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Death toll in the deadly Hurricane Harvey and the flooding caused by the disaster in the United States has risen to 47. Authorities said search operation for survivors is going on in full swing.
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) said its teams had rescued more than 3,800 people, and more than 90,000 had already been approved for disaster assistance. According to Department of Homeland Security, about 779,000 Texans have been told to leave their homes and another 980,000 fled voluntarily amid dangers of new flooding from swollen rivers and reservoirs.
Accoreding to reports one chemical plant in Crosby, near Houston, caught fire yesterday, and more fires are expected in the coming days. Mayor of the city of Houston said the city is slowly recovering with fewer people in shelters and more bus lines resuming. The White House said it will ask the US Congress for emergency funding to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
President Donald Trump is said to have pledged one million dollars of his own money to the relief effort. Meanwhile, storm Harvey has been downgraded to a tropical depression and is expected to dissipate in Ohio by tomorrow evening. Several inches of rainfall are expected in Tennessee and Kentucky over the next two days, and flood warnings remain in effect in parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, and Louisiana.
Hurricane Harvey hit the US southern state of Texas on last Friday as a category four storm, affecting mainly the southeastern part of the state, including Houston, in addition to the southwestern part of the state of Louisiana.
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Flooding remained severe in eastern Texas and western Louisiana, but the storm is starting to lose its tropical characteristics as it moves toward the Ohio Valley, according to the National Weather Service.
• Anxiety about another hurricane is growing as Irma builds strength on the open Atlantic. Forecasters warned that it was still far too early to know whether its path would lead it toward the United States.
• The electricity provider Entergy said about 61,000 customers were without power in eastern Texas on Friday morning, down from a peak of 84,000. About 9,500 customers in western Louisiana were also without electricity.
• There were about 136,000 flooded structures just in Harris County, the state’s most populous, the county Flood Control District estimated on Thursday night.
• Nationally, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline continues to hit new highs for the year, reaching $2.52 on Friday morning, up from $2.45 on Thursday, according to the AAA motor club.
• About 42,000 people were housed overnight at Red Cross and partner shelters in Texas, Suzy DeFrancis, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross told CNN Friday, an increase since the day before. She said that the organization would probably be in an emergency relief mode until at least Thanksgiving.