HOUSTON (AP) — Texas cities are getting some help to stay functioning as they focus on reconstruction after Harvey, with federal loans from the Federal Emergency Management Agency helping keep operations intact.
It’s an early step in a massive cleanup effort that’s starting now with people leaving shelters, figuring out what to do next.
A look at what’s happening:
HARVEY’S LEGACY
Hurricane Harvey started with raging winds. But its legacywill be all about water.
The storm dumped almost a year’s worth of rainfall on Houston, leaving misery that will linger and cost tens of billions of dollars.
Some 7,000 homes have already been destroyed in Texas. More than 37,000 homes have been heavily damaged and it’s too soon to know how many are salvageable. But Houston officials say some will be submerged in water for up to a month.
SHELTERS
Just because evacuees are leaving Houston’s emergency shelters doesn’t mean they’re going somewhere better.
Some have returned to public housing complexes inundated with sewage and mud. More than 50,000 are in government-paid hotels, some far away from homes and schools. Others moved in with relatives.
FEMA officials also are weighing other options should the need arise, such as mobile homes.
DEATHS
Harvey is now blamed for at least 60 deaths confirmed in 11 Texas counties.
Of the counties confirming fatalities, Harris County, which is home to Houston and saw the worst flooding during the storm, still has the highest death toll with 30 confirmed Harvey-related deaths as of about 5 p.m. Monday.
BORDER FUNDS
Harvey has complicated the U.S. government’s plan to build a border wall in Texas, creating separation from Mexico.
All the government needed was Congress to approve the money. Now, the Trump administration must grapple with the demand to rebuild after the storm , which will require billions of dollars to start.
The White House wanted $1.6 billion for 74 miles (119 kilometers) of initial wall, including 60 miles (97 kilometers) in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley.
“FORMATION” FOR FUNDS
Happy birthday, Beyonce, let’s raise some relief funds. Love, Michelle Obama, Serena Williams and a few more famous friends.
Friends of the superstar singer from Houston marked her 36th birthday Monday by sporting one of her fiercest looks, donning black-brimmed hats and ornate necklaces like the ones worn by Beyonce in her “Formation” music video.
Above the 18 pictures posted on Beyonce’s website was a message and link asking fans to support relief efforts.
The pics included one of her daughter Blue Ivy Carter and others with her Destiny’s Child groupmates Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland.
Hurricane Irma
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Irma strengthened into a dangerous Category 5 storm Tuesday as it roared toward the northeast Caribbean on a path that could take it to the United States.
This Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Irma nearing the eastern Caribbean. Hurricane Irma grew into a powerful Category 4 storm Monday. (NOAA via AP)
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma had sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph) and was centered about 270 miles (440 kilometers) east of Antigua. It was moving west at 14 mph (22 kph).
The center said there was a growing possibility that the storm’s effects could be felt in Florida later this week and over the weekend, though it was still too early to be sure of its future track: “Everyone in hurricane-prone areas should ensure that they have their hurricane plan in place.”
Irma’s center was expected to move near or over the northern Leeward Islands late Tuesday and early Wednesday, the hurricane center said. The eye was then expected to pass about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Puerto Rico late Wednesday.
Authorities warned that the storm could dump up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain, cause landslides and flash floods and generate waves of up to 23 feet (7 meters). Government officials began evacuations and urged people to finalize all preparations as shelves emptied out across islands including Puerto Rico.
“The decisions that we make in the next couple of hours can make the difference between life and death,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. “This is an extremely dangerous storm.”
Residents on the U.S. East Coast were urged to monitor the storm’s progress in case it should turn northward toward Florida, Georgia or the Carolinas.
“This hurricane has the potential to be a major event for the East Coast. It also has the potential to significantly strain FEMA and other governmental resources occurring so quickly on the heels of (Hurricane) Harvey,” Evan Myers, chief operating officer of AccuWeather, said in a statement.
In the Caribbean, hurricane warnings were issued for 12 island groups, including the British Virgin Islands, where the governor urged people to evacuate the tiny island of Anegada if they could ahead of the storm.
People in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico braced for blackouts after the director of the island’s power company predicted that storm damage could leave some areas without electricity for four to six months. But “some areas will have power (back) in less than a week,” Ricardo Ramos told radio station Notiuno 630 AM.
The utility’s infrastructure has deteriorated greatly during a decade-long recession, and Puerto Ricans experienced an island-wide outage last year.
Both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands expected 4 inches to 8 inches (10-20 centimeters) of rain and winds of 40-50 mph with gusts of up to 60 mph.
“This is not an opportunity to go outside and try to have fun with a hurricane,” U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp warned. “It’s not time to get on a surfboard.”
A hurricane warning was posted for Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten and St. Barts, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin islands. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Guadeloupe and Dominica.
Meanwhile in Florida, residents took advantage of the Labor Day holiday to empty many store shelves of drinking water and other supplies in advance of the storm. Also Monday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for the state’s 67 counties to give local governments “ample time, resources and flexibility” to prepare.
