I am a real idiot to do this: Tropical storm Harvey: number of confirmed deaths rises to 23. + V/CLIP

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

A woman’s body was discovered as Harvey’s floodwaters started dropping, while Texas says more than 48,700 homes have been affected

The latest

Tropical storm Harvey is expected to be downgraded to a tropical depression late Wednesday or early Thursday, but the heavy rains, flooding and rescue efforts have continued.
The total confirmed death toll has increased to 23, with ongoing reports of people drowning and swept away by floods across the region.
Harvey has spawned at least one tornado in Mississippi, damaging homes and toppling trees.
More than 48,700 homes have been affected by flooding and other damage in Texas, and one analysis suggests $24bn worth of property has been impacted.
Texas senator Ted Cruz and New Jersey governor Chris Christie publicly feuded on Wednesday over disaster funding.
Republicans in the House are considering cutting almost $1bn from disaster accounts to help finance Donald Trump’s proposed Mexico border wall.
Texas’ governor said the area affected by Harvey is greater than Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy and that the federal funding should be “well in excess” of those disasters.
The US government has issued emergency waivers allowing more than a dozen states to ignore certain clean-air requirements for gasoline to ensure a proper fuel supply.
A chemical plant near Houston might explode, and the CEO has said there’s nothing the manufacturer can do to prevent it.
There have already been 210,000 registrations to Fema for individual assistance, and $37m has been approved.