More than 40 people have died as a result of Hurricane Harvey, which could cost the US more than $100 billion. The US President will return to the disaster-struck region today.
Image: Reuters/A. Latif
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US President Donald Trump on Friday requested $7.85 billion (€6.62 billion) from Congress in federal disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
More than 40 people are confirmed dead and more than 1 million people were evacuated due to the storm, which wrecked havoc on parts of Texas over the past week.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said his state may need more than $125 billion to recover from the storm. The Trump administration said it would request money in stages and that the first amount was for response and initial recovery efforts.
Helping after Hurricane Harvey: Celebrities join storm relief efforts
Actors, singers, athletes and the US president have donated millions of their dollars to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Several countries have also pledged aid - despite political tensions with Washington.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Gay
Houston football star J.J. Watt - over $12 million in relief fund
Watt, a defensive end for the Houston Texans football team, raised over $12 million in a matter of days through online donations from celebrities and ordinary people alike. The NFL star has said the money will go directly to the people of Houston and that several trucks filled with water and supplies have already been shipped out thanks to the donations.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress
Beyonce directs fans to local charities
Born and raised in Houston, superstar Beyonce was quick to mobilize her dedicated fan base to help her home city. On her website, she urged fans to donate to two local Houston charities working on the ground and sent a team from her philanthropic foundation BeyGOOD to help with recovery efforts. The singer is keeping her personal donations secret for now.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Gay
US President Donald Trump - $1 million
Former reality television star and current US President Donald Trump pledged to personally donate $1 million to help those hit hardest by the storm in Texas and Louisiana. The White House did not say if the money would come directly from Trump or from his foundation - but they asked reporters for suggestions on how to spend the money.
Image: Reuters/C. Barria
Sandra Bullock - $1 million
The Oscar-winning actress announced on Tuesday that she donated $1 million to the American Red Cross. "There are no politics in eight feet of water. There are human beings in eight feet of water," Bullock told People Magazine.
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation matched Bullock's pledge, giving a million to the newly established United Way Harvey Recovery Fund. The non-profit said it would distribute 100 percent of the donations it receives to relief and rebuilding efforts which are expected to take several years.
Image: Getty Images/J. Philips
Ellen DeGeneres - $25,000
The comedian and TV personality personally donated tens of thousands of dollars to the American Red Cross and the SPCA Texas which is providing disaster relief for pets and their owners. DeGeneres took her relief efforts a step further though, teaming up with retail chain Wal-Mart to immediately donate $1 million to J.J. Watt's donation drive.
Image: Getty Images/K. Winter
Miley Cyrus - $500,000
Cyrus went on Ellen DeGeneres' show this week to announce she was donating a total of $500,000 to several charities including the American Red Cross and the Greater Houston Community Fund. Fighting back tears, the young singer told the audience: "I am really happy to help in any way I can. And I hope people understand and can put themselves in those people’s shoes."
Image: Getty Images/K. Winter
The Kardashian family - $500,000
Kim Kardashian West along with her sisters Khloe and Kourtney donated half a million dollars to the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. The reality television stars took to social media to implore their massive online followers to pitch in as well.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Invision/O. Vega
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson - $25,000
After US comedian Kevin Hart called on his fellow celebrities to help those hit by massive flooding in Houston, Johnson took up the challenge and donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross. The wrestling and movie star has since routinely urged his social media followers to do the same.
Image: imago/UPI Photo
Mexico and Canada pledge aid
Celebrities aren't the only ones helping Harvey victims, US neighbors Canada and Mexico have also reached out. Both Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered disaster aid in phone conversations with Trump - despite tense NAFTA renegotiations. "We are neighbors, we are friends and that's what friends do," Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said.
Image: Judi Bottoni/AP Photo/picture alliance
Venezuela - $5 million
One of the largest offers of aid came from Venezuela - despite recent US sanctions and remarks from Trump that a "military option" in the country hasn't been ruled out. "We will always stand by the American people," said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza. He announced $5 million in aid which will come from Citgo, the US arm of the country's state-run oil company.
Abbot said 440,000 Texans have already applied for federal financial disaster assistance, of which $79 million has been approved.
In Houston, rescue crews were still going door-to-door, as Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities were now focusing on recovery efforts.
"There are still many rescues in the region, but with regards to the city of Houston, we are starting to move into the recovery phase with the number of rescues being dramatically down," Turner said at a briefing.
4 trillion liters
Nearly 4 trillion liters (1 trillion gallons) of water fell on Harris County, home to Houston, and 136,000 buildings were flooded by the Category 4 hurricane, according to local flood control authorities. About 70 percent of the county was covered by half a meter (20 inches) of water.
Turner called for new voluntary evacuations from Houston's flooded west side, ahead of attempts by the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent dam and levee failures by releasing water.
Houston before and after Tropical Storm Harvey
Houston's interstate highways and major streets are flooded after Tropical Storm Harvey stalled over Southeast Texas. Before and after pictures show the scale of the destruction and flooding.
Downtown Houston before...
Houston's skyline and Interstate 45 before the heavy rains brought by Tropical Storm Harvey.
Image: picture-alliance/robertharding
...and after
On this picture, interstate 45 is submerged from the effects of the storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) warned the storm would have a major long-term impact.
Image: Reuters/R. Carson
Valley Rock Drive before...
Quiet Valley Rock Drive before the storm.
Image: Google 2017
...and after
A man waves down a rescue crew as he tries to leave the area after it was inundated. FEMA director Brock Long: "The recovery from this disaster is going to be years."
Image: Getty Images/J.Raedle
Theatre District with Bayou Place before...
Theaters, cinemas, Bayou Place and the Aquarium are located in Houston's "Theatre District" in downtown.
Image: Google 2017
...and after
As this picture suggests, buzzing nightlife won't be seen here for quite some time.
Image: Getty Images/T.B. Shea
Tidwell Road before...
Tidwell Road in northeast Houston before....
Image: Google 2017
...and after
Rescue boats evacuate the street as floodwaters rise. South of the city, an evacuation order has been issued after a levee was breached.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/D.J.Philips
Interstate 69 in Humble, Texas before...
Two weeks ago, President Donald Trump rolled back an order by his predecessor that would have made it easier for storm-ravaged communities to use federal emergency aid to rebuild bridges, roads and other construction so they can better withstand future disasters.
Image: Google Streetview 2017
...and after
Interstate 69 is covered by floodwaters from Harvey. Trump's decision is now being questioned, especially with a view to future incidents, as the Texas Gulf Coast and much of Houston under water in the wake of Harvey.
Image: picture.alliance/AP Photo/D. J. Philip
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The storm fouled the municipal water supply of 120,000 people in the town of Beaumont, 125 kilometers (78 miles) east of Houston, leading to a queue more than 1 kilometer long for bottled water.
Fires broke out at a flooded chemical factory in Crosby, 30 kilometers northeast of Houston, after two trailers of highly unstable compounds ignited.
The White House said Trump would return to the region on Saturday to visit victims in Houston and Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Trump visited the Gulf region on Tuesday but avoided the disaster region to not hamper rescue efforts, instead meeting with state and local leaders, as well as first responders.
Gasoline prices rose 17 cents to a two-year high in the wake of the storm, which shut down about a quarter of the country's refinery capacity.
