences and highway signs blown over. Roads will become impassable, along with bridges and highways.

While the impacts are similar, landfall strengths were noticeably different. Harvey hit the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, while Katrina first made landfall in Florida as a Category 1, traveled over the state and re-strengthened once over warmer waters into a Category 2 with a second landfall in Louisiana.

While Harvey's winds were stronger at landfall than Katrina's, it's the slow speed that's unprecedented. "(This) is something I haven't seen in a long, long time," said Bill Read, former director of the National Hurricane Center, to CNN. "(Harvey may) stall and almost completely stop moving just after coming inland, and the incredible amount of rain we should get out of that is going to lead to record flooding."</s>In Beaumont, emergency workers rescued a young girl who was floating in the floodwaters, suffering from hypothermia and clinging to her mother’s body. The mother died, but the girl was in stable condition, the police said.

The mother, identified by the police as Colette Sulcer, 41, had been driving down a service road when she pulled into a parking lot and got stuck. Ms. Sulcer and her daughter left the car, but were swept away, floating about half a mile, the police said. A group of emergency officials found the pair just before they were swept under a trestle. Had they floated under it, the workers would not have been able to save the child, the police said.

Local news reports from Port Arthur showed that shelters and homes were flooded, and residents and reporters said that there were not enough people answering emergency calls.

Rain fell with astonishing intensity in the county, which is home to about 254,000 people. Between 2 p.m. Tuesday and 1 a.m. Wednesday local time, almost 19 inches of rain hit Jack Brooks Regional Airport, between Beaumont and Port Arthur.

“Water’s still rising in most locations,” said Jonathan Brazzell, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. “I don’t know what else to say, it’s just bad. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The rainfall total since the storm began reached more than 47 inches on Wednesday, and will climb. Rain was forecast to continue steadily through Wednesday and Thursday, before easing off on Friday.

Austin and Dallas prepare to absorb thousands of schoolchildren.

The cities of Austin and Dallas were expecting to absorb thousands of schoolchildren displaced by the storm, said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of 68 large urban school districts. In both cities, school officials were waiving certain paperwork requirements, including immunization records and birth certificates, in order to quickly enroll displaced children, he said.

Robyn L. Harris, a spokeswoman for the Dallas Independent School District, said that the students would be classified as homeless and that the district was ready to provide psychological counseling and health services.

The Houston Independent School District remained closed, but announced that when school resumes, all students would receive three meals a day, regardless of a family’s income, for the school year.

Mr. Casserly has been working with urban districts in Texas over the last week and also assisted school officials after past disasters, including Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York. He said he expected Congress to pass special disaster relief legislation, but that after previous catastrophes, the federal funding provided for schools did not come close to covering the costs associated with getting classes back up and running.

Houston’s mayor pushes for a return to normalcy.

Mr. Turner, the Houston mayor, said Wednesday evening that a citywide curfew would take effect again from midnight until 5 a.m. He said heavy debris pick up began Wednesday and regular trash collection would resume on Thursday. “We’re going to do our very best to push the pace,” he said.

Mr. Turner said he wanted the Astros baseball team to play a scheduled home game on Friday.

But thousands of people remained in shelters, still seeking information about their families and friends, and about the state of their homes and their city.

Officials also said that about 75,000 CenterPoint Energy customers remained without power as of late Wednesday — down from about 100,000.

Though the inundation from days of record rainfall has begun to recede, swollen rivers still have not crested in some places. Art Acevedo, the police chief, said that 20 people who had been reported missing since the start of the storm remained unaccounted for.</s>Harvey made a second landfall near the Louisiana–Texas border on Wednesday, drenching the region with rain that could lead to “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding.”

The rainfall that caused a deluge in Texas has ended for the most part in Houston and is moving east, threatening to dump an additional 3-6 inches from southwestern Louisiana into western Kentucky, the National Hurricane Center said.

Before Harvey made landfall around 5 a.m., two people were killed when a tree fell onto a truck in Jackson County, Texas, an area that was “particularly hard hit” by the storm, officials said.

Louisiana has beefed up its emergency resources, doubling up on high water vehicles, boats and helicopters on duty.

Harvey is expected to bring winds of 30-40 mph and a 2-4 foot storm surge along the Louisiana-Texas border.

“We are dealing with a state that has already had a lot of rain this summer, so we are very aware and conscious of the potential for flooding,” said Col. Ed Bush, a public affairs officer for the Louisiana National Guard.

Southeastern Texas, including the saturated Houston area, is dealing with the aftermath of the catastrophic storm that has already claimed 11 victims.

Houston Police sergeant on his way to work and a Beaumont mother who was swept by water were confirmed dead on Tuesday.

First responders are loading boat after boat with evacuees, looking for an undetermined number of people who are missing, including six family members whose vehicle was swept away in the floods, and getting ready to face what is hidden under water.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a midnight to 5 a.m. curfew until further notice. He tweeted the move is meant to prevent property crimes at evacuated homes.

A glimmer of hope

 Five days have passed since Harvey made landfall in Texas and an uncounted number of people are still trapped waiting for aid.

From her home in a northeast Houston suburb, Anike Allen has seen many of her neighbors being airlifted as she slowly runs out of food. While her home is not completely flooded, she’s not sure if there’s a way out of her neighborhood.

“The water is receding here, but we are not sure if it’s going to come back,” Allen said.

For the first time since Harvey rammed Houston over the weekend, authorities say the floodwaters that turned the city into rivers, are slowly receding in some areas.

“We are starting to see a glimmer of hope in what has happened,” Harris County Flood Control Meteorologist Jeff Linder said in a news conference Tuesday evening. “Things are going to get better.”

There’s hope, Linder said, but it will be days, even weeks before the massive volume of water — which is the most rain ever recorded in the contiguous United States from a tropical storm that made landfall — is completely gone.

Stuck in the flood? Here’s what to do

‘We help each other out’

 Volunteers have come the Houston region to lend a hand and their boats.

Tom Dickers is just one of many people who came hauling their boats from Dallas and San Antonio to evacuate people ever since Harvey began pounding the city with rain.

“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,” said volunteer Bobba Bedri. “I just felt like I had to get more people out, keep going and keep going.”</s>People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Joe Raedle/Getty As its murky waters continue to flood homes and overwhelm barriers, Tropical Storm Harvey has already set a major record: the most rainfall ever from a single storm in the continental United States.

In less than a week, Harvey's rainfall total reached 49.32 inches in Friendsworth, Texas, southeast of Houston. That's about as much rain as the metropolitan region normally sees in a year. As of Tuesday evening, Cedar Bayou, Texas (east of Houston) recorded 51.88 inches, the Associated Press reported.

The record rainfall has caused the Houston metro area's 2017 total to soar — likely above 80 inches, and climbing. Here's how that compares to past years:

How the rains got so bad

In the 56 hours before Harvey made landfall, it transitioned from a tropical depression to a major hurricane. Its move across a pocket of warm water in the Gulf launched it into a Category 4 storm.

People are rescued from a flooded neighborhood after it was inundated with rain water, remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Scott Olson/Getty Images Between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, a string of storms east of the center of the hurricane remained over Houston, bringing repeated bursts of rain — up to six inches in some areas.

Those storms continued to pour down precipitation through Tuesday evening. The city of Beaumont, for example, received just over an inch of rain in just 26 minutes early Tuesday morning, The Weather Channel reported.

Unlike earlier tropical storms, which have generally dissipated or moved, Harvey has been wedged in place by two high-pressure areas which essentially act as buffers.

"Even compared to other tropical cyclones, the rain from Harvey has been very hard, and gone for a very long time," Russ Schumacher, an associate professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University, wrote in a post for The Conversation.

Experts think the storm should head northeast later in the week, however, as one of those high pressure systems finally gives way. Still, it's not over yet. Meteorologists expect to see several more days of heavy rain, mostly in regions that are already inundated.</s>Harvey Isn’t Done Yet: Your Texas Roundup

Plus: Flooding in Port Arthur and Beaumont, Harvey makes a second landfall, and animal rescues.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Probably there has never been anything so expensive in our country’s history, we’ve never done anything so historic in terms of damage and in terms of ferocity as what we’ve witnessed with Harvey. It sounds like such an innocent name, Ben, right, but it’s not innocent.”

—President Trump, remarking about the severity of Hurricane Harvey (and the name “Harvey”) to Ben Carson, secretary of housing and urban development. Trump came to Texas on Tuesday, meeting with state and federal officials in Corpus Christi and in Austin. During a news conference on Monday, the president pledged quick action and a multi-million dollar aid package to the victims of the hurricane. He plans to return to Texas this weekend.

Harvey Rages On

Since Friday night, Hurricane Harvey has unleashed flooding, 132-mph winds, and storm surges across Southeast Texas. But the storm isn’t done yet. Harvey made its second landfall early Wednesday morning in Cameron, Louisiana, near the Texas border. And in Texas, the storm itself was just the beginning: Flash floods have now delivered 30 inches of rainfall to Beaumont and Port Arthur, leaving residents trapped in their homes and evacuees once again scrambling to find safety from the rising waters.

Texans Step Up

In the wake of ongoing tragedy, the people of Texas continue to show bravery, care, and selflessness towards strangers in need. In Harris County, 30 percent of which is underwater—an area roughly the size of Austin—thousands of trapped residents have been rescued and transported to shelter: 3,500 people saved by the Houston Police Department, 2,200 by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and many more by citizens. After 911 lines were flooded with calls, hundreds of residents, trapped by rising flood levels across the region, have posted on social media for rescue. And their fellow Texans have shown up with boats and supplies and full hearts, providing shelters in local businesses, forming human chains to help those in need reach safety, and opening their homes to families displaced by the storm.

Rising Death Toll

As Houston and Southeast Texas continue to reach record levels of rainfall—in five days, 51.88 inches have fallen over Cedar Bayou, more than many U.S. cities receive in a year—the death toll continues to climb, as residents drown in flooded houses and cars. So far, there have been 31 confirmed and suspected deaths from flooding across Texas, including a Houston police officer who drowned on his way to work, and a family of six whose van was swept into Greens Bayou on Sunday.

The Dogs and Cats of Texas

For many evacuees awaiting rescue, their most prized possession is a Texan canine or feline. But some have no choice but to leave their beloved pets behind and hope for their survival. Rescuers have saved hundreds of animals so far, including Betty Walter, a Houstonian who rescued 21 dogs from her neighborhood, spending 14 hours with them in her attic before two men with a boat brought her and the dogs to safety. As flooding continues, more displaced animals are anticipated: shelters, like the Animal Care Services Department in San Antonio, are flying animals to New Jersey and Washington to make room for more canine and feline evacuees.

Some links are paywalled or subscription-only.

In response to Harvey, Houston ISD to provide 3 free meals per day for all students this school year Houston Chronicle

How to Spot a Hurricane Harvey Hoax on Social Media New York Magazine’s Select All

‘He could hear the kids screaming’: Six family members swept away trying to flee Harvey The Washington Post

Houston May Get 50 Inches of Rain. How Long Does It Take Your City to Get That Much? The New York Times

Why Those Floating Fire Ant Colonies in Texas Are Such Bad News Wired</s>Tropical Storm Harvey bore down on Louisiana on Wednesday, pouring down more water after setting rainfall records in Texas that caused catastrophic flooding and paralyzed the U.S. energy hub of Houston.

The storm that first came ashore on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years has killed at least 17 people and forced tens of thousands to leave their deluged homes.

Damage has been estimated at tens of billions of dollars, making it one of the costliest U.S. natural disasters.

For subscribers: Why Harvey could spell the end of U.S.'s flood insurance program

Opinion: Why the U.S. wasn't prepared for Hurricane Harvey

There is some relief in sight for Houston, the fourth most populous U.S. city, with forecasters saying five days of torrential rain may come to an end as the storm picks up speed and leaves the Gulf of Mexico region later in the day.

Harvey made landfall early Wednesday and was about 32 miles (52 km) south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was expected to bring an additional 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15.24 cms) of rain to an area about 80 miles east of Houston as well as southwestern Louisiana, where some areas have already seen more than 18 inches of rain.

Several hundred people had already been rescued from their homes in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where floodwaters were knee-deep in places, Mayor Nic Hunter told CNN.

"We are a very resilient people down here. We will survive. We will take care of each other down here in Texas and Louisiana," Hunter said. "But we do need some help from the federal government, these homeowners and these people who have been displaced. That's going to be our biggest need."

Harvey is projected to weaken as it moves inland to the northeast, the National Hurricane Center said.

"We aren't going to be dealing with it for too much longer. It's going to pick up the pace and get out of here," said Donald Jones, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.

But nearly a third of Harris County, home to Houston, was under water, an area 15 times the size of Manhattan, according to the Houston Chronicle newspaper. It may take days for all flood waters, which have spilled over dams and pushed levees to their limits, to recede, local officials said.

City officials were preparing to temporarily house some 19,000 people, with thousands more expected to flee. As of Wednesday morning, state officials said close to 49,000 homes had suffered flood damage, with more than 1,000 destroyed.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner imposed a curfew from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. amid reports of looting, armed robberies and people impersonating police officers.

U.S. President Donald Trump visited Texas on Tuesday to survey damage from the first major natural disaster to test his crisis leadership. The president said he was pleased with the response, but too soon for a victory lap.

"We won't say congratulations," he said. "We don't want to do that ... We'll congratulate each other when it's all finished."

Moody's Analytics is estimating the economic cost from Harvey for southeast Texas at $51 billion to $75 billion.

The storm has affected nearly one-fifth of U.S. refining capacity, sparking concerns about gasoline supply. The national average gasoline price rose to $2.404 a gallon, up six cents from a week ago, with higher spikes in Texas.

The unprecedented flooding has left scores of neighborhoods in chest-deep water and badly strained the dams and drainage systems that protect the low-lying Houston metropolitan area whose economy is about as large as Argentina's.

The National Weather Service has issued flood watches and warnings that stretch from the Houston area into Tennessee.

Harvey has drawn comparisons with Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans 12 years ago, killing more than 1,800 people and causing an estimated $108 billion in damage.

Among the confirmed fatalities was Houston Police Sergeant Steve Perez, a 34-year veteran of the force who drowned while attempting to drive to work on Sunday.

In Beaumont, northeast of Houston, a woman clutching her baby daughter was swept away in raging flooding. The baby was saved but the mother died, Beaumont police said.

Ruben Jordan, a retired high school football coach died when he was helping rescue people trapped in high water, the Clear Creek Independent School District said.

In all, 17 people have perished, according to government officials and the Houston Chronicle. Four volunteer rescuers also went missing after their boat was swept in a fast-moving current, local media reported.

U.S. Coast Guard helicopters and boats have rescued more than 4,000 people. Thousands of others have been taken to safety by police, rescue workers and citizen volunteers who brought their boats to help, local officials said.

The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday afternoon said a record 51.88 inches (131.78 cm) of rain had fallen in Texas due to Harvey, a record for any storm in the continental United States.

This breaks the previous record of 48 inches set during tropical storm Amelia in 1978 in Medina, Texas, the NHC said. Medina is west of San Antonio. The island of Kauai was hit with 52 inches of rain from tropical cyclone Hiki in 1950, before Hawaii became a U.S. state.</s>AT&T said the company will not be charging data overages for certain counties affected by the hurricane.

AT&T said the company will not be charging data overages for certain counties affected by the hurricane.

A Houston police officer drowned in flood waters over the weekend, according to a report from the Houston Chronicle.

A Houston police officer drowned in flood waters over the weekend, according to a report from the Houston Chronicle.

Televangelist Joel Osteen says his Houston megachurch has "never" closed its doors to people seeking shelter as Harvey swamps the city.

Televangelist Joel Osteen says his Houston megachurch has "never" closed its doors to people seeking shelter as Harvey swamps the city.

A shelter in Port Arthur, Texas housing Tropical Storm Harvey evacuees was flooded early Wednesday morning. A video shared on Facebook shows the flooded shelter with evacuees still inside. Nateisha Johnson Copyright 2017 KPLC. All rights reserved.

A shelter in Port Arthur, Texas housing Tropical Storm Harvey evacuees was flooded early Wednesday morning. A video shared on Facebook shows the flooded shelter with evacuees still inside. Nateisha Johnson Copyright 2017 KPLC. All rights reserved.

A Pentagon official says the military's contribution to Harvey rescue and recovery efforts could soon increase by tenfold or more.

A Pentagon official says the military's contribution to Harvey rescue and recovery efforts could soon increase by tenfold or more.

Charities are stepping up their donation requests in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Charities are stepping up their donation requests in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Want to help? Here's how to give in Harvey's wake

Want to help? Here's how to give in Harvey's wake

Tropical Storm Harvey made landfall just west of Cameron, Louisiana, early Wednesday morning and is now moving over southwestern Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center reported.

Tropical Storm Harvey made landfall just west of Cameron, Louisiana, early Wednesday morning and is now moving over southwestern Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center reported.

Harvey has already dumped 15 trillion gallons of water on Texas and we may have to get used to such extreme downpours.

Harvey has already dumped 15 trillion gallons of water on Texas and we may have to get used to such extreme downpours.

The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is back on land after coming ashore early Wednesday just west of Cameron, Louisiana.

The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is back on land after coming ashore early Wednesday just west of Cameron, Louisiana.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay). Shane Johnson removes items from a family home destroyed in the wake of Harvey, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.

(AP Photo/LM Otero). Volunteers Brenda Tcoc, right, and Hugo Wilson help sort bags of donated clothes for victims of the flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey after a shelter opened at the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017.

(AP Photo/LM Otero). ADDS NAME OF BOY - Malachia Medrano, 2, sleeps 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, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017.

(AP Photo/LM Otero). 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 Otero). People line up for food as others 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, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017.

HOUSTON (AP) - Harvey's floodwaters started dropping across much of the Houston area and the storm weakened slightly Wednesday but major dangers remained for the U.S. Gulf Coast area, including the threat of an explosion at a stricken Texas chemical plant and major flooding further east near the Texas-Louisiana line.

The scope of the devastation caused by the hurricane came into sharper focus, meanwhile, and the murky green floodwaters from the record-breaking, 4-foot deluge of rain began yielding up more bodies as predicted.

The confirmed death toll climbed to at least 25, including six family members - four of them children - whose bodies were pulled Wednesday from a van that had been swept off a Houston bridge into a bayou.

"Unfortunately, it seems that our worst thoughts are being realized," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said after the van that disappeared over the weekend was found in 10 feet of muddy water.

As the water receded, Houston's fire department said it would begin a block-by-block search of thousands of flooded homes. Assistant Fire Chief Richard Mann said the searches were to ensure "no people were left behind."

While conditions in the nation's fourth-largest city appeared to improve, another crisis related to Harvey emerged at a chemical plant about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Houston. A spokeswoman for the Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby, Texas, said late Wednesday that the flooded facility had lost power and backup generators, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises.

"The fire will happen. It will resemble a gasoline fire. It will be explosive and intense in nature," said Janet Hill, spokeswoman for the French company.

The last of the plant's employees evacuated on Tuesday and residents within 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) were told to leave, Hill said.

Another threat was east of Houston where conditions deteriorated close to the Louisiana line as Harvey again reached land.

Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas, struggled with rising floodwaters and worked to evacuate residents after Harvey completed a U-turn in the Gulf of Mexico and rolled ashore early Wednesday for the second time in six days. It hit southwestern Louisiana as a tropical storm with heavy rain and winds of 45 mph.

Forecasters downgraded Harvey to a tropical depression late Wednesday from a tropical storm but it still has lots of rain and potential damage to spread, with 4 to 8 inches forecast from the Louisiana-Texas line into Tennessee and Kentucky through Friday. Some spots may get as much as a foot, raising the risk of more flooding.

For much of the Houston area, forecasters said the rain is pretty much over.

"We have good news," said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. "The water levels are going down."

Houston's two major airports were up and running again Wednesday. Officials said they were resuming limited bus and light rail service as well as trash pickup.

At Hermann Park, south of downtown, children glided by in strollers and wagons, joggers took in midday runs and couples walked beside cascading fountains and beneath a sparkling sun. People pulled into drive-thru restaurants and emerged from a store with groceries.

At the same time, many thousands of Houston-area homes are under water and could stay that way for days or weeks. And Lindner cautioned that homes near at least one swollen bayou could still get flooded.

Officials said 911 centers in the Houston area are getting more than 1,000 calls an hour from people seeking help.

In Houston's flooded Meyerland neighborhood, hundreds of families emptied their homes of sodden possessions under a baking sun as the temperature climbed into the 90s. They piled up couches, soggy drywall and carpets ripped out of foul-smelling homes where the floodwaters had lingered for more than 24 hours.

The curbs were lined with the pickup trucks of cleanup contractors and friends.

For Harry Duffey, a 48-year-old computer security specialist, this was flood No. 3 in as many years. Just before the flood, he got a notice that his flood insurance premium had nearly doubled to $5,300 a year.

"Everywhere we look this water has cost me money after money after money. It just does not end," he said. But he said he has no intention of moving: "This is in my blood. This is where I'm from."

Altogether, more than 1,000 homes in Texas were destroyed and close to 50,000 damaged, and over 32,000 people were in shelters across the state, emergency officials reported. About 10,000 more National Guard troops are being deployed to Texas, bringing the total to 24,000, Gov. Greg Abbott said.

Confirmed deaths from the storm include a married couple who drowned after their pickup truck was swept away while they were on the phone with a 911 dispatcher asking for help, officials said.

Others among the dead include a woman whose body was discovered floating in Beaumont, a man who tried to swim across a flooded road, and a woman who died after she and her young daughter were swept into a drainage canal in Beaumont. The child was rescued clinging to her dead mother, authorities said.

When Harvey paid its return visit to land overnight, it hit near Cameron, Louisiana, about 45 miles from Port Arthur.

Port Arthur found itself increasingly isolated as floodwaters swamped most major roads out of the city.

More than 500 people - along with dozens of dogs, cats, a lizard and a monkey - took shelter at the Max Bowl bowling alley in Port Arthur after firefighters popped the lock in the middle of the night, said the establishment's general manager, Jeff Tolliver.

"The monkey was a little surprising, but we're trying to help," he said.

In Orange, Texas, about 30 miles east of Beaumont, residents of a retirement home surrounded by thigh-deep water were rescued by National Guardsmen and wildlife officers, who carried them from the second floor and put them aboard an airboat.

Harvey initially came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane in Texas on Friday, then went back out to sea and lingered off the coast as a tropical storm for days, inundating flood-prone Houston.

Harvey's five straight days of rain totaled close to 52 inches, the heaviest tropical downpour ever recorded in the continental U.S.

Associated Press writers Frank Bajak, Matt Sedensky and Michael Graczyk in Houston; Diana Heidgerd and David Warren in Dallas; Seth Borenstein in Washington; Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas; and Tammy Webber in Chicago contributed to this report.

This story has been corrected to show that the six people in the submerged vehicle were already counted among the storm dead and the spelling of Abbott.

Sign up for AP's daily newsletter showcasing our best all-formats reporting on Harvey and its aftermath: http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb .

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Tropical storm Harvey (hurricane earlier this month) makes its second landfall, this time in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The New York Times reports local officials say the death toll since last Friday is now 38. Moving northeast, Harvey is expected to gradually weaken to a tropical depression by tonight.