Hurricane Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm Saturday afternoon, but slower winds have not meant safety for drenched and battered eastern Texas. Harvey is moving inland in the Houston area, bringing with it torrential rains and catastrophic flooding.
At least two people, a woman and child caught inside a submerged vehicle, have died in connection to the storm, and a report from Houston of a body sighted in a flash flood suggested a third fatality. "This is a life-threatening situation," said Michael Palmer, the Weather Channel's lead meteorologist, predicting this will "be one of the worst floods in U.S. history."
Houston's emergency services are struggling to handle a deluge of requests. "911 services at capacity," the city tweeted early Sunday. "If u can shelter in place do so, a few inches in your home is not imminent danger. Only call if in imminent danger." All flights out of Houston's airport have been canceled and all bus and rail services suspended.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Rain is expected to continue through Thursday. See scenes from the destruction in Texas below. Bonnie Kristian
-
Gold tops $4K per ounce, signaling financial uneaseSpeed Read Investors are worried about President Donald Trump’s trade war
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-offSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
October 8 editorial cartoonsCartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include evidence* of what causes autism, Donald Trump's enemy within and a CBS sacrifice
-
Renewables top coal as Trump seeks reversalSpeed Read For the first time, renewable energy sources generated more power than coal, said a new report
-
China vows first emissions cut, sidelining USSpeed Read The US, the world’s No. 2 emitter, did not attend the New York summit
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquakespeed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across PacificSpeed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resignsSpeed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodgeSpeed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floodsSpeed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star programspeed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
