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The latest
- The number of confirmed deaths related to Harvey reached 35 on Thursday, and the figure is expected to increase.
- President Donald Trump pledged to donate $1m to relief efforts.
- Harvey has been downgraded from a category 4 hurricane to a tropical depression and has moved over Louisiana and Mississippi.
- There were fires and explosions at a chemical plant near Houston early Thursday, leading to a federal investigation.
- High levels of E coli were found in floodwaters, and there are growing concerns about other storm-related health hazards.
- Vice president Mike Pence visited Texas on Thursday and faced questions about his controversial position on relief funding as a member of the House during Hurricane Katrina.
- The US transportation secretary announced $100m to rebuild Texas infrastructure.
- The National Weather Service has forecasted flooding in Kentucky and Tennessee.
- Downtown Houston is showing signs of recovery.
- Houston emergency officials said the number of calls for service is diminishing.
- An official estimated that 100,000 homes have been affected or damaged by Harvey.
Houston update: calls for service diminishing
Houston city officials have provided an update on the response to tropical storm Harvey, noting that the calls for service are declining. Houston fire chief Samuel Peña said the city has received 16,000 calls for service throughout the storm, but 800 calls today since midnight – 22 of which were water rescues.
“They are steadily diminishing,” he said. Peña also warned about potential wildlife, including snakes and rodents, winding up in damaged properties: “Be very cautious. It is a hazardous environment.”
A Houston police official said that over the last day, there have been 69 arrests, eight of which were for looting. He said that was lower than the typical rate of burglary or looting on an average day. He also said there have been 30 missing people reports since the storm began, and 19 remain pending.
Here’s footage earlier of Houston officials surveying damage by helicopter:
Mayor @sylvesterturner Chief @artacevedo & HFD Chief Pena board HPD helicopter to survey Houston https://t.co/IWwpkG7GUC
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) August 31, 2017
Federal law enforcement officials and Texas and Louisiana leaders have formed a working group to investigate and prosecute illegal activity related to Hurricane Harvey, the Associated Press reports. Authorities said they are bringing together roughly a dozen agencies into a single group to address Harvey-related scams.
Houston-based acting US attorney Abe Martinez said storm victims already have suffered devastation and “the last thing that victims of the damage need is to be victimized again”.
Some tips on how to avoid scams:
Tips from the Federal Trade Commission and other sources on how to avoid scam charities https://t.co/wsAxXV6ifR
— NPR (@NPR) August 31, 2017
Mike Pence dodges funding question
Vice president Mike Pence just dodged a question at a press conference about whether he believes the federal funding for Harvey should be offset by cuts elsewhere.
Critics have pointed out that as a House member in 2005, Pence argued that the government should provide aid to Hurricane Katrina victims only if the budget was cut in other areas, a controversial stance that has put him and some Texas Republicans in an awkward position this week.
As a House member in 2005, VP Pence wanted offsets for Katrina aid. Here's what he said today in Texas about paying for Harvey aid: pic.twitter.com/GDYZ3HvF35
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) August 31, 2017
Pressed on the question of offsets at the news conference, he said: “President Trump’s top priority now is focusing on rescue and recovery efforts.” He later added: “The resources will be there ... I’m very confident that members of both political parties will work with our administration to rebuild Texas.”
$100m announced for Texas infrastructure
US transportation secretary Elaine Chao has just announced $100 million in financial support for Texas infrastructure at an ongoing press conference:
Transportation Sec. Elaine Chao announces $100 million in financial support for Texas infrastructure after Harvey https://t.co/vpsOy0aFAG
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 31, 2017
Elaine Duke of the Department of Homeland Security said at the news conference that the government has rescued more than 10,000 people from the state and has approved 100,000 requests of individual assistance, totaling $50m.
It has become increasingly difficult in parts of Texas for people to fill fuel tanks, according to the Associated Press, which is reporting on a steep increase in pump costs and stations across the region out of gas:
In Dallas, lines of cars a block long were common for the few gas stations that had gasoline to sell Thursday. The scene was reminiscent of the gas lines seen during the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s.
One Chevron station in downtown Dallas that sold regular gas for $2.29 a gallon just before the storm was charging $2.99 on Thursday. Others charged well over $3, and one downtown Shell station charged $3.97 for a regular gallon of gas. At three gas stations in north Dallas, yellow bags or caution tape was wrapped around pumps just after noon.
The US Department of Energy on Thursday also released 1 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and the White House has said more could flow due to Harvey inundating Gulf Coast refineries and driving up fuel prices, according to Reuters.
The US Chemical Safety Board has launched an investigation into the explosions at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Texas. Chairperson Vanessa Allan Sutherland said in a Facebook post that the board has begun a probe that will include significant document requests related to the chemical processes and storage at the site as well as “implications for emergency preparedness and response efforts”.
The board will not be deploying its staff until the facility is deemed safe, Sutherland added.
President Trump earlier this year proposed eliminating the chemical safety board, drawing strong criticisms, including from Christine Todd Whitman, the former head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, who said, “If you want to put the American people in danger this is the way to do it.”
Don't forget—Trump wants to eliminate the Chemical Safety Board, federal agency that investigates chemical accidents https://t.co/k0CLuLAGmh https://t.co/h5hs3pUnse
— Steven Greenhouse (@greenhousenyt) August 31, 2017
High levels of E coli found in water
Sam Levin here, taking over our ongoing live coverage of tropical storm Harvey, which now has a confirmed death toll of 31 people, a number expected to rise.
The AP is now reporting on a Texas A&M University analysis of Houston floodwater samples, showing E coli levels that are 125 times higher than is considered safe for swimming. Walking through the floodwater could lead to infections and other problems, said Terry Gentry, an associate professor in the university’s department of soil and crop sciences.
A test in a suburb northwest of Houston showed bacteria levels 15 times above the safe level, according to the AP. Here’s an ABC News segment with more detail:
The Environmental Protection Agency and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have also just released a statement noting that there can be “releases of wastewater from sanitary sewers occur during major flood events”, adding:
Floodwaters may contain many hazards, including bacteria and other disease agents. Precautions should be taken by anyone involved in cleanup activities or any others who may be exposed to flood waters. These precautions include heeding all warnings from local and state authorities regarding boil water notices, swimming advisories, or other safety advisories.
Updated
Harris County, which has seen the majority of deaths from Harvey so far, says its morgue is close to capacity because of storm-related bodies and deaths that are not related to the flooding.
Tricia Bentley, spokeswoman for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said Thursday that funeral homes have been unable to retrieve the bodies in the aftermath of the storm and it has asked for a large refrigerated 18-wheeler to store more of them.
The county has confirmed 18 storm-related deaths and is investigating 10 more as potentially Harvey-related.
Bentley says the morgue has about 175 bodies total most of them not related to the storm and it has a capacity of 200. The agency has requested approval from the state for the tractor-trailer and expects to receive it Friday.
So far, the death toll from Harvey is at least 30.
Via the Associated Press
Updated
The National Weather Service is forecasting flooding in Kentucky and Tennessee as Tropical Depression Harvey travels inland.
Forecasters say the storm is expected to drop 2 to 6 in (5 to 15.2 cm) of rain in Kentucky, with the highest totals expected in western Kentucky near the Tennessee border.
Moderate to locally heavy rains have already pushed into southern Ky. Heaviest stuff from Harvey still to our southwest. #kywx pic.twitter.com/OZXT87vKnb
— Chris Bailey (@Kentuckyweather) August 31, 2017
The heaviest rainfall for a wide swath of the state is expected to start late Thursday and last through Friday afternoon. Forecasters say high winds from the storm could also produce tornadoes.
Some locations in Tennessee could get more than 10 in (25.4 cm), though most will get 4 inches to 8 inches (10.1 to 20.3 cm). The say high winds from the storm could also produce tornadoes. The weather service issued a flood warning for areas along several rivers in West Tennessee while a flood watch included the whole region and stretched into Middle Tennessee.
Via the Associated Press
Updated
Trump to donate $1m
White House Press Secritary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that Donald Trump plans to donate $1m of his own money to relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana.
Surprisingly, given the administration’s antipathy for the news media, Huckabee Sanders asks reporters for their help, on behalf of Trump, in choosing a charity to give that money to, “since you are very good at research and have been doing a lot of reporting into the organizations that are best and most effective in providing aid and he’d love some suggestions.”
Updated
Homeland Security on undocumented immigrants
Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert spoke to press from Washington DC, and here are some of the highlights from his update.
- About 100,000 homes have been damaged by floodwater so far by Harvey.
- About 7,000 hospital patients will likely by moved to less compromised facilities in the coming days.
- Cautioned that often a second wave of lost life comes in this phase after a disaster. “people will start using chainsaws, people will remove debris, people will be stressed... tend to get sick,” Bossert said. “Try to avoid strain and stress, try to get where there’s food clothes and shelter.”
- Did not say whether or not the US would be accepting aid offered by Canada or Mexico.
- Said a supplemental disaster relief request would be put together by the White House shortly for congress to vote on.
- On undocumented immigrants: “In terms of immediate lifesaving, no [individuals] should worry about their immigration status unless they’ve committed a crime,” adding that undocumented immigrants in Houston area that have broken the law will be “rounded up” by law enforcement regardless of the ongoing humanitarian disaster.
"Anyone trying to take advantage of a disaster victim, expect law enforcement to come down on them with a hammer," WH's Tom Bossert says. pic.twitter.com/5wYfXe1T1o
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 31, 2017
Updated
Houston School District Superintendent Richard Carranza tells CNN the district’s first day of school will be September 11.
It had originally been scheduled for September 5, but Carranza said there would not have been enough available facilities or employees to start by that date.
Yowza: @JJWatt's Houston fundraiser - which began with 200k goal - just passed $10 million. I spoke to JJ for @WSJ: https://t.co/i9Eqi44Iu1
— Jason (@jasongay) August 31, 2017
It’s crazy...It’s an unbelievable testament to the good of people. But now it’s a big task, trying to make sure this money goes directly to the people.”
-JJ Watt
While Harvey may be raining itself out as it continues to push north and east across the US, it’s potential to inflict serious damage persists.
There is rotation in most of these storms and we continue to closely watch for tornado potential as remnants of Harvey move into north MS.
— NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) August 31, 2017
Only round one?
Tropical storm Irma will likely strengthen into a Hurricane today and is en route for the Caribbean. Some of the forecast models for the storm have it heading right back into the gulf and the ravaged Texas and Louisiana coastlines.
#Irma is forecast to become a hurricane later today but remain over the tropical Atlantic through Tuesday: https://t.co/qVKxi93JYh pic.twitter.com/hBCD4Nnc30
— NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) August 31, 2017
“As we reach the midpoint of the hurricane season and with Hurricane Irma intensifying over the eastern tropical Atlantic, this is a good time for all of us to make some ‘halftime adjustments’. Find out your evacuation zone and plan your evacuation route today, go shopping now to restock supplies, and do everything you can to strengthen your home.
Hurricane Irma is expected to become a major hurricane and threatens to affect portions of the Caribbean next week, and then we cannot rule out eventual impacts in the continental U.S. This is the reality of what we contend with during the peak of the season, one that has been forecast to be very active and with three more months to go.
-Dr. Rick Knabb Hurricane Expert with The Weather Channel
Vice president visits Texas
Vice President Mike Pence is in Rockport, Texas survey damage sustained during Harvey.
.@POTUS' team @SecretaryAcosta, @SecElaineChao, @SecretaryPerry, @SecShulkin & Acting DHS Sec. Duke discussing #Harvey response on way to TX pic.twitter.com/NGTM1oTgLx
— Vice President Pence (@VP) August 31, 2017
Our Adam Gabbatt has more on the hypocrisy some see in his response to the disaster:
‘What you’re going to see is the national government – and we anticipate the Congress – are going to make the resources available to see Texas through the rescue operation, through the recovery,’ Pence told Houston’s KTRH radio station.
It was a fairly standard statement from a politician during a crisis. But in 2005, when the House was weighing a $50bn relief package for Hurricane Katrina, then-congressman Pence was less effusive.
‘As we tend to the wounded, as we begin to rebuild, let us also do what every other American family would do in like circumstances and expects this Congress to do,’ Pence told the House.
‘Let’s figure out how we’re going to pay for it. Congress must ensure that a catastrophe of nature does not become a catastrophe of debt for our children and grandchildren.”’
Updated
The Washington Post is reporting that “amid the many feel-good stories about strangers helping strangers in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, a feel-bad story has almost inevitably surfaced: Scammers are using robo-calls to try to fleece storm survivors.”
The robo-calls tell people that their premiums are past due and that they must send money immediately or else have their flood insurance canceled.
“That is pure fraud. You should only be taking information from trusted sources,” said Roy E. Wright, director of the National Flood Insurance Program at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Every natural disaster attracts unscrupulous contractors and outright con artists. They’re like disaster parasites, looking to exploit the pain and confusion of a catastrophe for their own profit.
“They’re storm chasers. We know they’re here. We’re know they’re coming. Scammers,” said Saundra Brown, who handles disaster response for Lone Star Legal Aid in Houston.
Congress to vote on relief aid
The Associated Press is reporting that Congress is gearing up for a vote as early as next week on a multibillion-dollar down payment on relief aid for Harvey.
White House and congressional aides said Thursday an emergency request to replenish rapidly shrinking aid reserves is coming from the Trump administration within days and that votes in both the House and Senate would quickly follow.
Members of the Texas and Louisiana delegation are pressing for immediate action when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill next week from their summer recess, and they have pledges from top GOP leaders such as Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., that the House will quickly respond. McCarthy told lawmakers from Texas and Louisiana on a conference call late Wednesday that “we are with you.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is spending existing disaster aid reserves just $2.3 billion as of Wednesday at a high rate.
“The president has made very clear that he is here to help and has made very clear he will do what is needed whether it is to implore Congress next week to come up with the funding for those who are affected,” White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”
One concern, however, is that the government’s cash reserves are running low since the nation’s debt limit has been reached and the Treasury Department is using accounting measures to cover expenses. Billions of dollars in Harvey aid are an unexpected cost that at least raises the potential that Congress will have to act earlier than expected to increase the government’s borrowing authority.
The initial aid money would be a down payment for immediate recovery efforts to be followed by larger packages later on. It will take weeks or months to assess the full extent of the damage and the needs.
Updated
EPA director Scott Pruitt issued a statement this morning about the ongoing situation at the Arkema chemical plant is Crosby.
EPA has emergency response personnel on the scene and the Agency is currently reviewing data received from an aircraft that surveyed the scene early this morning. This information indicates that there are no concentrations of concern for toxic materials reported at this time.
“We will consider using any authority we have to further address the situation to protect human health and the environment.”
Lines are beginning to form outside stores in Beaumont where both the primary and backup water supply sources have now gone down.
The city of Beaumont — which is home to roughly 120,000 people — has lost its water supply. https://t.co/cJHe9OzzxP pic.twitter.com/INPOyhQLEl
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) August 31, 2017
With the stench from stagnant waters hanging over parts of the city the Houston health department urged residents to take precautions to minimise contamination and disease. “Practice good hygiene such as hand washing after any contact with #Harvey floodwaters,” it tweeted. “Do not eat any food that came in contact with #Harvey floodwaters. When in doubt, throw it out.”
Regular trash collection was due to resume on Thursday but the the Houston Chronicle warned readers that the public health threat was just beginning.
“From the bacteria, viruses, and fungi harbored in floodwaters to new breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes to a potentially staggering mental health toll inflicted on those hardest hit by Harvey, the risks are expected to be great,” it said, citing public health experts.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city remained calm. “No city curfew citations or arrests for a second night in a row. Thank you Houston for your understanding and cooperation,” he tweeted.
Overnight police rescued 18 people from floodwaters, he said. “Crisis ebbing but far from over.”
Updated
Rory Carroll has been inside the Houston convention centre talking to folks stranded by Harvey. Here’s some of what he’s heard:
Enrique Martinez, 29, office administrator
“Our house and car got flood, no power or water, so we came here on Monday. The first night only my grandmother had a cot, the rest of us slept on the floor.
“She needs dialysis so we’re leaving today for my uncle’s house. It’ll be easier to get her medical treatment from there.”
Aaron Reynolds, 30, entrepreneur
“This shelter is fucked up. There were people having sex two cots down from me. Bed bugs. And fleas from people’s dogs. I got bit all over.
“And you can’t go out at night. It’s like prison. I’m moving to a hotel today.”
Dimon Brody, 22, student and leasing consultant
“I’ve been volunteering at the information desk, giving people maps, telling them where to go, what’s happening. It’s been challenging.
“Last night a man had a seizure. We put him in the recovery position until paramedics arrived. Overall it’s been enjoyable. I like giving back to people in need.”
Charlene Hamilton, 58, retired nurse
“When I woke on Sunday the water was up to my chest. I’ve got arthritis but I was able to get out the living room window with some help. I’m blessed to be alive.
“Everyone here is helpful and nice, they’re wonderful. I’ve no flood insurance but as long as I keep focusing on the Lord I know I can make it through this. I lost stuff but stuff can be replaced. I still have my life.”
Read more:
Our Rory Carroll reports that, in part of Harvey-battered Houston, dry land, normalcy and hope are finally coming back in view:
“It’s dry as far as you can see,” said Liz Spencer, 64, an artist, who viewed a panorama from a skyscraper’s 45th floor. She was now out walking with her nine-year-old granddaughter Ivy and had just scooped up some litter. “This feels like the start of getting back to a normal state of affairs.”
The mayor, Sylvester Turner, struck a similar tone at a news conference, calling for the city to return to routine as swiftly as possible. Airports were due to reopen with limited service later on Wednesday and schools will reopen on 5 September, he said. “Let’s play ball, let’s keep moving.”
It was a marked contrast to the mayhem Harvey’s second landfall was unleashing on Port Arthur a hundred miles east and to the widespread devastation in outlying areas of Houston, where aerial footage showed entire communities still submerged.
Grim news will continue to unfold as waters recede, revealing more bodies – the official death toll stood at 23 – and the scale of damage. Some analysts estimate it will exceed $100bn.
Yet downtown Houston, which this week celebrates its 181st birthday, was already showing the first, halting steps towards recovery, or at least normality.
Texas chemical plant officials expect eight more explosions
Good morning. Jamiles Lartey here with our continuing coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. We’re leading off with the situation at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Texas.
Early on Thursday morning a trailer containing liquid organic peroxide compounds caught fire, sending thick plumes of acrid black smoke into the air and forcing 14 sheriff’s deputies who responded to hospital with smoke inhalation injuries. All but two had been released as of Thursday morning.
In a press conference around 8.30am local time an Arkema executive said that given the condition of the plant, the company fully expected the remaining eight trailers to experience similar combustion events. The compounds require cooling to remain stable and Arkema has seen four levels of cooling redundancy go down due to floodwater according to a spokesman.
“We believe that the safest thing to do is to allow the other eight containers to degrade and burn,” said Rich Rennard, an Arkema executive. “These things can burn very quickly and very violently and it would not be unusual for them to explode.”
In the press conference, Harris County law enforcement officials explained that they were enforcing a 1.5 mile evacuation zone around the plant, going door to door and asking residents to leave.
There was confusion during the press conference as local law enforcement and the Arkema executive offered different take on exactly what kind of public health impact the compromised organic peroxides might have. Harris County sheriff Ed Gonzalez and fire marshal Bob Royall initially indicated that the smoke and any related fumes were non-toxic and would be no more or less dangerous to inhale than that from a BBQ pit or a campfire.
Pressed on the same question, Rennard refused to agree with that assessment.
“I heard the comment,” Rennard said. “I don’t want to make any comparison on the kind of smoke that’s coming from our fire. The smoke is noxious. Toxicity is relative thing.”
Updated
