Kim launch earns fresh demands
relief effort to stand as an example of how to respond to a storm.
“This was of epic proportion. Nobody’s ever seen anything like this,” Trump said as he met with state and federal officials for a briefing at a fire station. The president said he was pleased with the response so far, but it was too soon to take a victory lap.
“We won’t say congratulations. We don’t want to do that ... we’ll congratulate each other when it’s all finished,” he said.
Harvey has drawn comparisons with Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans 12 years ago, kill- ing 1800 people and causing an estimated $136 billion in damage.
Former President George W. Bush was widely criticised for his administration’s handling of the response to that disaster, taking a heavy toll on public support of his administration, and Trump clearly was aiming to avoid a similar reaction.
Damage from Harvey could cost Houston up to $63 billion in lost economic activity and property damage combined.
Among the 12 confirmed fatalities was a family of six and Houston Police Sergeant Steve Perez, a 34-year veteran of the force who drowned while attempting to drive to work on Sunday.
US Coast Guard air units and boats have rescued more than 4000 people. The water line is higher than the roofs of some houses, leaving them completely submerged, said Commander Jim Spitler, commanding officer of Coast Guard Air Station Houston.
The National Hurricane Center said 131.78cm of rain has fallen in Texas due to Harvey, a record for any storm in the continental United States. THE United Nations has condemned North Korea’s “outrageous” firing of a ballistic missile over Japan, demanding Pyongyang halt its weapons program, but holding back on any threat of new sanctions.
North Korea said the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile was to counter US and South Korean military drills and was a first step in military action in the Pacific to “contain” the US territory of Guam.
Kim Jong-un ordered the launch to be conducted for the first time from its capital, Pyongyang, and said more exercises with the Pacific as the target were needed, the North’s KCNA news agency said yesterday.
“The current ballistic rocket launching drill like a real war is the first step of the military operation of the Korean People’s Army in the Pacific and a meaningful prelude to containing Guam,” KCNA quoted Mr Kim as saying.
Earlier this month, North Korea threatened to fire missiles into the sea near Guam, home to a major US military presence, after President Donald Trump said the North would face “fire and fury” if it threatened the US.
In a statement the 15-member Security Council said it was of “vital importance” North Korea take immediate, concrete actions to reduce tensions and called on all states to implement UN sanctions.
However, the US-drafted statement does not threaten new sanctions on North Korea.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed called the provocations an “outrage” in a phone call between the leaders yesterday.