Trump headed to Texas as Houston struggles with record rainfall

HOUSTON: U.S. President Donald Trump headed to Texas on Tuesday to survey the response to devastating Tropical Storm Harvey, the first major natural disaster of his White House tenure, as officials in Houston struggled to manage the record-breaking rains.

The slow-moving storm has brought catastrophic flooding to Texas, killed at least nine people, led to mass evacuations and paralyzed Houston, the fourth most-populous U.S. city. Some 30,000 people were expected to seek emergency shelter as the flooding entered its fourth day.

Officials in Harris County, where Houston is located, said reservoirs built to handle drainage water were beginning to overflow on Tuesday. They urged residents to evacuate as they released water to alleviate pressure on two dams, a move that would add to flooding along the Buffalo Bayou waterway that runs through the area.

Officials in Brazoria County, south of Houston, also called for immediate evacuations around a levee Columbia Lakes that had been breached by Harvey’s floodwaters.

Some 3,500 people already have been rescued from high waters in the Houston area with police, firefighters and National Guard troops continuing to try to locate those marooned in high waters.

“Yesterday the focus was on rescue. Today it will continue to be on rescue,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters.

The storm broke Texas rainfall records at one measuring site south of Houston, which recorded 49.32 inches (1.25 m) of precipitation since the storm’s start. The rainfall is more than the region typically sees in a year and exceeds 48 inches (1.22 m) recorded in 1978.

Multiple looters had been arrested overnight, police said.

Harvey has roiled energy markets and wrought damage estimated to be in the billions of dollars, with rebuilding likely to last beyond Trump’s four-year term in office.