Harvey: Fears grow over severe flooding risk

Rockport was one of the areas hardest-hit by the storm

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has warned that severe flooding is his main worry as the rains from Tropical Storm Harvey continue to lash the state. 

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.

Rockport has not been destroyed by the storm but it is in bad shape

Rescue efforts are being hampered by strong winds and thousands are without power. A single death has so far been confirmed in the town of Rockport.

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.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has warned that flooding in the state is not going to disappear overnight

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.