“This is going to be a massive, massive clean-up process,” he told the ABC News programme Good Morning America.

President Donald Trump is to propose an initial $5.9bn (£4.56bn) for recovery efforts, but the Texas authorities say the state might need more than $125bn.

More than 40 people have died in the storm and its aftermath.

Recovery efforts in Houston are under way as the water recedes but search-and-rescue teams continued their work in the nearby city of Beaumont, Mr Abbott said on Friday.

Officials in Beaumont, a city of about 120,000 people near the Louisiana border, said Harvey’s flooding has cut off their drinking water supply.

Brad Penisson, a captain with the Beaumont fire and rescue department, said on Friday the city was setting up water distribution stations to ensure residents had clean drinking water.

Harvey made initial landfall as a Category 4 Hurricane in Texas last Friday, and has since dumped an estimated 20 trillion gallons of rain on the Houston area. It was later downgraded to a tropical storm but continued to batter Texas with rain.

An estimated 93,942 homes in Texas have been damaged or destroyed in the wake of Harvey, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. About 80% of Texans do not have flood insurance to cover the wreckage.

The storm has displaced thousands and about 32,000 people remain in shelters across the state, Mr Abbott said.

Visiting Texas, Vice-President Mike Pence on Thursday promised federal help to “rebuild bigger and better than ever before”.

The BBC’s Barbara Plett Usher in Houston says Congress is expected to act quickly on the request for initial funding when it reconvenes next week after its August recess.

But, she adds, that will be only the first tranche of money needed for the recovery.

Trump donation

Mr 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, Mr Pence paid tribute to the people of Texas: “The resilience of the people of Texas has been inspiring.”

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

Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, have also pledged to donate $36m to launch a Rebuild Texas Fund with the aim of raising more than $100m for recovery efforts.

The couple, both Texas natives, said on Friday they plan to donate $18m immediately to launch the fund through their eponymous foundation.

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.

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.

Officials in Harris County, where Houston is located, estimate 30,000 to 40,000 homes have been destroyed in area alone.

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.

“We need an army of Fema agents on the ground,” Mayor Sylvester Turner told CNN on Friday.

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.

Thousands of homes remain without power.

One chemical plant in Crosby, near Houston, caught fire on Thursday, 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 (2.5km) radius, and smoke was seen rising from the site on Thursday.

President Trump and his wife Melania are expected to return to Texas on Saturday.

The president visited the flood-hit state 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 over 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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Source: BBC

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Mr Abbott said the cities of Houston and Corpus Christi had already received as much as 20in (50cm) of rain.

He said another 40in of rain could be due before the storm subsides midweek.

Rescue efforts are being hampered by strong winds and thousands are without power. Two deaths have been confirmed, in the Rockport area and Houston.

Houston, the fourth biggest city in the US, could see 2in-3in (5cm-7.5cm) of a rain an hour on Saturday night, Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

About 4,500 inmates from prisons south of Houston are being evacuated to other prisons in east Texas because the Brazos River nearby is rising significantly, officials say.

Harvey began as a major category four hurricane – the first to make landfall in the US in 12 years – before it was downgraded to a tropical storm later on Saturday.

Mr Abbott warned of the “potential for very dramatic flooding” from the storm while expanding a declaration of emergency in the state from 30 counties to 50.

He has mobilised 1,800 military personnel to help with rescue and repair operations.

Forecasts say that up to 40in (1m) of rain could fall in some areas of the middle and upper Texas coast, the hurricane center (NHC) warned. Such precipitation could trigger flooding in low-lying areas and near water outlets and rivers.

The National Weather Service cautioned that the storm was so severe that many areas could be uninhabitable for months.

The storm has now mostly moved inland, officials say, with several places already reported to have received well over 10in of rain.

But coastal areas will also be flooded by storm surges during high tide, the NHC said.

Meteorologist Wendy Wong told the Houston Chronicle that at least seven tornadoes stemming from the hurricane had struck the Houston area between Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

The tornadoes destroyed buildings and homes and are likely to continue throughout Sunday and Monday.

Earlier, Harvey made a double landfall: north-east of the city of Corpus Christi initially late on Friday local time, then just north of Rockport a few hours later.

When the storm struck close to Corpus Christi it had winds of up to 130mph (215km/h), but by 18:00 GMT its sustained winds had dropped to 70mph – therefore becoming a tropical storm.

It was moving at an extremely low speed – 2mph.

The port of Corpus Christi – which closed on Thursday in preparation for the storm – only received “minor damage”. Its navigation channel is due to reopen after a survey is completed by engineers.

Texas City also expects to open its port within 48 hours.

Utility companies say nearly 300,000 customers have been without electricity.

President Donald Trump has freed up federal aid for the worst-affected areas and Governor Abbott praised the administration for “stepping up”.

In a teleconference with cabinet members Mr Trump “emphasised his expectations that all departments and agencies stay fully engaged and positioned to support his number one priority of saving lives”, the White House said.

At least 18 people have been rescued from vessels in distress by Coast Guard helicopters. ABC News has tweeted a video of four people being rescued off the coast of Port Aransas.

Rockport, normally home to about 10,000 people, appears to have been the hardest hit town.
Travis Pettis, a reporter with the Caller Times newspaper in Corpus Christi, told the BBC that strong winds when the storm arrived made the rain feel like “needles”.

Trees came down in the city and power supplies were cut, but thousands of residents had heeded warnings and boarded up their homes before fleeing.

Port Aransas, a city on Mustang Island, near Corpus Christi, is also reported to have extensive damage. Local media reports say a search and rescue operation is under way at a trailer park.

Harvey is the first major storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. It is forecast to meander across south-east Texas until Wednesday.

Mr Trump is likely to visit Texas early next week, the White House said.

The storm is the strongest to hit the US since Charley in August 2004 and the most powerful to hit Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961, which killed 34 people, according to the Houston Chronicle.
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Source: BBC

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The storm, which has even stronger gusts, is the most powerful to hit the US mainland for 12 years.

Up to 40in (1m) of rain is expected to fall.

President Donald Trump has signed a disaster proclamation for the state, which will free up federal aid for the worst-affected areas.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has warned of record flooding in multiple regions.

Harvey made landfall around 22:00 local time (03:00 GMT) as a Category 4 storm, and has already brought down trees and cut power in the city of Corpus Christi. Thousands of residents have boarded up their homes and fled.

About three hours after it struck, the storm was downgraded to Category 3 after winds dropped slightly to 125mph (201km/h). It remains life-threatening, and capable of causing major damage to buildings.

The mayor of coastal Rockport, Patrick Rios, urged the few remaining people in the 10,000-strong town to leave immediately.

The city manager said people were trapped in a housing centre for elderly people, where the roof had collapsed and rescue teams were unable to gain access, according to CBS.

Long queues of traffic have been heading out of the storm’s path.

Governor Abbot said it was obvious Texas was confronting a “very major disaster”, and more than 1,000 National Guardsmen were to help with the disaster relief operation.

High winds began lashing the coast at nightfall on Friday as coastal water levels rose at the same time.

Harvey is the first major storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and has severely hampered Gulf of Mexico oil production and air travel.

Storm surges of up to 12ft (4m) are expected over the next few days and the National Hurricane Center warned of life-threatening floods in and around Houston.

Forecasters say the storm’s path is uncertain but it is expected over the next few hours to be near or just inland of the middle of the Texas coast.

Mr Trump is likely to visit Texas early next week, the White House said.

The storm is likely be the strongest storm to hit the US since October 2005, when Hurricane Wilma struck the coast of Florida.

Wilma left 87 people dead and was part of a record-breaking hurricane season that included Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and killed nearly 2,000 people in August of that year.

The last category four storm to hit the US was Charley in August 2004.

While Harvey is packing strong and potentially devastating winds, the biggest threats to Texas are rainfall and the storm surge.

Meteorologists say Harvey could remain in the area, dumping rain until the middle of next week.

Oil-rich Houston, the fourth biggest city in the US, could face up to 20in of rain over the coming days.
On top of that, the central Texas coast is likely to see a significant storm surge – this happens when low pressure at sea “lifts” tides to a level higher than normal, and high winds then blow the water inland.

The NHC said it expected “catastrophic flooding” across the coast and in some inland areas throughout south-east Texas.

Parts of Texas are already seeing a storm surge 2.5ft above normal.

About 45% of US oil refining takes place on the Gulf of Mexico coast, and Corpus Christi is an important port for the industry.

Crude oil production has slowed down by about 20% to prepare for the storm, and fears Harvey could lead to a shortfall in fuel have helped drive up prices.

Long queues of cars have been spotted leaving central Texas and the British band Coldplay cancelled a Friday night concert in Houston.

At least 20,000 passengers on three cruise ships have been unable to disembark in Galveston, Texas, cruise operator Carnival Corp said.

The Houston Chronicle reported they, and the passengers on one other ship, might need to stay out at sea until the middle of next week.

Meanwhile, Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi has flown at least 10 babies from its neonatal intensive care unit to hospitals further inland, due to fear of power failures.

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Source: BBC

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Roy Oliver opened fire on the vehicle, killing Jordan Edwards, 15, with a single bullet in the head on Saturday.

Police initially said the car reversed “aggressively” towards the officer, but then admitted that was not the case.

The police use of lethal force against African Americans has been a subject of fierce protest and debate for years.
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for Mr Oliver’s arrest on Friday.

In a statement, the office said there was evidence to suggest Mr Oliver “intended to cause serious bodily injury and commit an act clearly dangerous to human life that caused the death of an individual”.

The tragedy unfolded after police responded to reports of underage drinking at a house party in Balch Springs, a Dallas suburb.

Officers were inside the home trying to find the owner when they heard what they believed to be gunshots, and people began to flee from the house in panic.

Edwards was with his two brothers and two other friends in a car that left the party at this time.

Mr Oliver opened fire with a rifle, shooting Edwards as he sat in the front passenger seat.
The police officer was fired by the department earlier in the week.

A vigil was held for Edwards on Thursday night.

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Source: BBC

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