Trump Heads to Hurricane-Hit Texas to Survey Storm Response

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(HOUSTON) — U.S. President Donald Trump planned to visit Texas on Tuesday to survey the response to devastating Tropical Storm Harvey, the first major natural disaster of his White House tenure.

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.

It had also roiled energy markets and caused damage estimated to be in the billions of dollars, with rebuilding likely to last beyond Trump’s current four-year term in office.

“My administration is coordinating closely with state and local authorities in Texas and Louisiana to save lives, and we thank our first responders and all of those involved in their efforts,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.

Trump was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday morning in Corpus Christi, near where Harvey came ashore on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years. The president will later go to the Texas capital Austin to meet state officials, receive briefings and tour the emergency operation center, the White House said.

Forecasters could only draw on a few comparisons to the storm, recalling Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and killed 1,800 people in 2005.

The administration of then-President George W. Bush faced accusations that his response was slow and inadequate – criticism that dealt a serious blow to his presidency.

Flood damage in Texas from Hurricane Harvey may equal that from Katrina, one of the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, an insurance research group said on Sunday.

In Texas, thousands of National Guard troops, police officers, rescue workers and civilians raced in helicopters, boats and high-water trucks to rescue the thousands stranded in the flooding, which turned streets into rivers and caused chest-high water build-ups in scores of neighborhoods.

In Cypress, Texas, Kayla Harvey, 26, was monitoring Facebook, finding where people were stuck and organizing friends with boats to go out and help. “This is just what we do for our community. We don’t wait for someone to come and help we just go out and do it,” she said.

The last Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Texas since Harvey was Carla in 1961. It packed winds and rains that destroyed about 1,900 homes and nearly 1,000 businesses, the National Weather Service said.

A Look at the Devastating Destruction Caused by Hurricane Harvey

Samaritans help push a boat with evacuees to high ground during a rain storm caused by Tropical Storm Harvey along Tidwell Road in east Houston
Samaritans help push a boat with evacuees to high ground during a rain storm caused by Tropical Storm Harvey along Tidwell Road in east Houston, on Aug. 28, 2017. Adrees Latif—Reuters
Rescue boats fill a flooded street as flood victims are evacuated floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise, Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston.
Rescue boats fill a flooded street as flood victims are evacuated floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise, Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston.David J. Phillip—AP
APTOPIX Harvey
Alexendre Jorge evacuates Ethan Colman, 4, from a neighborhood inundated by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, on Aug. 28, 2017.Charlie Riedel—AP
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston. Joe Raedle—Getty Images
People wait to be rescued from their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
People wait to be rescued from their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.Joe Raedle—Getty Images
Rescue workers and civilians wait for emergency crews in Houston, Aug. 27, 2017.
Rescue workers and civilians wait for emergency crews in Houston, Aug. 27, 2017.Alyssa Schukar—The New York Times
Residents with a dog sit in the back of a truck while waiting to be rescued from rising floodwaters due to Hurricane Harvey in Spring, Texas, on Aug. 28, 2017.
Residents with a dog sit in the back of a truck while waiting to be rescued from rising floodwaters due to Hurricane Harvey in Spring, Texas, on Aug. 28, 2017.Luke Sharrett—Bloomberg/Getty Images
People wait to be rescued from their flooded homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
People wait to be rescued from their flooded homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Joe Raedle—Getty Images
A person waves to rescuers as he walks through a flooded street after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
A person waves to rescuers as he walks through a flooded street after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.Joe Raedle—Getty Images
Rescuers help a man and children from flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
Rescuers help a man and children from flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston. Joe Raedle—Getty Images
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.Joe Raedle—Getty Images
Evacuees from areas of the city flooded by Hurricane Harvey arrive in the back of city dump trucks at a red cross shelter set up at a convention center on Aug. 27.
Evacuees from areas of the city flooded by Hurricane Harvey arrive in the back of city dump trucks at a red cross shelter set up at a convention center on Aug. 27.Michael Stravato—Polaris
A stalled car gets a push amid heavy rain on a section of Interstate 610 in Houston, Aug. 27, 2017.
A stalled car gets a push amid heavy rain on a section of Interstate 610 in Houston, Aug. 27, 2017.Alyssa Schukar—The New York Time
Evacuees wade down a flooded section of Interstate 610 as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
Evacuees wade down a flooded section of Interstate 610 as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.David J. Phillip—AP
A truck driver walks while checking the depth of an underpass during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
A truck driver walks while checking the depth of an underpass during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images
A woman looks out from a door at a shelter in the George R. Brown Convention Center during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
A woman looks out from a door at a shelter in the George R. Brown Convention Center during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston. Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images
Flooded downtown is seen from JP Morgan Chase Tower after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Texas Gulf coast with rain causing widespread flooding, in Houston
Flooded downtown is seen from JP Morgan Chase Tower after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Texas Gulf coast with rain causing widespread flooding, in Houston, Texas, U.S. August 27, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media. Christian Tycksen—Reuters
Wilford Martinez, Richard Wagner
Wilford Martinez, bottom, grabs the median as he is rescued from his flooded car along Interstate 610 in floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston. David J. Phillip—AP
Harvey
A child makes his way through floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey while checking on neighbors at his apartment complex in Houston, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. The remnants of Hurricane Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground. (AP Photo/LM Otero)LM Otero—AP
Waters rush from a large sinkhole on Highway FM 762 in Rosenberg, Texas, near Houston, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017.
Waters rush from a large sinkhole on Highway FM 762 in Rosenberg, Texas, near Houston, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017.John Mone—AP
People wait in a city dump truck on an I-610 overpass for evacuation during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Aug. 27, 2017 in Houston.
People wait in a city dump truck on an I-610 overpass for evacuation during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Aug. 27, 2017 in Houston.Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOT-US-WEATHER-STORM-HARVEY
Evacuation residents from the Meyerland wait on an I-610 overpass for further help during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Aug. 27, 2017 in Houston.Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX Harvey
After helping the driver of the submerged truck get to safety, a man floats on the freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017, near downtown Houston.Charlie Riedel—AP
Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, on Aug. 27, 2017.
Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, on Aug. 27, 2017. David J. Phillip—AP
Neighbors used their personal boats to rescue Jane Rhodes in Friendswood, Texas, on Aug. 27, 2017.
Neighbors used their personal boats to rescue Jane Rhodes in Friendswood, Texas, on Aug. 27, 2017. Steve Gonzales—AP
Hurricane Harvey Slams Into Texas Gulf Coast
Donna Raney makes her way out of the wreckage of her home as Daisy Graham tells her she will help her out of the window after Hurricane Harvey destroyed the apartment in Rockport, Texas, on Aug. 26, 2017. Joe Raedle—Getty Images
Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas, Aug. 26, 2017.
Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas, Aug. 26, 2017.Adrees Latif—Reuters

Runways Turned into Lakes

Among the most recent fatalities from Harvey was a family of two adults and four children who were believed to have drowned after the van they were in was swept away by floodwaters in Houston, authorities said on Monday.

A man drowned on Monday night trying to swim across flooded Houston-area roads, the Houston Chronicle reported the Montgomery County Constable’s Office as saying.

Since coming ashore, Harvey has virtually stalled along the Texas coast, picking up warm water from the Gulf of Mexico and dumping torrential rain from San Antonio to Louisiana.

The Houston metro area has suffered some of the worst precipitation with certain areas expected to receive more than 50 inches (127 cm) of rain in a week, more than it typically receives for a year.

Harvey is expected to produce another 10 to 20 inches of rain through Thursday over parts of the upper Texas coast into southwestern Louisiana, the National Weather Service said.

“These stationary bands of tropical rain are very hard to time, very hard to place and are very unpredictable,” said Alek Krautmann, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Louisiana.

Schools and office buildings were closed throughout the Houston metropolitan area, where 6.8 million people live.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency director, Brock Long, estimated that 30,000 people would eventually be housed temporarily in shelters.

Houston and Dallas have set up shelters in convention centers and Austin was preparing to house as many as 7,000 evacuees.

Hundreds of Houston-area roads were blocked by high water. The city’s two main airports were shut as the floods turned runways into ponds and more than a quarter million customers were without power as of Tuesday morning.

The Gulf of Mexico is home to half of U.S. refining capacity. The reduction in supply led gasoline futures to hit their highest level in two years this week as Harvey knocked out about 13 percent of total U.S. refining capacity, based on company reports and Reuters estimates.

The floods could destroy as much as $20 billion in insured property, making the storm one of the costliest in history for U.S. insurers, Wall Street analysts say.

The Brazos River, one of the longest in the country, was forecast to crest at record highs well above flood levels on Tuesday about 30 miles (49 km) southwest of Houston, prompting authorities in Fort Bend County to order the evacuation of about 50,000 people.

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