PLEASANTON -- Two sisters facing charges they endangered infants' lives by binding them too tightly in swaddling blankets at a Livermore preschool are both expecting babies of their own, family members said Thursday after a court hearing.

 Sisters Nazila Sharaf, 35, and Lida Sharaf, 33, appeared in a Pleasanton courtroom Thursday afternoon, a day after they were arrested at their homes in Dublin and Mountain House on felony child abuse charges. Both women let their thick hair fall in front of their faces to avoid being seen in court and were wearing large, red jumpsuits that concealed their pregnant bellies.

 "They are greatly embarrassed ... mortified by where they are," said Timothy Rien, the sisters' defense attorney. "They are obviously shaken by the condition they're in."

 The sisters were arraigned on three counts of felony child abuse and neglect and four counts of misdemeanor child abuse and neglect, stemming from an investigation by Livermore police into their care of infants at Universal Preschool LLC, at 1040 Florence Road. A plea hearing was scheduled for Monday.

 Ferdinand Benitez, who is the father of a 22-month-old son with Lida Sharaf, confirmed reports from jail officials that both women are pregnant. Lida Sharaf's second child is due in July, and Nazila Sharaf is 4½ months pregnant and also has a son, who celebrated his 9th birthday the day of his mother's arraignment, Benitez said after the hearing at the Gale-Schenone Hall of Justice in Pleasanton.

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 Both women are in protective custody at Santa Rita Jail, officials said. Bail was originally set at $700,000 for each woman but was reduced to $340,000 during Thursday's court proceedings.

 "There is a fight ahead in this case," Rien said. "First is the fight over bail, and then there's a fight over the charges themselves."

 A dozen family members and friends showed up to support the pair, while several parents and others attended the hearing to show their outrage about the alleged abuse at the preschool.

 Hank Dedrick, who belongs to the Alameda County chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse, attended the hearing with two other members to show support for the victims' families.

 "We support them from womb to tomb," Dedrick said. "As far as I'm concerned, if you hurt a child like that you completely destroy their soul."

 Although swaddling is a common technique used to lull newborns to sleep, the Sharafs allegedly put seven babies in danger at the day care center by binding the infants' bodies so tightly they had trouble breathing and couldn't move their arms and legs, police said.

 The Sharaf sisters maintain that they in no way intended to hurt the babies with their swaddling methods, Rien said.

 "Their contention is that it is not abuse," Rien said. "But nobody is going to take away from a parent their concern for their child when they are in someone else's care."

 Doctors examined all of the children who were at the day care center, and none showed signs of injury related to the alleged abuse, Officer Steve Goard said.

 State officials closed the Livermore facility on March 15 and are seeking to permanently revoke the women's license.

 Investigators said that both Nazila and Lida Sharaf are suspected of tying blankets around seven infants between the ages of 7 months and 11 months so tightly they restricted the babies' ability to breathe and move their arms and legs. The women secured the wrapped blankets with heavy-duty knots for a "lengthy" period of time, Goard said.

 Police also learned that the women sometimes threw blankets over the children's faces while the infants had their arms and legs bound, rendering the babies virtually incapable of rescuing themselves if they needed air. Perhaps most disturbingly, Goard said, is that of the seven children identified in the case, both Sharafs knew that three of the babies had upper respiratory conditions.

 "They basically restrained these children, almost like a boa constrictor," Goard said. "All of these children could have died in the process of binding these extremities."

 A police statement released Wednesday also suggested that Nazila Sharaf had grabbed the arms of at least three infants out of frustration and carried them across the room by their extremities, which could have caused a broken arm, torn ligament or spinal fracture. Police also said that the Sharafs would crank the heat in the room up to 75 to 80 degrees under the assumption that it would cause them to become sleepy.

 Thirty parents of 19 infants were interviewed during the investigation, police said.

 The investigation began on March 15, after the Department of Social Services requested their assistance in closing the center. Social Services reported multiple licensing violations discovered during an unannounced visit March 12, including inappropriate swaddling techniques.

 Swaddling is a common technique used on newborns where a caregiver wraps the infant in a blanket in a snug yet comfortable way to reassure them and help them fall asleep, officials said in reference to pediatric experts. The technique, which is prohibited by state licensing, is usually intended for newborns between 1 month and 2 months old.

 Lida Sharaf had previously operated another child care facility, Discovery Child Development Center. In 2010, the state Department of Social Services shut that facility down for a similar swaddling offense, according to department spokesman Michael Weston.

 Lida Sharaf agreed to sell her facility and give up her rights as a licensee at that time, Weston said. In return, the department agreed to allow her to continue to work and be a presence at a child care facility, so long as she was not the licensee or the owner.

 In 2011, Nazila Sharaf received a license as the owner of Universal Preschool, which reopened at the same location with Lida as an employee.

 No criminal action was taken at that time, as that case was not submitted to law enforcement, Goard said.

 Investigators found at the school that there was a large distance between the door and the back room where the babies would sleep in their cribs, and that the sisters could easily tell when someone was coming and make modifications to the sleeping arrangements, Goard said.

 Other violations discovered during Social Services' visit to Universal Preschool in March included an infant sleeping in a car seat and another in a high chair, and finding that there were more children at the center than the license allowed.

 When officials arrived to serve the shutdown order, they also found a person caring for children who had not had a background check performed.

 The state's complaint also accuses Lida Sharaf of asking a Social Services inspector to conceal evidence or not report the violations. In addition to a temporary suspension order against the facility, Social Services issued bans against the Sharafs from working at any state-licensed child care facilities, Weston said. The women filed an appeal to the ban, which will likely trail the criminal proceedings.

 Contact Erin Ivie at eivie@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/erin_ivie. ||||| Two sisters in Northern California facing charges that they endangered infants' lives by binding them too tightly in swaddling blankets have pleaded not guilty.

 The Oakland Tribune (http://bit.ly/11T42tt0 ) reports that Nazila and Lida Sharaf entered their pleas Monday in Alameda County Superior Court.

 The sisters have been released from custody after posting $340,000 bail each. They are each charged with three counts of felony child abuse and neglect and four counts of misdemeanor child abuse and neglect.

 Authorities say the women wrapped seven babies up like boa constrictors at their Livermore preschool, impairing the children's ability to move and breathe.

 Their attorney says the women did not intend to hurt the babies.

 Both sisters are pregnant and expecting their second child. ||||| Universal Preschool, formerly known as Sunnyside Infant and Preschool Center, in Livermore

 Two sisters facing charges that they endangered infants' lives by binding them too tightly in swaddling blankets have pleaded not guilty in Alameda County Superior Court.

 Nazila and Lida Sharaf entered their pleas Monday and then were released from custody after posting $340,000 bail each. They are each charged with three counts of felony child abuse and neglect and four counts of misdemeanor child abuse and neglect.

 They were arrested last week at their homes Wednesday in Dublin and Mountain House after being accused of wrapping infants in swaddling clothes -- a tactic used to lull newborns to sleep, the news source reported -- so tightly that the babies had "trouble breathing."

 Bathroom Baby Case in Pictures

 The sisters say their "swaddling methods" are sound. Doctors found no signs of injuries, but evidence enough to charge them with three counts of felony child abuse and four counts of misdemeanor child abuse and neglect exist, according to prosecutors.

 At Universal Preschool LLC at 1040 Florence Road in Livermore, the sisters reportedly threw blankets over infants' faces and used "heavy-duty knots" to swaddle the infants, the news source reported. They're in jail at Santa Rita Jail on $340,000 bail.

 Baby Born Under Napa Bridge

 MORE: Sisters Arrested for Allegedly Binding Babies During Naptime

 Turns out that Lida Sharaf lost a license to operate a preschool in 2010 on a similar swaddling offense, investigators said.

 The school, of which Nazila Sharaf was the owner, is now closed, following a surprise March 12 investigation that revealed improper swaddling. Parents of 19 infants spoke with police during an investigation.

 Meanwhile, family members who showed up outside a courtroom last week said the sisters are both mothers-to-be themselves. Lida Sharaf has a 22-month old son and is due in July for a second child, while Nazila Sharaf has a nine-year old son and is 4 1/2 months pregnant.

 "Both women let their thick hair fall in front of their faces to avoid being seen in court and were wearing large, red jumpsuits that concealed their pregnant bellies," the Oakland Tribune reported.

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What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Two sisters who run a day care in California have posted a total of $680,000 bail on charges that they endangered the lives of infants under their care, reports NBC Bay Area. The case is drawing national attention for the unusual nature of the charges—Nazila and Lida Sharaf are accused of wrapping the babies too tightly in swaddling blankets. They have pleaded not guilty to felony charges of child abuse. "They basically restrained these children, almost like a boa constrictor," a police officer tells the Bay Area News Group. "All of these children could have died in the process of binding these extremities." The investigation began after social services officials received complaints, though doctors who examined the infants found no sign of injuries. Lida Sharaf lost a license to run a preschool in 2010 on similar swaddling charges. Both sisters are mothers themselves, and both are pregnant, notes AP.


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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR asked its fans to refrain from displaying the Confederate Flag at its race, releasing a statement Thursday signed by tracks that host the Sprint Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck series.

 The statement comes the day after Daytona International Speedway announced it would offer a flag exchange as it prepares to host Sunday’s Coke Zero 400. Track president Joie Chitwood said fans wouldn’t be banned from having the Confederate flag in the infield this weekend.

 Last weekend, NASCAR Chairman Brian France said the sanctioning body would go “as far as we can” to eliminate the Confederate flag from its events.

 Thursday’s statement:

 “As members of the NASCAR industry, we join NASCAR in the desire to make our events among the most fan-friendly, welcoming environments in all of sports and entertainment.

 “To do that, we are asking our fans and partners to join us in a renewed effort to create an all-inclusive, even more welcoming atmosphere for all who attend our events. This will include the request to refrain from displaying the Confederate Flag at our facilities and NASCAR events.

 “We are committed to providing a welcoming atmosphere free of offensive symbols. This is an opportunity for NASCAR Nation to demonstrate its sense of mutual respect and acceptance for all who attend our events while collectively sharing the tremendous experience of NASCAR racing.”

 SIGNATORIES International Speedway Corporation (ISC) Auto Club Speedway Chicagoland Speedway Darlington Raceway Daytona International Speedway Homestead-Miami Speedway Kansas Speedway Martinsville Speedway Michigan International Speedway Phoenix International Raceway Richmond International Raceway Route 66 Raceway Talladega Superspeedway Watkins Glen International Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) Atlanta Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway Kentucky Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sonoma Raceway Texas Motor Speedway Dover International Speedway Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pocono Raceway Iowa Speedway Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Road America Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Eldora Speedway Gateway Motorsports Park ||||| Although NASCAR has banned the use of the Confederate flag in any official capacity, fans are still allowed to fly the flag, and it’s customary to see the symbol all over the infield at NASCAR events — especially in the south.

 With the Sprint Cup series heading to Daytona International Speedway this weekend for the Coke Zero 400, DIS president Joie Chitwood announced that fans can voluntarily exchange Confederate flags for American flags at the event.

 Via the Orlando Sentinel:

 “We want to be open and inclusive. We want to celebrate the American flag this weekend. That’s the flag that we should be celebrating. We’re going to have flags available so if fans want to exchange whatever flags they have for an American flag, we want to make sure they wave our nation’s flag. It’s our nation’s birthday. We’re going to have military there. That’s going to be our goal.”

 NASCAR stood behind South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s call to remove the Confederate flag from capitol grounds last week. ||||| View photo .

 The statement signed by 30 tracks, including the tracks owned by International Speedway Corporation and Speedway Motorsports Inc., is as follows:

 “As members of the NASCAR industry, we join NASCAR in the desire to make our events among the most fan-friendly, welcoming environments in all of sports and entertainment.

 “To do that, we are asking our fans and partners to join us in a renewed effort to create an all-inclusive, even more welcoming atmosphere for all who attend our events. This will include the request to refrain from displaying the Confederate Flag at our facilities and NASCAR events.

 “We are committed to providing a welcoming atmosphere free of offensive symbols. This is an opportunity for NASCAR Nation to demonstrate its sense of mutual respect and acceptance for all who attend our events while collectively sharing the tremendous experience of NASCAR racing.”

 A NASCAR spokesperson said the request would pertain to "overt displays" of the Confederate flag. If you're a fan wanting to bring in a 15-foot Confederate flag to fly on track property while at a race or are planning to use the symbol as a way to make a boisterous statement, you're likely going to be asked to not do so and possibly escorted out of the track premises.

 The statement from NASCAR's tracks is a continuation of the theme started by NASCAR chairman Brian France last week. In an interview with the Associated Press, France said he wanted the flag eliminated from NASCAR events.

 After France's comments, it was clear that the sport with strong southern roots preferred fans to not loudly display Confederate symbols. Thursday's statement makes it even more obvious, though we'll freely admit the request's success hinges more on fans making the (smart) decision not to display the flag than it does on tracks' ability to find offenders.

 Daytona International Speedway, site of Sunday's race, is hosting a Confederate flag exchange program for any fan who wants to turn in his or her Confederate flag for an American flag. The spokesperson said the program could be extended to other tracks as well.

 The sport does not sell any officially-licensed merchandise with the Confederate flag symbol and previously said it supported the effort to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds at the South Carolina Capitol.

 - - - - - - -

 Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

 Follow @NickBromberg |||||

– Last week, NASCAR's chief said he didn't want his sport associated with the Confederate flag. Today, the tracks on which the cars race seconded that by asking fans not to display the flag during races, reports NBC Sports. The joint statement is issued as a "request" to fans in the spirit of "providing a welcoming atmosphere free of offensive symbols." And though it's not laid down as a rule, Yahoo Sports says it amounts to one: "If you're a fan wanting to bring in a 15-foot Confederate flag to fly on track property while at a race or are planning to use the symbol as a way to make a boisterous statement, you're likely going to be asked to not do so and possibly escorted out of the track premises. " Meanwhile, those who attend this weekend's race at Daytona speedway can exchange a Confederate flag for an American one, notes USA Today. (The Dukes of Hazzard is also caught up in the controversy.)


Write an article based on this summary:

– Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have vowed to make good on their threat of widespread civil disobedience after Beijing crushed hopes of an open election for the territory's chief executive in 2017. China's legislature ruled that candidates must be backed by a nominating committee, a move that means voters are likely to have just two or three candidates to choose from—all of them nominated by a pro-Beijing committee. At a protest last night, one of the pro-democracy movement's leaders called it the "darkest day in the history of Hong Kong's democratic development" and warned that the former British colony's people "are no longer willing to be docile subjects," reports Reuters. Activists in the "Occupy Central" movement plan to paralyze Hong Kong's central business district to protest Beijing's decision. Analysts say Beijing feared that granting Hong Kong's demand for greater democracy would have led to similar demands on the mainland. "In the territory controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, only Hong Kong has some space for free speech, some judicial independence, so it is a mirror for people on the mainland," a dissident in Beijing who was placed under house arrest ahead of the government announcement tells the New York Times. "The outcome of this battle for democracy will also determine future battles for democracy for all of China." In nearby Macau, meanwhile, chief executive Fernando Chui was "re-elected" to another five-year term yesterday by a 400-strong pro-Beijing committee that didn't have any other candidates to choose from, the South China Morning Post reports. Five people were arrested last week over an informal poll on more democracy in the former Portuguese colony.

Police officers are seen in the central financial district of Hong Kong, after Beijing's decision to tightly control the nomination of candidates for Hong Kong's 2017 election, August 31, 2014.

 Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (C) speaks with top officers during a news conference at the Chief Executive's Office in Hong Kong August 31, 2014.

 Pro-Beijing protesters take part in a rally with Chinese national flag to support Beijing in exercising decisive action outside the Chief Executive's Office in Hong Kong August 31, 2014.

 A protester is seen during a campaign to kick off the Occupy Central civil disobedience event in front of the financial Central district in Hong Kong August 31, 2014.

 Founders of the Occupy Central civil disobedience movement (L-R), academic Chan Kin-man, academic Benny Tai and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming attend a campaign to kick off the movement in front of the financial Central district in Hong Kong August 31, 2014.

 Founders of the Occupy Central civil disobedience movement (L-R), Reverend Chu Yiu-ming, academic Benny Tai and academic Chan Kin-man, hit drums during a campaign to kick off the movement in front of the financial Central district in Hong Kong August 31, 2014.

 Pro-democracy protesters hold up their mobile phones during a campaign to kick off the Occupy Central civil disobedience event in Hong Kong August 31, 2014.

 A pro-democracy protester carries a placard which reads 'Communist Party, you lie!' as he sits with other protesters during a campaign to kick off the Occupy Central civil disobedience event in front of the financial Central district in Hong Kong August 31, 2014.

 BEIJING/HONG KONG Pro-democracy activists vowed on Sunday to bring Hong Kong's financial hub to a standstill after China's parliament rejected their demands for the right to freely choose the former British colony's next leader in 2017.

 The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) endorsed a framework to let only two or three candidates run in the 2017 leadership vote. All candidates must first obtain majority backing from a nominating committee likely to be stacked with Beijing loyalists.

 The relatively tough decision by the NPC - China's final arbiter on the city's democratic affairs - makes it almost impossible for opposition democrats to get on the ballot.

 "This is a legal, fair and reasonable decision. It is a dignified, prudent decision, and its legal effect is beyond doubt," Li Fei, deputy secretary general of the NPC standing committee, told reporters after the decision.

 Hundreds of "Occupy Central" activists, who demand Beijing allow a real, free election, prepared to stage a small protest late on Sunday to formally launch a campaign of civil disobedience that will climax with a blockade at some time of the city's important Central business district.

 "Today is not only the darkest day in the history of Hong Kong's democratic development, today is also the darkest day of one country, two systems," said Benny Tai, a law professor and one of Occupy Central's main leaders, referring to the formula under which capitalist Hong Kong, with a population of around 7.2 million, was returned to Communist Chinese rule in 1997.

 The Occupy movement said in a statement that "all chances of dialogue have been exhausted and the occupation of Central will definitely happen." It gave no timeframe for its action.

 A spokesman for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (0388.HK), which operates the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, said contingency planning was taken very seriously. "We have long had a specialist team that coordinates group response plans for scenarios that put at risk the continuing operation of the exchange or threaten the well-being or safety of our staff."

 Hong Kong's current chief executive Leung Chun-ying said Beijing's decision represented a major step forward in Hong Kong's development.

 "Universal suffrage for the (chief executive) election through "one person, one vote" by Hong Kong people is not only a big step forward for Hong Kong, but also a historic milestone for our country," he said, adding people should express their opinion through peaceful and legal methods.

 Political reform has been a constant source of friction between Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and the mainland since Britain returned the city to China 17 years ago.

 In nearby Macau, another special administrative region, leader and sole candidate Fernando Chui was "re-elected" on Sunday by a select panel of 400 largely pro-China loyalists in the tiny but wealthy former Portuguese colony.

 GIRDING FOR ACTION

 Scores of police vehicles and hundreds of officers were deployed outside Hong Kong government headquarters as people began to gather late on Sunday, braving heavy rain at times, with some chanting slogans.

 Key government buildings, including the Chief Executive's office and a People's Liberation Army barracks nearby, were also ringed by high fences and barricades.

 "It (the NPC decision) leaves no room for us to fight for a genuinely democratic system, and we will begin our campaign for peaceful, non-violent struggle," said Joseph Cheng, the convener of the Alliance for True Democracy, a coalition of groups advocating universal suffrage in Hong Kong. "We want to tell the world we haven't given up. We will continue to fight."

 The United States responded cautiously. Commenting on the planned protest, a U.S. official who declined to be identified by name said Washington supports Hong Kong’s "traditions and Basic Law protections of internationally recognized freedoms, including the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression."

 The official also said "the legitimacy of the chief executive will be greatly enhanced if "the election provides the people of Hong Kong a genuine choice of candidates representative of the voters’ will."

 "We understand that the August 31 announcement is just one step in an ongoing process leading to a final decision on election reform in Hong Kong and will continue to watch as the process unfolds," the official said in Washington.

 On the surface, the NPC's decision is a breakthrough that endorses the framework for the first direct vote by a Chinese city to choose its leader. Beijing is already hailing it as a milestone in democratic reform.

 However, by tightly curbing nominations for the 2017 leadership poll, some democrats said Beijing was pushing a Chinese-style version of "fake" democracy.

 The NPC statement said all nominations would be carried out according to "democratic procedures" and each candidate would need the endorsement of more than half of a nominating committee that will be similar in composition to an existing 1,200-person election committee stacked with Beijing loyalists.

 The proposed electoral framework will still needs to be approved by two-thirds of Hong Kong's 70-seat legislature. With pro-democracy lawmakers holding more than a third of the seats, the proposal will likely be shelved.

 In that case, the next leader would likely again be chosen by a small election committee. Wang Zhenmin, a prominent legal scholar and adviser to the Chinese government, said recently that: "Less perfect universal suffrage is better than no universal suffrage," adding that this window of opportunity in Hong Kong was an historical crossroads after "2,000 years of (Chinese) feudal history without any democracy."

 Senior Chinese officials have repeatedly warned activists against their "illegal" protests, and say they won't back down.

 Some key members of the pro-democracy movement, including media magnate Jimmy Lai, have also come under pressure in the run-up to the Chinese parliamentary decision.

 China has also repeatedly warned against foreign interference, saying it will not tolerate the use of Hong Kong "as a bridgehead to subvert and infiltrate the mainland."

 The Occupy Central movement has not yet won broad support among Hong Kong's middle class, who are concerned about antagonizing China and disruptions to business. Any strong measures by China or the Hong Kong police could change that.

 (Additional reporting by Pete Sweeney in SHANGHAI, Bobby Yip, Grace Li, Twinnie Siu, Dancy Zhang and Donny Kwok in HONG KONG, Lesley Wroughton and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Editing by Paul Tait, Simon Cameron-Moore, Ian Geoghegan and Cynthia Osterman) ||||| Dr Fernando Chui Sai-on was re-elected uncontested as Macau's chief executive yesterday in a choreographed exercise that prompted thousands of residents to demand universal suffrage.

 Chui was selected by a 400-strong election committee made up mainly of pro-Beijing elites and politicians. They gave him 95.96 per cent support, or 380 of the 396 votes cast, up from 95.3 per cent in 2009.

 There were a record 16 blank or invalid votes, however, due partly to an expansion of the election committee from 300 in 2009.

 The election took place a day after the end of an unofficial seven-day "civil referendum" in which 95 per cent of 8,688 residents voted in favour of universal suffrage for the 2019 election.

 There were complaints of rights violations last week after police arrested several organisers of the referendum for allegedly breaching personal data laws.

 Unlike Hong Kong's Basic Law, Macau's mini-constitution makes no mention of universal suffrage as a goal. But calls for democracy have been growing.

 Chui was reluctant to talk about his re-election result. "The statistics are out now, but I will not comment on it," he said. "I am thankful … for the chance to serve the Macau public."

 He did acknowledge shortfalls in his first term - culminating in a May rally against a proposed bill that would have lavished benefits on outgoing chief executives and other government officials.

 "In retrospect, many social problems could have been resolved more expeditiously and effectively", Chui said.

 Bill Chou Kwok-ping, a core referendum campaigner with the New Macau Association, said: "It is time for the government to face up to reality and launch political reform."

 Chou said that all personal data collected in the referendum had been permanently erased from the computer system.

 Fellow activist Sulu Sou Ka-hou said: "The less sincere the government is about political reform, the likelier it is for political activism to grow."

 Chui said he would focus on economic diversification away from the gambling sector - an industry that generates more income in the former Portuguese enclave than anywhere else in the world. "We will … speed up and enhance an appropriate economic diversification and spare no effort to improve social well-being," Chui said in his victory speech.

 At a press conference later, he said: "When we review gambling policies later, we will … resolve the social injustices caused by the domination of a single industry."

 Angela Leong On-kei, fourth wife of gaming tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun and an election committee member, said continued effort was needed to ensure the gaming businesses nurtured the growth of small and medium-sized local enterprises. |||||


Article:

These Were The Top 10 Most Popular Searches On Google In 2014

 Each year, Google releases a list of the topics we’ve collectively searched for the most over the past 12 months. Each year, I try and see how many I can guess beforehand.

 This year, I got about half. How many can you get? [Pro tip: remember, people generally search for depressing/scary stuff more than pretty much anything else.]

 Google released two lists this year — one for US search trends, and one for worldwide search trends. The lists are mostly the same, with just a few differences.

 US Trending Searches:

 Global Trending Searches:

 The two lists are strikingly similar, save for the global list leaning toward Conchita Wurst and the Sochi Olympics in place of Ferguson and Ukraine.

 Interesting to note: this is the first year in a few where an Apple product didn’t make the cut. (2010 had iPad; 2011 featured both iPhone 5 and iPad 3; 2012 had iPad 3 again; 2013 had the iPhone 5S in spot #2)

 Also of note: as far as I can recall, Flappy Bird is the first mobile app to crack Google’s top 10. Having a wildly successful app is one thing — but an app that becomes one of the most searched for things around the entire world? Achievement unlocked. (Google notes that 2048 and Flappy Bird, both one-man projects, beat out Destiny, the most expensive game ever developed.)

 (Note: this list is based on year-versus-year search trends; it’s about how popular a topic is this year versus last, not raw frequency. If it were just raw frequency, Google says the most popular searches wouldn’t change much.) ||||| FILE - In this March 27, 2010 file photo, actor Robin Williams speaks at The 24th American Cinematheque Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. The reaction to Williams’ death in August 2014 topped Google’s list... (Associated Press)

 FILE - In this March 27, 2010 file photo, actor Robin Williams speaks at The 24th American Cinematheque Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. The reaction to Williams’ death in August 2014 topped Google’s list... (Associated Press)

 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Robin Williams' suicide seared into the world's collective mindset more than anything else this year, based on what people were searching for on Google.

 The reaction to Williams' death in August topped Google's list of 2014's fastest-rising search requests. It beat notable events such as the World Cup, the Ebola outbreak, the March disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and the Ice Bucket Challenge, an Internet video craze to raise awareness and money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

 Other topics of worldwide intrigue on Google included the addictive smartphone game "Flappy Bird," bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst, the Middle East extremist group ISIS, the hit Disney movie "Frozen," and the Winter Olympics in Russia.

 Williams, Ebola, the World Cup and the Ice Bucket also ranked among the most-discussed subjects this year on Facebook, which released its list last week. Google released its list Tuesday.

 Williams' death drove many people to reminisce about his career highlights. In the first few days after his suicide, there was a six-fold increase in the number of Google searches for "carpe diem" — a Latin phrase for "seize the day" that Williams popularized in the film "Dead Poets Society." Reports about Williams' long-running battle with depression caused searches for that term to triple. There was also a flurry of searches about his movies (the top five were: "Mrs. Doubtfire," ''Dead Poets Society," ''Good Will Hunting," ''Jumanji" and "Patch Adams.")

 Google's worldwide list of the year's hottest search requests mirrored the activity in the U.S. with a few exceptions. Wurst didn't make the Top 10 list in the U.S., nor did the Winter Olympics. Instead, Web surfers in the U.S. were seeking more information about the August confrontation that culminated in a white policeman shooting and killing Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Ukraine's conflict with Russia also held more intrigue in the U.S. than the rest of the world.

 Google's review follows annual roundups compiled during the previous two weeks by its main search rivals. Although Google's list usually comes last each year, its rankings typically provide more telling insights into what people were thinking because the company's technology processes about two out of every three search requests made on the Internet.

 Yahoo's search lists indicated that its websites tend to attract entertainment-minded people. While Ebola topped Yahoo's rankings for 2014, celebrities or entertainers occupied six of the other slots. They were singer Ariana Grande (No. 3), actress Jennifer Lawrence (No. 4), actress Kaley Cuoco (No. 5), reality TV star Kim Kardashian (No. 6), singer Miley Cyrus (No. 8) and actress Jennifer Aniston (No. 10). Yahoo's list was rounded out by: the video game "Minecraft," whose popularity prompted Microsoft to buy it for $2.5 billion earlier this year; "Frozen" and Apple's latest gadget, the iPhone 6.

 Instead of doing a wide-ranging compilation of top searches, Microsoft's Bing separated its lists into disparate categories, such as athletes (NBA star LeBron James soared the highest), celebrities (Kardashian reigned), vacation destinations (Costa Rica) and musicians (Beyonce). |||||
What is a summary?

– Google has revealed the topic of the year's fastest-rising search request: Robin Williams' suicide. Reaction to his death tops this year's list, the AP reports. Some notable examples: In the first few days after, the number of searches for "carpe diem," a phrase Williams popularized in Dead Poets Society, increased six-fold; searches related to depression tripled; and many people also searched for information related to his movies (especially Mrs. Doubtfire, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, Jumanji, and Patch Adams.) The rest of the top 10 topics of worldwide interest on this year's list: The World Cup Ebola The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 The Ice Bucket Challenge Flappy Bird ISIS Disney's Frozen Bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst Sochi Winter Olympics If you're scratching your head on those last two, well, neither of them made the top 10 in the US. Replacing them in the US top 10, as TechCrunch reports: Michael Brown and Ferguson, Mo., as well as the Ukraine-Russia conflict.


– Bruno Mars owned the Grammys with his R&B-inspired album "24K Magic," winning all six awards he was nominated for at a show where hip-hop was expected to have a historical night. Jay-Z, the leading nominee with eight, walked away empty handed Sunday—a year after his wife lost album of the year to Adele, causing fans and peers to criticize the Recording Academy for not properly rewarding Beyonce's bold "Lemonade" project. And though Kendrick Lamar won five awards, he lost in the top categories, marking another year where rappers were restricted to wins in the rap categories, instead of earning coveted prizes like album of the year, the AP reports. Among the major winners: Album of the Year. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic. Record of the Year. Bruno Mars, "24K Magic," the album's title track. Song of the Year. Bruno Mars, "That's What I Like," shared with seven co-writers. Best New Artist. Alessia Cara. Best Pop Album. Ed Sheeran, ÷ . Best Rap Album. Kendrick Lamar, Damn. Best Rap Song. Kendrick Lamar, "Humble." Best Pop Solo Performance. Ed Sheeran,"Shape of You." Best Country Song. Chris Stapleton, "Broken Halos." Best Rock Song. Foo Fighters, "Run." Best Rock Album. The War on Drugs, A Deeper Understanding. Best Metal Performance. Mastodon, "Sultan's Curse." Best Music Video. Kendrick Lamar, "Humble." Best Dance/Electronic Album. Kraftwerk, 3-D The Catalogue. Check out the Grammys website for the full list of 84 winners.

Expand this summary.

Focused crawls are collections of frequently-updated webcrawl data from narrow (as opposed to broad or wide) web crawls, often focused on a single domain or subdomain. ||||| Luis Fonsi, left, and Daddy Yankee perform "Despacito" at the 60th annual Grammy Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) (Associated Press)

 Luis Fonsi, left, and Daddy Yankee perform "Despacito" at the 60th annual Grammy Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) (Associated Press)

 NEW YORK (AP) — Bruno Mars owned the Grammys with his R&B-inspired album "24K Magic," winning all six awards he was nominated for at a show where hip-hop was expected to have a historical night.

 Jay-Z, the leading nominee with eight, walked away empty handed Sunday — a year after his wife lost album of the year to Adele, causing fans and peers to criticize the Recording Academy for not properly rewarding Beyonce's bold "Lemonade" project.

 And though Kendrick Lamar won five awards, he lost in the top categories, marking another year where rappers were restricted to wins in the rap categories, instead of earning coveted prizes like album of the year.

 Mars picked up album of the year for "24K Magic," record of the year for the title track, and song of the year — shared with seven co-writers — for the No. 1 hit, "That's What I Like."

 Jay-Z and Lamar could have become the first rapper to win song or record of the year, and the third rap-based act to win album of the year.

 But Mars' win still marked some growth for the Academy: His is one of the few R&B albums to win the top prize. He dedicated his win to songwriters who have made history in R&B music, including Babyface, Teddy Riley, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

 Lamar's wins at Madison Square Garden in New York City included best rap album, best rap song, best rap performance, best rap/sung performance and best music video. He has a career total of 12 Grammys.

 Lamar also won with his performance: He kicked off the Grammys with a powerful and poignant performance featuring video screens displaying a waving American flag behind him, as background dancers dressed as army soldiers marched and moved behind him. At one point, Lamar's background dancers, dressed in red, were shot down as he rapped lyrics, later coming back to life as fire burst to end the six-minute performance.

 But the night's top performer was Kesha, who was passionate and striking onstage with the help of powerful women behind her, including the Resistance Revival Chorus, Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Julia Michaels, Andra Day and Bebe Rexha. Dressed in white, they won over the audience while singing Kesha's "Praying" and hugged at the song's end as some audience members cried, including Hailee Steinfeld.

 Kesha , who earned her first pair of Grammy nominations this year, has been in a legal war with former producer and mentor Dr. Luke. Janelle Monae introduced the performance with strong words.

 "We come in peace but we mean business. To those who would dare try to silence us, we offer two words: Time's Up," Monae said. "It's not just going on in Hollywood. It's not just going on in Washington. It's here in our industry, too."

 Before the performance, Maren Morris, Eric Church and Brothers Osborne performed an emotional rendition of Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" — written after his son died — in honor of the 58 people who died at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas last year. The names of victims were displayed behind them as they performed.

 The performances were two of the show's serious moments. Dozens of artists and music industry players also sported white roses in support of the Time's Up and #MeToo movements against sexual abuse and harassment.

 "Black is beautiful, hate is ugly," rapper Logic said onstage after performing the suicide prevention anthem "1-800-273-8255." The performance, with best new artist winner Alessia Cara and Khalid, included a group of suicide attempt and loss survivors selected by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

 Sting's performance was somewhat political as he sang his 1987 song, "Englishman in New York," which includes the lyrics, "Oh, I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien, I'm an Englishman in New York."

 Chris Stapleton paid tribute to Tom Petty with Emmylou Harris and also won three awards, including best country album, best country song and best country solo performance.

 "We always try to make great records ... and I guess this is a testament to that," Stapleton said.

 Little Big Town, who beautifully sang their Taylor Swift-penned No. 1 hit "Better Man," won best country duo/group performance with the song.

 Others who shined onstage included Lady Gaga, who won over the audience with a rousing performance of the songs "Joanne" and "Million Reasons"; Sam Smith gave a powerful performance of the song "Pray"; and Pink was a vocal powerhouse while she sang "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken."

 During the pre-telecast, The Rolling Stones picked up their third career Grammy — for best traditional blues album for "Blue & Lonesome" — while Ed Sheeran won best pop vocal album. Emmy and Golden Globe winner Childish Gambino, who picked up best traditional R&B performance, gave a smooth and sultry performance of "Terrified" in all-white featuring screeching high notes. Gambino was joined by young singer-actor, JD McCrary, who matched his vocals and sings on the original track.

 The show, hosted by James Corden, also featured some comedy. Hillary Clinton , John Legend, Cher, Snoop Dogg, Cardi B, and DJ Khaled won over the audience in a skit when reading lines from Michael Wolff's book, "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House." Corden said the book could compete for the best spoken world album Grammy next year.

 "That's the one," Corden said in the video after Clinton, a 1997 spoken word Grammy winner, spoke. It earned a rousing applause from the crowd.

 Dave Chappelle, who was part of Lamar's opening performance, won best comedy album during the televised show.

 "I am honored to win an award, finally, and I wanted to thank everyone at Netflix, at 'Saturday Night Live,' at 'The Chappelle Show,'" he said.

 Puppies were passed to the losers of best comedy album, including Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman and Jim Gaffigan.

 Posthumous Grammys were awarded to actress Carrie Fisher, singer Leonard Cohen and engineer Tom Coyne, who worked on Mars' "24K Magic" album.

 Double winners included Jason Isbell, Justin Hurwitz and CeCe Winans.

 ___

 Online:

 http://www.grammy.com

 ____

 For full coverage of awards season, visit: https://apnews.com/tag/AwardsSeason |||||


Article:

UPDATE: The most recent version of this story can be found here.

 STATEN ISLAND -- Police sources say they have a "person of interest" in custody in connection with a string of fake bombs planted across the Island this month -- a jealous ex-lover hoping to get the police to arrest his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.

 Though no charges have been filed yet, investigators believe that "hoax devices" were left in Port Richmond, Randall Manor and Grymes Hill as part of a grudge between the two men, sources said.

 At least one device had a note written in Spanish accompanying it, those sources said.

 The most recent device, found in a computer bag on Saturday outside a home on Duncan Road in Grymes Hill, contained a propane container, with what looked like wires coming out, connected to another container of liquid, according to law enforcement sources. It wouldn't have exploded, those sources said.

 Police found two similar devices earlier this month -- one on Sept. 12, in a backpack by a black Toyota on Brentwood Avenue in Randall Manor, the other on Sept. 2, in a suitcase on an uninhabited stretch of Barrett Avenue just behind the Forest Avenue Shoppers Town strip mall in Port Richmond.

 The devices spurred the NYPD to form a task force over the weekend.

 Police also responded to four separate false alarms involving discarded bags since the first device was found.

 Police sources say that investigators don't believe terrorism to be a motive in the creation of the devices. ||||| Madman Staten Island bomber arrested after leaving three devices around borough: authorities The 54-year-old suspect was fueled by jealousy - his target was a man who lived on his block and recently married a woman the suspect liked, authorities said.

 The madman bomber responsible for leaving three inert devices on Staten Island was taken into custody Wednesday — and police believe he may have been fueled by jealousy, authorities said.

 Cops took the 54-year-old suspect in for questioning at his job in Manhattan.

 The bomber was lovestruck by a woman, 32, who lived nearby and had just gotten married this past Saturday - the day of the final incident — and the suspect was targeting the woman’s beau, officials said.

 All three know each other and live on the same block.

 The note left behind at each device had the 35-year-old target’s name and address.

 The suspect, whose name was not released, is being questioned at the 121st Precinct stationhouse. Charges are pending.

 "He, we believe, is the person responsible for the 3 incidents on Staten Island,” said Deputy Commissioner John McCarthy, the NYPD’s top spokesman.

 Oates, Michael/Michael Oates

 The suspect’s spree had triggered an all-out manhunt by the NYPD, sources said Wednesday.

 A task force of about 10 investigators has been put together to arrest the person who left three bombs in residential areas around the borough beginning on Sept. 2, police sources said.

 The homemade devices — propane cylinders duct taped to vials filled with gasoline attached to a container of nails and screws — were found inside laptop bags with wires sticking out of them, officials said.

 At least one of the devices had a nine-volt battery attached to it, police sources said. Another came with a clock, but the clock was not wired to the device.

 RELATED: NYPD EVACUATES STATEN ISLAND BLOCK AFTER FAKE BOMB FIND

 All three of the bombs had a threatening note in Spanish attached to them, a source said.

 Cops are concerned because if the devices were rigged properly, they could have exploded.

 Oates, Michael/Michael Oates

 “Whenever you have propane and gas and you can light it, you will have some sort of explosion that will cause damage,” a police source said.

 Cops evacuated nine homes on Cornell St. near Decker Ave. in Elm Park on Sept. 2 after the first fake bomb was discovered.

 Members of the NYPD Bomb Squad deployed a robot to open the laptop bag and inspect the would-be bomb, which didn’t contain an explosive.

 “Nothing like this has ever happened here,” Elm Park resident Nievas Pavia, 31, who lived near where the laptop bag was discovered, told the Daily News at the time.

 “We were shocked and worried because we weren't told anything... just that we had to leave.”

 The second device — the only one not found in a laptop case — was was found sitting next to a parked car on Brentwood Ave. near Henderson Ave. in Randall Manor, officials said.

 A crew of sanitation workers accidentally picked up the third gadget — which was placed among some garbage bags —on Duncan Road near Silver Lake Park at 8 a.m. Saturday.

 Nearby houses were evacuated as the NYPD bomb squad investigated.

 Cops are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential. |||||
What is a summary?

– A 54-year-old man is accused of planting three inert bombs around Staten Island in order to frame the husband of a neighborhood woman he liked, reports the Staten Island Advance. Police say the man left his homemade devices in residential areas over the last month, reports the Daily News, which describes them as "propane cylinders duct taped to vials filled with gasoline attached to a container of nails and screws." As constructed, they apparently wouldn't have been able to explode, say police, though it's not clear whether that was by design or ignorance. The man was reportedly smitten with a 32-year-old woman in his neighborhood—the Advance says he was her ex-boyfriend—and apparently none too happy that she recently got married. With each device was an angry note that implicated her husband, says the Daily News. The suspect was being questioned this afternoon, and charges are pending. "He, we believe, is the person responsible for the three incidents on Staten Island,” says an NYPD spokesperson.


Write an article based on this summary:

– The tropical storm formerly known as Hurricane Harvey is continuing to cause massive flooding in Texas, and analysts say the state's oil and gas industry has been hit very hard. Almost a third of US refining capacity is in the affected coastal areas, and experts say closures due to flooding could pinch the gas supply, sending prices up as much as 25 cents a gallon. "This is the dominoes starting to fall," a GasBuddy petroleum analyst tells the AP. "This is sort of slowly turning out to be the worst-case scenario." In other developments: Dams opened. The US Army Corps of Engineers opened the Addicks and Barker flood-control dams on the western outskirts of Houston overnight in a controlled release to prevent uncontrollable flooding of downtown Houston, KHOU reports. Thousands of nearby residents were advised to pack their bags overnight and leave their homes Monday morning. Evacuations. A series of voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders were issued in the Houston region Sunday night as several more inches of rain fell on the area, reports the Houston Chronicle. Officials warn that possible structural damage, including bridge collapses and levee overflows, could leave residents trapped by the storm. The storm is expected to keep dumping rain on the area for days, bringing the total to over 50 inches in some areas. National Guard. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Sunday night that 1,000 more National Guard troops are being activated to deal with flooding in Houston, CNN reports. The governor plans to tour hard-hit coastal counties Monday with Sen. John Cornyn. "Most devastating." The floods, described as "catastrophic and life-threatening" by the National Weather Service, are the worst on record and are set to get even worse in the days to come. "What we're seeing is the most devastating flood event in Houston's recorded history," a meteorologist tells Reuters. The storm has already caused at least five deaths. Stalled. In a 4am CDT update, the National Hurricane Center said the storm is now centered 120 miles southwest of Houston and is moving southeast at just 3mph, leaving it "virtually stalled" near the coast, the AP reports. "We'll get through." Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, whose force used motorboats and airboats to rescue at least 2,000 people Sunday, urged Texans to stay strong, reports the New York Times. "It's sad," he said. "It breaks your heart for our city and our state. But it's Texas. We'll get through."

“A lot of people are frustrated,” Chief Acevedo said. “Hopefully today we’ll get to the rest of you. Please don’t give up on us. None of us are going to give up.”

 In Houston, harrowing close calls shook many families.

 Maya Wadler, 17, recalled the moments before she was rescued from her home Sunday around 4 a.m. The water, she said, “bubbled up from the doors, seeped in from the windows.”

 “Everywhere you turned,” she said, “there would just be a new flowing puddle. It just kept filling. It passed the outlets. I was so scared. We didn’t know what would happen. And there is no one you can call.”

 Ms. Wadler was eventually helped onto a dump truck driven by rescue workers.

 “I was sitting in the corner holding my dad really tight,” she said. “I usually just trust my parents that everything is going to be O.K. But I looked up and I saw that my dad was closing his eyes, the water was getting in his eyes. And I just thought: He has absolutely no idea where we are going to go.”

 For a vast swath of southeast Texas, there may be more trouble in the days ahead. The National Weather Service said the storm was expected to linger for a number of days. It predicted an additional 15 to 25 inches of rainfall along the upper Texas coast and southwest Louisiana through Friday. The service also raised the possibility of 50 inches of total rainfall in some areas, exceeding previous Texas records.

 Flooding was reported in numerous communities in the Texas interior between Houston, to the east, and Austin and San Antonio, to the west. On Sunday, a mandatory evacuation order was issued for the city of La Grange, where the National Weather Service projected that the Colorado River would crest at 49.1 feet, according to the city’s website.

 As inland communities struggled with the flooding crisis, coastal communities that took the brunt of the hurricane’s pounding remained punch-drunk. ||||| (CNN) Even as darkness fell and the waters kept rising, emergency officials in Houston continued fielding calls overnight from flood-stranded Texans. Thousands have been rescued so far, many are still waiting to picked up.

 "The Coast Guard is continuing to receive upwards of 1,000 calls per hour," US Coast Guard Lt. Mike Hart said Monday. "Today alone, the Coast Guard has rescued over 3,000 people. That includes both air rescues and rescues using boats."

 Since midnight Sunday, more than 2,300 calls have poured in to the Houston Fire Department, including 400 calls for rescue Monday afternoon, Houston officials said. Four people have died as a result of the catastrophic storm.

 Houston police had rescued 1,000 people since Monday morning, bringing the total number rescued to more than 3,000 since the storm flooded the city, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters Monday night.

 Live video from Houston showed rescuers in small boats on one flooded street carrying people to higher ground.

 'They're panicking'

 As Harvey dumped rain on East Texas and the waters rose, people started to panic, rushing rescue boats and even shooting at them if they didn't stop, said one volunteer rescuer.

 Clyde Cain, of the Cajun Navy, a Louisiana-based rescue force that gained fame during Hurricane Katrina, said in one instance, a boat broke down, and while the crew sought shelter in a delivery truck, people tried to steal the inoperable boat.

 "They're making it difficult for us to rescue them," he said. "You have people rushing the boat. Everyone wants to get in at the same time. They're panicking. Water is rising."

 Because of the hostile responses, the Cajun Navy has been forced to halt some rescue attempts, Cain said.

 "We have boats being shot at if we're not picking everybody up. We're having to pull out for a minute. We're dropping an airboat right now to go rescue a couple of our boats that broke, and they're kind of under attack," he said.

 There is no indication the water will stop rising anytime soon. Swollen rivers in east Texas aren't expected to crest until later this week, and federal officials are already predicting the deadly Tropical Storm Harvey will drive 30,000 people into shelters and spur 450,000 victims to seek some sort of disaster assistance.

 And yet, forecasters say, more rain is coming. Lots more.

 President pledges 'rapid action from Congress'

 President Trump said Monday the recovery from Hurricane Harvey will be "a long and difficult road," but predicted the country would emerge "bigger, better, stronger than ever before." Trump is scheduled to visit Texas on Tuesday.

 Calling the storm a catastrophe in Southeast Texas, the President said, "We see neighbor helping neighbor, friend helping friend and stranger helping stranger. We are one American family. We hurt together, we struggle together and believe me, we endure together."

 The President also said he believes Congress will act fast to provide disaster relief funding to the areas affected by Harvey.

 "You're going to see very rapid action from Congress -- certainly from the President," Trump said.

 Addressing Texans, he added: "We're going to get your funding."

 Latest developments

 -- About 8,000 people were estimated to be in Houston shelters Monday night, said Houston's mayor. About 5,000 were expected to be in the Houston Convention Center, he said.

 -- The Galveston County Office of Emergency Management on Monday issued a mandatory evacuation order for Dickinson, Texas, according to spokeswoman Brittany Viegas. Dickinson is about 172 miles northeast of coastal Rockport. A dramatic photo circulating on the Internet showed residents of an assisted living facility in Dickinson being rescued on Sunday.

 -- There have been four confirmed storm-related deaths, according to officials. Five other Harris County fatalities are suspected of being storm-related, according to Tricia Bentley, spokeswoman for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. The manners of death will be confirmed this week, she said.

 -- The average annual rainfall in Houston is 50 inches. The city has seen 25 inches of rain in two days. Another 25 could fall by Saturday.

 -- Several cities, including Katy, Alvin, Friendswood, League City, Pasadena, Pearland, Seabrook and Webster, have instituted curfews.

 -- The Houston Independent School District has canceled school for the week for the district's 215,000 students.

 -- Dallas is opening a "mega-shelter" at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, but Mayor Mike Rawlings said, "We may have thousands upon thousands upon thousands of more individuals that will get bigger than this convention center."

 -- President Trump approved Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards ' request for an emergency declaration. The governor said in his request that he believes Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Vermilion parishes will face the brunt of Harvey's winds and rain. The President said he will also visit Louisiana on Saturday.

 -- Energy provider CenterPoint says 96% of its Houston customers have power, but more than 104,000 are without electricity as crews experience difficulty reaching affected areas.

 -- The NFL said the Houston Texans' preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, scheduled for Thursday in Houston, has been moved to the Cowboys' home stadium in Arlington, Texas. The MLB's Astros and the University of Houston and University of Texas football teams -- as well as Louisiana State University, which has a game scheduled Saturday in Houston -- all have practices or games this week and were monitoring the storm before deciding if they will play.

 After checking the rain gauge, a new daily rainfall record was set at the NWS Office of 16.08" beating yesterday's record of 14.40" #houwx — NWS Houston (@NWSHouston) August 28, 2017

 'Landmark event'

 Several locales have received 2 feet or more of rain, and forecasters say a reprieve won't arrive until week's end at the earliest. By then, rain totals could reach another 2 feet -- with isolated instances of 40 to 50 more inches -- along the upper Texas coast.

 "This is a landmark event for Texas," FEMA Administrator Brock Long said. "Texas has never seen an event like this."

 Long said earlier that FEMA will likely be in Texas for years, and that Harvey will require one of the largest recovery housing efforts the nation has ever seen.

 Harvey will likely surpass 2008's Hurricane Ike and 2001's Tropical Storm Allison, two of the most destructive storms to hit the Gulf Coast in recent memory, he said. Millions of people from Corpus Christi to New Orleans were under flood watches and warnings Monday as Harvey's storm bands repeatedly pummeled the same areas.

 #Harvey is expected to retreat back to the Gulf of Mexico before heading back toward #Houston Wednesday. #txwx #TropicalStormHarvey pic.twitter.com/32RoWCover — CNN Weather Center (@CNNweather) August 27, 2017

 For state and federal officials working to mitigate Harvey's devastation, one of the more frustrating aspects of the storm is uncertainty.

 "The word catastrophic does not appropriately describe what we're facing," said US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas. "We just don't know when it's going to end."

 Early Monday, Harvey was barely clinging to tropical storm status, but the danger is far from over. The storm is forecast to head southeast toward the Matagorda Bay and Gulf of Mexico, where it will pick up additional moisture before sliding back over Galveston and Houston, cities it has already hammered.

 The slow-moving nature of the storm -- it has traveled about 3 mph, human walking speed, since Friday's landfall -- has fueled the rain and flooding. Houston's William P. Hobby Airport recorded more than a foot of rain Saturday and 11 inches of rain Sunday, the two wettest days recorded since 1930.

 Even when the rain is gone, dangers will persist, said National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini, because "the flooding will be very slow to recede."

 Finding a 'new normal'

 JUST WATCHED Reporter: We almost left, but heard your voice Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Reporter: We almost left, but heard your voice 05:28

 Citizens with boats assisted authorities in search and rescue efforts on Sunday, and at a Monday news conference, Long encouraged more citizens to come forward, saying the recovery efforts would require community involvement. He said the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website would direct folks to religious and nongovernmental agencies through which residents can help victims, who, so far, span 30 to 50 counties.

 "Donate your money. Figure out how you can get involved as we help Texas find a new normal." said Long, who was scheduled to arrive Monday in Corpus Christi.

 One citizen answering the call is Jim McIngvale, who owns furniture stores in Houston and Richmond. He opened his doors to evacuees on Sunday and provided 600 people a place to sleep.

 "We have tons of mattresses in our warehouse and we can provide them with a blanket," he told CNN. "We have a restaurant inside the stores, and we are and we are feeding them for free."

 Aaron Mitchell of Aransas Pass, appeared shell-shocked as he recounted riding out the storm in his mobile home, which he said "felt like 'The Wizard of Oz,' man." He had walked 12 miles to find his father in Rockport, to no avail.

 Though he has no intention of leaving the place he calls home, he second-guessed his decision not to evacuate, he said.

 "I just lost everything I worked for. Everything," he said. "I don't know. Maybe I should've left."

 (After his interview, Mitchell reached his father via telephone and, in tears, told him, "OK, Dad, I'm going to jump on a bus. I'll be there.")

 Houston resident Louise Walker also chose to brave Harvey's wrath, leaving her trapped in a neighbor's apartment.

 "Our bottom level is waist-deep in water," she said. "We have people who are living in these first-floor apartments, like I have. They have been breaking into empty second-level apartments just to have somewhere to go," she said.

 State, local and military rescue units have plucked thousands of stranded residents from the water and deluged homes. "None of us (is) going to give up," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said, reassuring residents.

 In Harris County, authorities asked stranded people to hang sheets or towels from their residences, so rescuers could spot them more easily.

 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

 The Pentagon is also identifying resources, including trucks, aircraft and troops, that can be dispatched for hurricane relief if the request comes, defense officials said, and Gov. Greg Abbott has activated the entire Texas National Guard, roughly 12,000 Guardsmen, he said Monday.

 Dam releases

 JUST WATCHED Harvey brings 'life-threatening' flooding Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Harvey brings 'life-threatening' flooding 02:22

 The US Army Corps of Engineers began releasing water from the Addicks and Barker dams in west Houston early Monday, said Jeff Linder, Harris County flood control district meteorologist.

 "The rationale is it is better to start with controlled releases using the outlet structures than to allow uncontrolled release to go over the edge of the dam. So we have more capability to control the downstream effects," said Edmond Russo with the US Army Corps of Engineers.

 In Conroe, an hour's drive north of Houston, record levels of water are also being released from Lake Conroe Dam. The city will be evacuating some neighborhoods as a result.

 Residents living along the Brazos River in Fort Bend County were ordered to evacuate after the National Weather Service predicted river levels of 56.1 feet, nearly 2 feet above the record during flooding last year.

 Tyler County, north of Beaumont, also issued a mandatory evacuation order for all "low-lying and flood-prone areas."

 A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for people in low lying flood prone areas of Tyler County. #TX36 pic.twitter.com/xUTuVjhRX6 — Brian Babin (@RepBrianBabin) August 28, 2017

 South of Houston, in Brazoria County, officials set up an evacuation route for at-risk residents, ordering them to "LEAVE NOW!" Those in need of shelter can take refuge in the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, officials said.

 The state of roads -- particularly interstates 10, 45 and 610 in Houston -- left many residents stranded. Much of that is due to flooding from the White Oak Bayou, which rose more than 20 feet in four hours Sunday.

 CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the Dallas mayor. He is Mike Rawlings.

 CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the Addicks and Barker dams are in Galveston. They are in west Houston.

 This story has been updated to clarify the number of confirmed and unconfirmed deaths attributed to the storm. ||||| 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) ||||| A family evacuates their Meyerland home in Houston, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. Rescuers answered hundreds of calls for help Sunday as floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey rose high enough to... (Associated Press)

 HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on Tropical Storm Harvey (all times local):

 4:25 a.m.

 Harvey continues to head back toward the Gulf of Mexico at a slow pace.

 The National Hurricane Center says in its 4 a.m. CDT update that the tropical storm which made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has lingered dropping heavy rain in the Houston area still has sustained winds of up to 40 mph (65 kmh) and is centered 20 miles east of Victoria, Texas, about 120 miles (193 km) southwest of Houston. It continues to creep to the southeast at 3 mph (6 kmh).

 That means it remains virtually stalled near the coast and continues to drop heavy rain on the Houston and Galveston areas. In the past 48 hours, numerous spots in the region have measured more than 25 inches of rainfall.

 The hurricane center says Harvey's center was expected to drift off the middle Texas coast on Monday and meander offshore through Tuesday before beginning "a slow northeastward motion." The center says those in the upper Texas coast and in southwestern Louisiana should continue to monitor Harvey's progress.

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 3:38 a.m.

 Houston officials continue to urge people to shelter in place and stay off flooded roadways as Harvey continues to batter the nation's fourth-largest city.

 Public Information Officer Keith Smith also says Sunday that rescue efforts continue and now are focused on those who feel trapped inside a home or building.

 Smith says the city's 911 emergency response system has been challenged by sharply increased call volumes since the tropical storm made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane. He says during a typical 24-hour period, the emergency response system receives about 8,000 calls. But during a 17-hour period following Harvey's landfall, more than 56,000 911 calls were received.

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 2:11 a.m.

 As the nation's fourth-largest city braced for more rain and rescues, officials started releasing even more water from reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey even though the move aimed at protecting downtown Houston could make already devastating flooding worse around thousands of homes.

 The strategic engineering move began early Monday. Harvey, which made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has lingered dropping heavy rain as a tropical storm, sent devastating floods pouring into Houston Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.

 Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District, says residents affected by the release should pack what's needed and leave when the sun comes up. ||||| Massive flooding caused by Tropical Storm Harvey along Texas' refinery-rich coast could have long-standing and far-reaching consequences for the state's oil and gas industry and the larger U.S. economy. The storm's remnants left much of Houston underwater on Sunday, and the National Weather Service says it's not over yet: Some parts of Houston and its suburbs could end up with as much as 50 inches (1.3 meters) of rain.

 With the heavy precipitation expected to last for days, it's still unclear how bad the damage will be, but there is already evidence of widespread losses. Key oil and gas facilities along the Texas Gulf Coast have temporarily shut down, and flooding in the Houston and Beaumont areas could seriously pinch gasoline supplies. Companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico have evacuated drilling platforms and rigs, crimping the flow of oil and gas.

 Experts believe gasoline prices could increase as much as 25 cents a gallon.

 Harvey's toll on air travel in the U.S. is set to extend into Monday, with the tracking service FlightAware.com reporting that more than 1,400 flights already have been canceled. That's in addition to more than 2,000 canceled over the weekend.

 Economy watchers were looking to oil futures markets Sunday night and stock trading in the U.S. Monday morning for further indications of fallout.

 Here's what was known as of Sunday night:

 REFINERIES

 Nearly a third of U.S. refining capacity sits in low-lying areas along the coast from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana. Beyond the shutdown of refineries at risk of a direct strike from high winds, there's the threat of flooding and potential power outages for gasoline supplies.

 Refinery outages continued to spread Sunday, with about 2.2 million barrels per day of refining capacity down or being brought down, according to analysts at S&P Global.

 Valero Energy Corp., whose two big Corpus Christi refineries escaped damage, said it was working with federal and Texas agencies and its business partners to determine what infrastructure was needed to resume refinery operations.

 Even before Harvey hit, the prospect of supply disruptions sent gasoline futures to $1.74 a gallon, their highest level since April, before they retreated to around $1.67 by Friday afternoon. At the pump, experts see gasoline increasing 10 cents to 25 cents a gallon.

 Given the strictures faced by the refineries, "This is the dominoes starting to fall," Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for Gas Buddy, said Sunday. "This is sort of slowly turning out to be the worst-case scenario."

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 OIL AND GAS

 Companies have evacuated workers from oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said Sunday that workers had been removed from 105 of the 737 manned platforms used to pump oil and gas from beneath the Gulf.

 The agency estimated that platforms accounting for about 22 percent of oil production and 26 percent of natural gas output in the Gulf had been shut down.

 "After the storm has passed, facilities will be inspected," the agency said in a news release. "Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back on line immediately. Facilities sustaining damage may take longer to bring back on line."

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 SHIPPING

 The shipping industry also is expected to be disrupted by the worst hurricane to hit the Texas coast in more than 50 years. Shipping terminals along the Texas coast shut down as the storm approached. Port operations in Corpus Christi and Galveston closed, and the port of Houston said container terminals and general cargo facilities closed around midday Friday.

 Rates increased for carrying freight between the Gulf and the U.S. East Coast.

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 TRAVEL

 More than 1,400 flight cancellations are reported for Monday, according to FlightAware.

 Houston's two airports were closed to all flights except those connected to relief efforts. Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport was not expected to reopen Monday until noon at the earliest. Houston International Airport was scheduled to remain closed until Wednesday morning.

 Airlines were offering customers the chance to reschedule trips that would take them to Houston, San Antonio or Austin from Friday through the weekend.

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 UTILITIES

 Researchers at Texas A&M University estimated that the storm would knock out power for at least 1.25 million people in Texas. They said the hardest-hit areas will include Corpus Christi, which is on the coast, and San Antonio, which is about 140 miles (225 kilometers) inland.

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 INSURANCE

 A firm that does forecasts for insurance companies expects wind-damage claims in the low billions of dollars, and possibly reaching as high as $6 billion.

 Risk Management Solutions Inc. said storm surges and inland flooding could be an even bigger source of losses. If the firm is correct, that would put homeowners and the government-backed National Flood Insurance Program at risk.

 The flood program is run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which owes the Treasury about $23 billion in funds borrowed to cover the cost of past disasters, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

 Homeowner policies offered by insurance companies typically don't cover flood damage, yet a relatively small percentage of homeowners have flood insurance through the federal program.

 Property data firm CoreLogic estimated that insured losses for home and commercial properties, as of Friday, would be $1 billion to $2 billion from wind and storm- surge damage. ||||| In downtown Houston the Buffalo Bayou resembled a raging river on Thursday night after days of rain from Hurricane Harvey.

 HOUSTON - While the water is receding in some parts of Harris County, that's not the case along the Buffalo Bayou. Underneath Interstate 45 in downtown Houston, it resembles a raging river.

 The bayou is above it's all-time peak of 61.2 feet and has hit 62.7 feet.

 Friday morning, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued voluntary evacuation orders for west Houston residents who already have water in their homes.

 Harris County Flood Control District says it will be like that for some time as water from the Addicks reservoir flushes into Buffalo Bayou. Officials estimate the situation could remain like this for up to two weeks as they drain Addicks.

 The water levels at the Addicks and Barker reservoirs have crested, meaning officials do not expect conditions there to worsen.

 The Army Corps of Engineers is still discharging water into the surrounding area, Harris County Flood Control District meteorologist Jeff Lindner said in a press conference on Thursday morning.

 RESOURCE: Evacuation list

 By Thursday evening, officials said Barker was 80 percent full and Addicks was about 100 percent full.

 Since both levels of the reservoir have peaked, Lindner expects no additional structure flooding. He also said conditions along the Buffalo Bayou are not expected to worsen, but they aren't expected to improve. The bayou held steady overnight, Lindner said.

 Lindner also addressed rumors regarding the dam at the reservoirs, stressing that there is no damage. He said the dam is operating exactly as designed.

 The watershed has accumulated 35 inches of rain since Harvey started. The Addicks reservoir continues to release 7,000 CFS while Barker sits at a rate of 6,300. Those discharge rates are expected to continue for the next few days, mostly affecting the Kingwood area.

 Lindner also elaborated on the mandatory evacuation that was established for residents within the Barker community overnight. Many residents were left confused and concerned if their homes would see more flooding.

 Officials say the mandatory evacuation was implemented to keep people from returning to their homes.

 Both reservoir outlet gates are open and releasing storm water into Buffalo Bayou. House flooding is occurring in adjacent neighborhoods, and roadways that run through the reservoirs are underwater.

 Some 3,000 homes near Addicks reservoir and 1,000 homes near Barker are inundated due to water release, Lindner said Wednesday morning.

 After an area of the levee eroded on Wednesday morning, officials enforced mandatory evacuations for residents in the Cyprus Creek/Inverness Forest subdivision. Officials said a breach is not likely, but possible.

 A portion of the levee eroded after water came over the top of the intake system. Several agencies worked on Wednesday to remedy the situation by bringing sand to the area.

 Addicks reservoir rose quicker than forecasted and threatened the storage capacity, Edmond Rosso with Army Corps Engineer explained. Barker's gates, on the other hand, were opened in a slower manner.

 While the rain has stopped from Harvey, water levels will continue to rise in neighborhoods near the Addicks and Barker reservoirs as water is released from both, Harris County Flood Control District meteorologist Jeff Lindner told KHOU Tuesday night.

 “We just don’t know exactly how this is going to play out because its never happened before," Lindner said.

 "There is a lot of complex hydrology taking place, there’s buildings, there’s neighborhoods, there’s retention basins. Underground, roadways, so we’re just going to have to see how it works. Once it gets down to Rumble Creek, it gets simpler, it goes into the creek, then into the (Buffalo) bayou.”

 Early Tuesday morning Addicks flowed over the spillway. Officials had started to release water from both reservoirs early Monday in an effort to prevent uncontrolled releases at the spillways. However, officials warned that there was potential for uncontrolled releases at the Addicks spillway once the pool level reaches 108 feet. That level is 104 feet for Barker. These releases will continue until Sept. 20.

 “That’s what happens when you have this amount of rain in this amount of time,” Lindner said.

 Lindner wanted to emphasize that there was not a breach in the dam on the north end of Addicks, as some people believe. "The integrity of the dams is in fine shape....there is no potential damage to the north end."

 Officials stated earlier in the week that the following subdivisions would be affected by the north end of Addicks:

 Twin lakes

 Eldridge Park

 Lakes on Eldrige

 Independence Farms

 Tanner Heights

 Heritage Business Park

 Neighborhood list at risk of flooding from Addicks and Barker was reviewed and DO NOT have changes. List posted at https://t.co/69UGYcDoRn pic.twitter.com/YHytLuy4ND — HCFCD (@hcfcd) August 29, 2017

 Residents adjacent to Addicks and Barker reservoirs are being asked to take the following precautions: .

 • Avoid driving, if possible, especially into water of unknown depth

 • Remain in your home unless advised to evacuate by local officials

 • Restrict children from playing in flooded areas

 • Secure valuables

 These are the neighborhoods that may be impacted by the water being released from the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs #khou11 pic.twitter.com/ClnNsJcFzq — Erika Ferrando THV11 (@ErikaFerrandoTV) August 28, 2017

 This was the first time officials did a release while it was still raining. Officials say they have dam safety experts monitoring the releases around the clock.

 RELATED:

 LIST: Harvey shelters around Houston area

 © 2018 KHOU-TV ||||| Heavy rains return Sunday night, force series of evacuations

 Heavy rainfall between 3 to 4 inches Sunday night forced regional authorities to issue a series of mandatory and voluntary evacuations, asking residents in impacted areas to leave overnight or early Monday morning.

 The lingering rains left by the remnants of Hurricane Harvey returned by 9 p.m. with portions of west and central Harris County experiencing unprecedented flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

 The threat of structural damage, a bridge collapsing and levees overflowing have officials worried that more residents will become trapped by the storm if they don't take action.

 DAM OPENED: Army Corps of Engineers has begun releasing water from Addicks

 The weather service issued a flash flood watch for the region late Sunday, lasting through

 Wednesday or possibly Thursday.

 The service noted that "epic and catastrophic flooding" that had occurred in and around the

 Houston and Galveston areas and surrounding communities could get worse as additional life-threatening rainfall totals of 15 to 25 inches with isolated higher amount were possible over the next several days.

 "If these amounts materialize, the results could be devastating, especially if any of these rains fall where catastrophic flooding has already occurred," according to the weather service.

 The first of several voluntary evacuations came Sunday afternoon when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressed concerns over the amount of water Addicks and Barker reservoirs were absorbing from Fort Bend and northern Harris County rivers and stream.

 HARVEY'S IMPACT: Evacuations, economic impacts, alerts

 After Hurricane Harvey - later downgraded to a tropical storm - hit Houston heavy rains caused the dams to swell and spill over into communities upstream.

 Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District, suggested that if residents decide to leave, they should do it by Monday morning. Thousands of homes could be at risk, he said.

 Hours later, weather officials expected Cypress Creek near Interstate 45 to top the levee by Monday morning, impacting nearly 200 homes.

 Harris County Flood Control officials issued a voluntary evacuation advisory for residents of the Inverness Forest subdivision for all streets north of Whitestone Lane, including East and West Greenbrook Drive and Kenchester drive.

 In Conroe, the San Jacinto Water Authority released record amounts of water from the Lake Conroe Dam, prompting the city of Conroe to call for immediate evacuations from McDade Estates and other neighborhoods affected by the release of the water just before 2 a.m. Monday.

 RESERVOIR RELEASE: Addicks and Barker to flow into Buffalo Bayou

 Spring Creek, running along north Harris and south Montgomery counties, was in major flood stage Sunday evening and was expected to crest late Monday, putting residents of more than two dozen neighborhoods in The Woodlands and Spring areas on either side of I-45 at risk.

 Montgomery County officials asked residents in flood-prone areas near the creek to consider safely evacuating Sunday afternoon.

 In Rosenberg, residents of homes on Huntington Road near the Brazos River were ordered to evacuate due to fears that the bridge leading out of the community would fail.

 Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert issued a mandatory evacuation order for low-lying parts of the county near the Brazos River that were affected by the Memorial Day floods in 2016. The order applies to about 50,000 people. Additional voluntary evacuations in the county for residents who could be stuck in their homes for multiple days could bring the total number of evacuees from Fort Bend to 130,000, or about 20 percent of the county's total population.

 To find out if you are in the evacuation zones, look here.

 This story is developing. |||||