Flood rescuers continue searches as officials struggle to rehouse thousands in shelters
RESCUERS ARE searching waterlogged neighbourhoods in Houston, Texas, as officials turn their attention to finding temporary housing for those in shelters after Hurricane Harvey.
Authorities raised the death toll from the storm to 39 late on Thursday, and the latest statewide damage surveys revealed the staggering extent of the destruction.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said more than 37,000 homes were heavily damaged and nearly 7,000 were destroyed, with tens of thousands more with minor damage.
About 325,000 people have already sought emergency aid.
More than $57m (£44m) has already been paid out, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials said.
Harris County FEMA director Tom Fargione said the agency was looking for ways to house people who lost their homes to Harvey, with 32,000 people reported in shelters across Texas.
Some evacuees have begun returning to their homes – the George R Brown Convention Centre, where 10,000 people initially took shelter, housed 8,000 evacuees late on Thursday.
The priority is to get those who are not able to return to their homes into temporary housing.
“Right now, nothing is off the table. This is a tremendous disaster in terms of size and scope.”
Fire chief Sam Pena said his department had responded to nearly 16,000 calls since the storm hit on Saturday, more than 7,600 of them for water rescues.
Elsewhere, the loss of power at a flood-crippled chemical plant set off explosions and a fire, and the city of Beaumont lost its public water supply.
The blasts at the Arkema plant north-east of Houston also ignited a 30ft to 40ft flame and sent up a plume of acrid black smoke.
Harvey was still expected to dump heavy rain on parts of Louisiana, Tennessee and Kentucky yesterday.