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The White House has announced it will ask the Congress for emergency funding to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

President Donald Trump is expected to propose an initial $5.9 billion. Texas authorities say the state might need more than $125 billion.

At least 39 people have died in the storm and its aftermath. East of Houston, floodwaters are still rising.

Visiting Texas, VP Mike Pence promised federal help to “rebuild bigger and better than ever before”.

Mike Pence said 311,000 people had registered for disaster assistance. It is not yet clear how quickly funds might reach victims.

Visiting the battered town of Rockport, Mike Pence paid tribute to the people of Texas: “The resilience of the people of Texas has been inspiring.”

He added: “The American people are with you. We are here today, we will be here tomorrow and we will be here every day until this city and this state and this region rebuild bigger and better than ever before.”

Image source Flickr

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The White House also said President Trump would donate $1 million of his own money to the relief effort.

Firefighters in Houston have been carrying out door-to-door searches for survivors and bodies in an operation that could take up to two weeks.

Rescue operations are still continuing further east, where floodwaters are still rising.

Hundreds of thousands of residents who were evacuated or chose to leave are being warned not to return home until they are told it is safe to do so.

Earlier, a senior White House aide said about 100,000 homes, not all of which were fully insured, had been affected by the storm and the flooding that accompanied it.

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said its teams had rescued more than 3,800 people, and more than 90,000 had already been approved for disaster assistance.

FEMA also warned that residents were being targeted by scams. There are reports of criminals impersonating inspectors and immigration officials.

Others were receiving fraudulent calls about flood insurance claiming a premium must be paid or coverage would be lost.

Energy suppliers in southern Texas were forced to shut down refineries and close off pipelines, sending petrol prices higher across the US. Many have restarted operations, but it could take weeks before production is back to normal.

Residents returning to their homes are also facing challenges.

The Environmental Protection Agency is warning residents that floodwater can contain bacteria and other contaminants from overflowing sewers. It said the biggest threat to public health was access to safe drinking water.

One chemical plant in Crosby, near Houston, caught fire on August 31, and more fires are expected in the coming days.

Chemicals stored at the flooded Arkema plant are no longer being refrigerated, making them combustible.

Residents have been evacuated from the plant in a 1.5 mile radius, and smoke was seen rising from the site on August 31.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are expected to return to Texas on September 2.

The president visited Texas earlier in the week but limited his visit to Corpus Christi, which avoided the worst of the flooding, over fears his presence could divert resources from rescue efforts.

Storm Harvey has been downgraded to a tropical depression and is expected to dissipate in Ohio on Saturday evening.

Several inches of rainfall are expected in Tennessee and Kentucky over the next two days, and flood warnings remain in effect in parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, and Louisiana.

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Tropical Storm Harvey has made landfall again in Louisiana after hovering in the Gulf of Mexico.

Low-lying New Orleans, devastated by 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, is bracing to receive up to 10in of rain in 36 hours, with flash floods a major risk.

Harvey, which earlier achieved hurricane status, has dumped record rainfall in the region.

Large parts of Houston are underwater, and more than 20 people are reported dead.

Thousands of people there have fled their homes in search of emergency shelter amid severe flooding.

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Image source Department of Defense

Houston, America’s fourth most populous city, has implemented a night-time curfew to prevent looting from abandoned homes as authorities and volunteers battle to rescue stranded people and provide shelter for those made homeless by the rising waters.

The curfew runs from 00:00-05:00 local time for an indefinite period. Relief volunteers, first responders, and those going to and from work are exempt.

According to the National Weather Service, the rainfall in Texas set a new record for the continental US. A rain gauge in Cedar Bayou recorded nearly 52in of rain since August 25.

President Donald Trump visited Texas on August 29 to survey the damage brought by Harvey.

He arrived in Corpus Christi, where Hurricane Harvey first made landfall last week, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump.

President Trump said he wanted the relief effort to stand as an example of how to respond to a storm.

“We want to do it better than ever before.

“This storm, it’s epic what happened. But you know what, it happened in Texas and Texas can handle anything.”

President Trump will not be visiting Houston.

According to the White House, the president did not want his visit to disrupt the emergency response.

President Trump has declared a federal state of emergency in both Texas and Louisiana. The move releases emergency government funding and other assistance.

Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years when it made landfall at Corpus Christi, 220 miles south-west of Houston. The storm is expected to continue dumping huge amounts of rain in the coming days over already flood-hit areas.

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According to officials, Houston is in the grip of the biggest storm in the history of the state of Texas.

A record 30in of rain has fallen on the city in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, turning roads into rivers.

The area is expected to have received a year’s rainfall within a week. Five people are reported dead. Helicopters have plucked victims from rooftops.

With rescue services overstretched as the rain continues, many people are having to fend for themselves.

Image source Flickr

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Harvey made landfall as a category-four hurricane on August 25. It was later downgraded to a tropical storm.

Up to 2,000 people have been rescued in and around Houston, the fourth-largest city in the US, where about 6.6 million people live in the metropolitan area.

An inundated care home in Dickinson, about 30 miles south east of Houston, has now been evacuated by helicopter after an image of several elderly women sitting in a lounge in waist-deep water went viral on social media.

The US National Weather Service (NWS) says conditions are “unprecedented”. A “flash flood emergency” is in force across the Houston area, with travel near impossible.

Thousands of homes are without electricity. Many schools are closed – as are the two main airports, with runways completely flooded.