Texans return to battered homes

Residents of Texas are finding homes wrecked by Harvey, where "everything is history." The devastation is among the costliest in US history, with many victims uninsured and unable to afford reconstruction without government help.

ouston was limping back to life on Friday one week after Hurricane Harvey slammed into Americas fourth-largest city and left a trail of devastation across other parts of southeast Texas.
AFP

ouston was limping back to life on Friday one week after Hurricane Harvey slammed into Americas fourth-largest city and left a trail of devastation across other parts of southeast Texas.

As Harvey flood waters recede, thousands are set to return to their homes on Sunday to survey damage from unprecedented flooding that devastated densely-populated areas of Texas, as worries mount about health risks.

Harvey, which came ashore on August 25 as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in 50 years, is expected to be one of the costliest natural disasters in US history. The hurricane, which turned into a tropical storm, displaced more than 1 million people and left wreckage in an area stretching for more than 480 kilometres (300 miles) which officials said would take years to repair.

At least 13 Superfund sites – heavily-contaminated former industrial zones – in Texas were flooded or damaged by Harvey. 

However, the full impact on surrounding areas was not immediately clear, the US Environmental Protection Agency said on Saturday.

TRT World's Christine Pirovolakis has more on the plight of returning residents. 

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Toxic risks

The announcement came amid rising concern about the health risks posed by Harvey's record floodwaters, which contain a toxic soup of chemicals, oil and bacteria from Houston's notoriously leaky sewer system.

The city of Houston ordered a mandatory evacuation on Sunday for about 4,600 residences in the western sector, where several hundred people have not left their homes and flooding is expected to last for another two weeks.

"Put your own personal safety above your property," Mayor Sylvester Turner said. Residents should consider the safety of first responders who would have to handle any emergencies, Turner emphasised.

The evacuations, put in force by shutting off of power, were set to take effect at 7 am CDT.

An economic challenge

The damage from the storm is also posing an economic and humanitarian challenge for US President Donald Trump, who visited Houston on Saturday and met some of the thousands of people in evacuation shelters and rescue workers who have helped shuttle survivors to safety.

The visit gave Trump an opportunity to show an empathetic side after some criticised him for staying clear of the disaster zone during a Texas visit on Tuesday. Trump said he did not want to hamper rescue efforts.

The Trump administration on Friday asked Congress for a $7.85 billion appropriation for response and initial recovery efforts. 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who accompanied the Trumps, has said his state may need more than $125 billion.

Harvey's devastation will be among the costliest of any storm in US history. But, with most not covered by insurance, victims are left hoping for government aid and community support.

AFP

According to the White House, some 100,000 households have been affected by the disaster. Analysts have offered damage estimates varying from $30 billion to $100 billion.

Homes stripped bare

For many in the Houston metropolitan area, which has an economy as large as Argentina's, losses to individual families were cataclysmic.

In a neighbourhood in east Houston, streets were lined with 2.4-metre (8-foot) piles of soggy debris, including mattresses, carpets and other belongings ripped out of homes.

Adrian Rodriguez returned on Saturday to his flood-hit home there where he lives with his wife and three young boys.

"I lost everything. All my children's pictures of them growing up. Their birthday pictures. Vacation pictures. Their school projects of what they wanted to be when they grow up," he said.

"There is furniture on the sidewalk that I'm still paying for," Rodriguez said. "Everything in the house is history."

Many areas were still battling floodwaters from swollen rivers that were expected to last for a week or more. 

In Beaumont, about 140 kilometres (85 miles) east, officials were trying to repair a flood-damaged pumping station that caused the city of about 120,000 people to lose drinking water for days.

As of Saturday morning, nearly 200,000 homes have suffered flood damage and about 12,600 were destroyed, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

FEMA urges reform

State and local governments need to become more self-sufficient in handling major disasters like Hurricane Harvey, FEMA Administrator Brook Long said in a televised interview on Sunday.

Speaking on CBS' Face the Nation, Long said the federal support is intended to be a “ray of hope, a bridge to kick-start recovery,” and state and local governments need to do more on their own. 

They should not expect the federal government to make their citizens whole after major disasters, he said.

“We need elected officials at all levels to sit down and hit the reset button and make sure they have everything they need to increase levels of self-sufficiency,” Long said.

He called the massive devastation “a wakeup call for local and state officials," saying they needed to fully fund their own emergency management offices and have rainy day funds set aside for such emergencies. 

"They can’t depend only on federal emergency management," he said following pointed calls by Houston officials for FEMA to quickly increase staffing in the city and provide relief funds.

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