Storm Harvey: Houston battles 'unprecedented' floods

The US city of Houston is in the grip of the biggest storm in the history of the state of Texas, meteorologists say.More than 30in of rain (75cm) of rain has fallen on parts of the city this weekend, turning main roads into rivers and making it impossible to move around other than by boat.The city is expected to be deluged by a year's rainfall within this week.With rescue services overstretched as the rain continues, many people are having to fend for themselves.Hundreds of roads have been closed across the city, hospitals have been evacuated and thousands of people are without electricity.There has been a new round of school closures and all commercial flight operations from the city's two main airports have been stopped until further notice, with runways completely flooded.Up to 2,000 people have been rescued from floods in and around Houston, as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to batter Texas with heavy rains. Helicopters are being used to pluck people from rooftops.There are reports of possible deaths in submerged vehicles, but investigations continue, Chief Darryl Coleman of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said.Texas Governor Greg Abbott told the media he could not confirm reports of several storm-related deaths.The National Weather Service (NWS) says conditions are "unprecedented".It said there was a "flash flood emergency" across the Houston Metro area, with travel near impossible.Many shelters have been opened, including in a convention centre.The Houston Chronicle has published a photo of an unidentified man in Houston trying to catch a fish as he wades through floodwaters in his living room.One woman posted a picture online of two alligators in her back yard, while other photos show people water skiing near the centre of the city.Like Houston, the island city of Galveston was also hit by "epic catastrophic flooding" overnight, the NWS added.An inundated care home in Dickinson, Galveston County, is reported to have been evacuated by helicopter after an image of several elderly women sitting in a lounge in waist-deep water went viral on social media.Is the storm going to get worse?The creeks and waterways that criss-cross the Houston area have steadily been getting fuller since Tropical Storm Harvey first hit the area on Friday.Many areas are flooded or face flooding throughout the next week, the National Weather Service's Advanced Hydrology Prediction Service says.Forecasters predict "catastrophic and life-threatening flooding", especially in large parts of south-eastern Texas.There is little sign of any major improvement in the weather over the next seven days, forecasters say.