© AP
The "storm of the decade" wrought havoc last night with 130mph winds, 40 inches of rain and catastrophic floods.
Initially a Category 4 hurricane, it is the strongest to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005 where 64 people died and £24billion worth of damage was caused.
But as the intensity of the winds petered out this afternoon, officials have warned that the coming days will see intense rainfall that could see large swathes of Texas submerged.
The National Hurricane Center has said that "catastrophic flooding" over the next few days is expected - after nine inches of rain was deposited since last night alone.
In another bizarre and terrifying warning, authorities have warned of alligators roaming residential areas.
The killer reptiles are being lifted and moved by rushing flood waters from their natural habitats and being dumped on streets.
Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office tweeted images of crocs approaching homes and walking down busy roads, and warned: "Expect them to be displaced. Simply looking for higher ground. Leave alone until water recedes".
Craig "Cajun" Uggen, 57, nearly floods his truck as Hurricane Harvey comes ashore in Corpus Christi, Texas.
White House officials said that Trump is considering visiting Texas early next week to survey the damage caused by the storm - which was Category 4 as it struck the mainland.
A high school in Rockport has been destroyed, dozens of trees uprooted and makeshift hospitals have been set up to treat the wounded and displaced.
The president wished Texans "good luck" as he flew off to his country retreat Camp David - as millions prepare for the tropical cyclone with 40 inches of rain and catastrophic flooding.
"Good luck to everybody," the president said on the way to the Marine One helicopter. "They're going to be safe. Good luck to everybody. Good luck."
Tweeting as soon as he arrived at Camp David, Trump reassured the American public that he was monitoring the hurricane situation. He wrote: "I am closely watching the path and doings of Hurricane Harvey, as it strengthens to a Category 3. BE SAFE!"
Hurricane Harvey, the first major natural disaster since Trump took office, is thought to be the biggest hurricane to hit the US mainland in more than a decade.
The storm, downgraded to a Category 3 this morning and to a Category 1 later, is expected to move further across Texas today bringing more rain and intense winds.
Trump plans to visit Texas early next week, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
He will spend the weekend in Camp David, though White House officials said the president will be in full communication with the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to stay updated on the events.
Waves pound the shore in Corpus Christi, Texas.
© APPeople are panic buying supplies as they prepare for the huge storm to hit.
It was described as a "life-threatening storm" that poses a "grave risk" as millions of people braced for a prolonged battering that could swamp dozens of counties more than 100 miles inland.
Pictures have been posted online of people grappling over food and water supplies as they stock up ahead of the storm.
People reported having to wait in long lines and drive miles to find shops with any groceries left.
One person tweeted: "I had to drive almost 30 minutes to find a store that has water... This Houston hurricane is no joke man."
Another said: "Bread is gone. Gas is gone. Water is gone. If you don't have it already, you need to befriend your neighbors."
Seven counties in Texas ordered thousands of people to evacuated from low-lying areas.
Anyone who stayed behind were warned there would be no guaranteed rescue.
The last Category 4 storm to hit the US was Hurricane Wilma in October 2005 in Florida.
"We're forecasting continuing intensification right up until landfall," National Hurricane Centre spokesman Dennis Feltgen said.
Once it came ashore, the storm was expected to stall, dumping copious amounts of rain for days in areas like flood-prone Houston, the nation's fourth most-populous city, and San Antonio.
Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi was airlifting at least 10 critically ill, mostly premature infants from its neonatal intensive care unit to Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth.
Cook transport director Debbie Boudreaux said the infants were being moved inland for fear that power outages might disable their ventilators.
© APCaesar Mendez and his daughter Catalina wait inside the Corpus Christi Natatorium to board a bus to evacuate to San Antonio.
Harvey would be the first significant hurricane to hit Texas since Ike in September 2008 brought winds of 110 mph (177 kph) to the Galveston and Houston areas and inflicted $22 billion in damage.
It would be the first big storm along the middle Texas coast since Hurricane Claudette in 2003 caused $180 million in damage.
It took aim at the same vicinity as Hurricane Carla, the largest Texas hurricane on record.
Carla came ashore in 1961 with wind gusts estimated at 175 mph and inflicted more than $300 million in damage.
The storm killed 34 people and forced about 250,000 people to evacuate.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said President Donald Trump was "briefed and will continue to be updated as the storm progresses."
Reader Comments
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