![Hillary Lebeb walks along the seawall in Galveston, Texas, as...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Hillary Lebeb walks along the seawall in Galveston, Texas, as Hurricane Harvey intensifies in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 25, 2017.
![Residents evacuated from Meyerland wait on an Interstate 610 overpass for...]()
Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images
Residents evacuated from Meyerland wait on an Interstate 610 overpass for further help in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston. Hurricane Harvey left a trail of devastation Saturday after the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. mainland in over a decade slammed into Texas, destroying homes, severing power supplies and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee.
![Paul England pilots his boat through floodwaters in the aftermath...]()
Gerald Herbert / Associated Press
Paul England pilots his boat through floodwaters in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey in Port Arthur, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2017.
![Members of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the...]()
Gerald Herbert / AP
Members of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Louisiana National Guard help rescue with elderly people from the Golden Years Assisted Living home, which was flooded from Tropical Storm Harvey in Orange, Texas, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017. The residents and staff were high and dry on the second floor.
![Residents begin to return to their homes in north Houston...]()
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Residents begin to return to their homes in north Houston as flood waters began to recede following Hurricane Harvey August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
![Flood victims gather for food at a shelter in the...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
Flood victims gather for food at a shelter in the Brown Convention Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
![Residents wade through floodwaters as they evacuate their homes near...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Residents wade through floodwaters as they evacuate their homes near the Addicks Reservoir on Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
![People evacuate a flooded neighborhood in west Houston on Aug....]()
Charlie Riedel / AP
People evacuate a flooded neighborhood in west Houston on Aug. 28, 2017.
![People push a stalled pickup truck through a flooded street...]()
Charlie Riedel / Associated Press
People push a stalled pickup truck through a flooded street in Houston after Tropical Storm Harvey dumped heavy rains on the city Aug. 27, 2017.
![Residents wait inside the Corpus Christi Natatorium to board an...]()
Courtney Sacco / Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Residents wait inside the Corpus Christi Natatorium to board an evacuation bus to San Antonio ahead of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 24, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
![Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls and Lucas Wu lift...]()
Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle
Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls and Lucas Wu lift Ethan Wu into an airboat as they are evacuated from rising waters from Tropical Storm Harvey at the Orchard Lakes subdivision on Aug. 27, 2017, in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas.
![Jennifer Bryant looks over the debris from her family business...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Jennifer Bryant looks over the debris from her family business destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Katy, Texas, on Aug. 26, 2017.
![Texas Army National Guard members Sergio Esquivel, left, and Ernest...]()
Erich Schlegel / Getty Images
Texas Army National Guard members Sergio Esquivel, left, and Ernest Barmore carry 81-year-old Ramona Bennett after she and other residents were rescued from their Pine Forest Village neighborhood Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
![President Donald Trump holds the state flag of Texas outside...]()
JIM WATSON / AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump holds the state flag of Texas outside the Annaville Fire House after attending a briefing on Hurricane Harvey in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Aug. 29, 2017.
![Water from Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods as floodwaters from...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Water from Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
![In this Aug. 31, 2017, file photo, floodwaters from Tropical...]()
Gerald Herbert / AP
In this Aug. 31, 2017, file photo, floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey surround homes in Port Arthur, Texas. Advocacy groups say Texas is poised to unfairly distribute $5 billion in federal funding provided for housing repairs following Hurricane Harvey, prioritizing wealthy homeowners over poor and working class victims in ways that could constitute racial discrimination.
![People wait in line to buy groceries at a Food...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
People wait in line to buy groceries at a Food Town during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
![Oscar Peru of U.S. Customs and Border Protection searches for...]()
Scott Olson / Getty Images
Oscar Peru of U.S. Customs and Border Protection searches for flood victims from a helicopter after torrential rains pounded the area following Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey on August 31, 2017 near Sugar Land, Texas.
![Two kayakers try to beat the current pushing them down...]()
Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle
Two kayakers try to beat the current pushing them down an overflowing Brays Bayou from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston on Aug. 27, 2017.
![Damaged boats in a multilevel storage facility are seen following...]()
MARK RALSTON / AFP/Getty Images
Damaged boats in a multilevel storage facility are seen following the passage of Hurricane Harvey in Rockport, Texas, on Aug. 26, 2017.
![Nebraska National Guard's Sgt. Ray Smith, left, and Staff Sgt....]()
Chris Machian / Omaha World-Herald
Nebraska National Guard's Sgt. Ray Smith, left, and Staff Sgt. Lawrence Lind, right, carry a disabled man through flood waters made during Tropical Storm Harvey at a Port Arthur, Texas, apartment complex on Aug. 30, 2017.
![Residents from the Meyerland area are loaded onto a truck...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
Residents from the Meyerland area are loaded onto a truck on an I-610 overpass during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
![Beth Kendrick pauses while sorting through belongings damaged by floodwaters...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Beth Kendrick pauses while sorting through belongings damaged by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey at her parents home, Aug. 30, 2017, in Houston.
![Water logged items sit on a curb in front of...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Water logged items sit on a curb in front of a home as people start to rebuild their homes that were inundated with water after torrential rains caused widespread flooding during Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey on September 2, 2017, in Houston.
![Mary Reyes is moved by the kindness of her neighbors...]()
Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle
Mary Reyes is moved by the kindness of her neighbors after church members and family cleared her belongings from her home near the banks of the Brazos River, as the water rises from heavy rains from Tropical Storm Harvey, on Aug. 28, 2017, in Richmond, Texas.
![Robert Anthony Torres rests in the warehouse of Gallery Furniture,...]()
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Robert Anthony Torres rests in the warehouse of Gallery Furniture, a local furniture store offering shelter to Hurricane Harvey evacuees August 31, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
![Katie Estridge, 34, organizes hundreds of soaked family photos on...]()
Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times
Katie Estridge, 34, organizes hundreds of soaked family photos on the front lawn of her father's home in the Fosters Mill area of Kingwood. Ben Wilson, 66, stored thousands of photos and negatives in plastic boxes under his bed. Katie and her husband, Ben Estridge, 32, found the boxes floating, half submerged in flood waters.
![Miguel Debernardis cleans up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Miguel Debernardis cleans up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 26, 2017, in Katy, Texas.
![Sam Speights fights back tears while holding his dogs and...]()
Eric Gay / Associated Press
Sam Speights fights back tears while holding his dogs and surveying the damage to his home in the wake of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017, in Rockport, Texas. Speights tried to stay in his home during the storm but had to move to other shelter after he lost his roof and back wall.
![Sarah Dill and her husband, Josh Dill, console each other...]()
Andy Jacobsohn / Dallas Morning News
Sarah Dill and her husband, Josh Dill, console each other outside their home as recovery efforts continue after flooding from Hurricane Harvey in Kingwood, Texas, on Aug. 31, 2017.
![Terry Smith stands with Barry Skipper as the last winds...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Terry Smith stands with Barry Skipper as the last winds of Hurricane Harvey pass through Rockport, Texas, on Aug. 26, 2017.
![A resident floats his pets and belongings on an air...]()
Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post
A resident floats his pets and belongings on an air mattress along Mercury Drive as he flees floodwater at his home in Houston on Aug. 27, 2017.
![A cow sits in a pasture surrounded by floodwater left...]()
Scott Olson / Getty Images
A cow sits in a pasture surrounded by floodwater left in the wake of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey on August 31, 2017 near Orange, Texas.
![Barb Davis, 74. is helped to dry land after being...]()
Scott Olson / Getty Images
Barb Davis, 74. is helped to dry land after being rescued from her flooded neighborhood on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston.
![Firefighters search for survivors at an apartment complex in Rockport,...]()
Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post
Firefighters search for survivors at an apartment complex in Rockport, Texas, as Harvey hits the state's coast Aug. 26, 2017.
![Caleb Armstrong, 9, of Venus, Texas plays on the beach...]()
Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle
Caleb Armstrong, 9, of Venus, Texas plays on the beach in Galveston, Texas, on Aug. 24, 2017. His family had just arrived in Galveston for a long weekend vacation despite the possibility of rains and flooding from Hurricane Harvey.
![A firefighter makes his way through an apartment complex in...]()
Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post
A firefighter makes his way through an apartment complex in an effort to find survivors as Harvey continued to make its way along the Texas central coast Aug. 26, 2017.
![A man cleans salvaged custom cowboy boots at Jesse's Shoe...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A man cleans salvaged custom cowboy boots at Jesse's Shoe Repair as residents begin the recovery process from Hurricane Harvey on September 1, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
![Volunteers and first responders help flood victims evacuate to shelters...]()
Scott Clause / The Daily Advertiser via AP
Volunteers and first responders help flood victims evacuate to shelters as waters rise from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston on Aug. 28, 2017.
![Waves pound the shore from approaching Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 25,...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Waves pound the shore from approaching Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 25, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
![Shoppers pass empty shelves along the bottled water aisle in...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Shoppers pass empty shelves along the bottled water aisle in a Houston grocery store as Hurricane Harvey intensifies in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 24, 2017.
![Mark Ocosta and his daughter Aubrey take shelter at the Brown...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Mark Ocosta and his daughter Aubrey take shelter at the Brown Convention Center Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
![Lacey Williams exits the only door she can by stepping...]()
Steve Gonzales / Houston Chronicle
Lacey Williams exits the only door she can by stepping over sandbags that surround her home in Houston on Aug. 24, 2017.
![Evacuees wait at Woodrow Wilson Middle School for word about...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Evacuees wait at Woodrow Wilson Middle School for word about what shelter they will be sent to after they were evacuated from the flooding of Hurricane Harvey on August 30, 2017 in Port Arthur, Texas.
![Floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey surround homes in Port Arthur,...]()
Gerald Herbert / AP
Floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey surround homes in Port Arthur, Texas, Aug. 31, 2017.
![A bicyclist looks at a truck flipped into floodwater in...]()
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
A bicyclist looks at a truck flipped into floodwater in Port Arthur, Texas on September 1, 2017.
![Frances Breaux cries as she talks about her fears for...]()
Gregory Bull / AP
Frances Breaux cries as she talks about her fears for two close friends who live near the Arkema Inc. chemical plant Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Crosby, Texas. Breaux said her close friends, an elderly couple that live close to the plant, have not been heard from Thursday. The Houston-area chemical plant that lost power after Harvey engulfed the area in extensive floods was rocked by multiple explosions early Thursday, the plant's operator said.
![People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston.
![Lauren Durst holds onto her ten-month-old son, Wyatt Durst, as...]()
Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle
Lauren Durst holds onto her ten-month-old son, Wyatt Durst, as they evacuate from the Savannah Estates neighborhood as Addicks Reservoir nears capacity on Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
![A woman paddles down a flooded road while shuttling deliveries...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A woman paddles down a flooded road while shuttling deliveries for her neighbors during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 30, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
![Evacuees seeking financial help consult with FEMA agents at the...]()
MARK RALSTON / AFP/Getty Images
Evacuees seeking financial help consult with FEMA agents at the Convention Center which is serving as an evacuation shelter after Hurricane Harvey caused heavy flooding in Houston, Texas on August 30, 2017.
![Shardea Harrison looks on at her 3-week-old baby Sarai Harrison...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Shardea Harrison looks on at her 3-week-old baby Sarai Harrison being held by Dean Mize as he and Jason Legnon used his airboat to rescue them from their home Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston.
![Chris Gutierrez, second from right, helps his grandmother, Edelmira Gutierrez,...]()
Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle
Chris Gutierrez, second from right, helps his grandmother, Edelmira Gutierrez, down the stairs of their flooded house and into a waiting fire department truck in the Concord Bridge neighborhood as Addicks Reservoir surpasses capacity due Tropical Storm Harvey, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
![Flood victims arrive at a shelter in the Brown Convention...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
Flood victims arrive at a shelter in the Brown Convention Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
![Rising floodwaters stranded hundreds of residents of Twin Oaks Village...]()
Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times
Rising floodwaters stranded hundreds of residents of Twin Oaks Village in Clodine, Texas, on Aug. 28, 2017.
![A Harrison County Sheriff gives out a box of MREs...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A Harrison County Sheriff gives out a box of MREs and water to Casey Alfred as he begins the process of rebuilding after torrential rains caused widespread flooding during Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey on September 2, 2017, in Houston.
![Houston police SWAT Officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and...]()
David J. Phillip / Associated Press
Houston police SWAT Officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
![People make their way down a partially flooded road following...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
People make their way down a partially flooded road following the passage of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 26, 2017, in Galveston, Texas.
![People take shelter at the Brown Convention Center Aug. 29,...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
People take shelter at the Brown Convention Center Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. The evacuation center, which is over capacity, has already received more than 9,000 evacuees with more arriving.
![A military search and rescue helicopter is refueling mid-flight before...]()
Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times
A military search and rescue helicopter is refueling mid-flight before resuming nighttime missions over areas flooded in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey in Lumberton, Texas, on Aug. 31, 2017.
![Alexendre Jorge evacuates Ethan Colman, 4, from a flooded neighborhood...]()
Charlie Riedel / AP
Alexendre Jorge evacuates Ethan Colman, 4, from a flooded neighborhood Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston.
![A sunken boat lies submerged in front of houses after...]()
MARK RALSTON / AFP/Getty Images
A sunken boat lies submerged in front of houses after Hurricane Harvey hit Port Aransas, Texas, on Aug. 27, 2017.
![A family rests in a shelter at a Gallery Furniture...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A family rests in a shelter at a Gallery Furniture store during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
![Residents of Twin Oaks Village in Clodine, Texas, including some...]()
Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times
Residents of Twin Oaks Village in Clodine, Texas, including some with pool toys, coordinate to bring most to dry ground Aug. 28, 2017.
![Lorenzo Luna exits a boarded-up but still open local convenience...]()
Jason Hoekema / The Brownsville Herald
Lorenzo Luna exits a boarded-up but still open local convenience store in Port Isabel, Texas, on Aug. 24, 2017.
![In this photo provided by Beulah Johnson, evacuees sit in...]()
Beulah Johnson / AP
In this photo provided by Beulah Johnson, evacuees sit in the bleachers at the Bowers Civic Center in Port Arthur, Texas, Aug. 30, 2017, after floodwaters caused by Tropical Storm Harvey inundated the facility overnight. Authorities said it's not clear where the evacuees will go.
![A firefighter walks past a burnt-out truck that caught fire after Hurricane...]()
Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images
A firefighter walks past a burnt-out truck that caught fire after Hurricane Harvey hit Corpus Christi, Texas, on Aug. 26, 2017.
![Residents of Twin Oaks Village in Clodine, Texas, seek dry...]()
Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times
Residents of Twin Oaks Village in Clodine, Texas, seek dry ground Aug. 28, 2017.
![Members of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries help...]()
Gerald Herbert / AP
Members of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries help rescue Mike Henry, right, and his partner Rosemarie Carpenter during flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey in Orange, Texas, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017.
![Zar Wade-Gledhill carries a chair from a flooded office along...]()
Stuart Villanueva / The Galveston County Daily News
Zar Wade-Gledhill carries a chair from a flooded office along Clear Lake in Seabrook, Texas, on Aug. 27, 2017, after floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey inundated the area.
![Patrick Tobias seals his phone in a bag after taking...]()
Gregory Bull / AP
Patrick Tobias seals his phone in a bag after taking a picture of his flooded car, behind, as he stands in floodwater from Tropical Storm Harvey on Aug. 30, 2017, in Kingwood, Texas.
![A woman walks down a flooded road during the aftermath...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A woman walks down a flooded road during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
![A man tears out carpet from a flood-damaged home after...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A man tears out carpet from a flood-damaged home after waters receded during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas on August 30, 2017.
![A car gets towed while men walk in the flooded...]()
THOMAS B. SHEA / AFP/Getty Images
A car gets towed while men walk in the flooded waters of Telephone Road in Houston, Texas, on Aug. 30, 2017.
![Members of the California Air National Guard 129th Rescue Wing,...]()
Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times
Members of the California Air National Guard 129th Rescue Wing, Senior Airmen George McKenzie, far left, and Master Sergeant Adam Vanhaaster, far right, help a man carry his infant with a serious medical condition rush to a hospital as they are stranded in a neighborhood inundated with floodwater in the wake of Tropical Storm Harvey in Lumberton, Texas, on Aug. 31, 2017.
![Friends reunite in the middle of a flooded intersection as...]()
Scott Olson / Getty Images
Friends reunite in the middle of a flooded intersection as water continues to rise in their neighborhood following Hurricane Harvey on August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
![Members of the Olson family remove debris and damaged items...]()
MARK RALSTON / AFP/Getty Images
Members of the Olson family remove debris and damaged items from their father's home in the Twin Oaks Estate after Hurricane Harvey caused widespread flooding in Houston, Texas on August 31, 2017. In Houston, America's fourth-largest city, some of the 2.3 million residents got relief as the raging waters receded. But in several other towns in the Lone Star State doused by days of torrential rains since Harvey smashed into the US Gulf Coast almost a week ago as a Category Four hurricane, the situation was dire.
![Volunteer Paige Atkinson sorts donated clothing at NRG Center, which...]()
Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle
Volunteer Paige Atkinson sorts donated clothing at NRG Center, which opened its doors to evacuees in the wake of Tropical Storm Harvey, Aug. 30, 2017 in Houston.
![A Rockport, Texas, firefighter goes door to door on a...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A Rockport, Texas, firefighter goes door to door on a search and rescue mission as he looks for people who may need help after Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 26, 2017.
![Gillis Leho looks for documents in her car that was...]()
LM Otero / AP
Gillis Leho looks for documents in her car that was covered by floodwaters brought on by Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017. Leho had been planning to evacuate in her car but had to quickly escape from her home with her grandchildren as rising waters rushed in from nearby Buffalo Bayou.
![People walk past a boat storage facility that was damaged...]()
Eric Gay / AP
People walk past a boat storage facility that was damaged by Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
![Flood victims receive food at a shelter in the Brown...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
Flood victims receive food at a shelter in the Brown Convention Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
![Dean Mize holds children as he and Jason Legnon use...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Dean Mize holds children as he and Jason Legnon use an airboat to rescue people from homes inundated with floodwaters Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
![Volunteers and officers from the neiborhood security patrol help to...]()
Scott Olson / Getty Images
Volunteers and officers from the neiborhood security patrol help to rescue residents in the upscale River Oaks neighborhood after it was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
![People board a Harris County sheriff's airboat while escaping a...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
People board a Harris County sheriff's airboat while escaping a flooded neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
![Antonio Barron, right, looks back to his girlfriend, Melissa Rocha,...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Antonio Barron, right, looks back to his girlfriend, Melissa Rocha, as they run through the street during a band of heavy rain from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 26, 2017, in Palacios, Texas.
![President Donald Trump listens alongside Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, second...]()
Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump listens alongside Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, second from left, and first lady Melania Trump, right, during a firehouse briefing on Hurricane Harvey in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Aug. 29, 2017. Trump flew into storm-ravaged Texas on Tuesday in a show of solidarity and leadership in the face of the deadly devastation wrought by Harvey — as the battered Gulf Coast braces for even more torrential rain.
![Oscar Galindo, from left, Donato Galindo, 2, Oscar Galindo, 11,...]()
Marie D. De Jesus / Houston Chronicle
Oscar Galindo, from left, Donato Galindo, 2, Oscar Galindo, 11, Andre Galindo, 9, and Maria Rodriguez huddle while taking shelter at the Brown Convention Center on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston after living inside a car since Saturday because floodwaters overran their home in Dickinson, Texas.
![Robert Grant and Rocky, from the Texas Task Force 2...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Robert Grant and Rocky, from the Texas Task Force 2 search and rescue team, try to find anyone still in an apartment complex in Rockport, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey passed through Aug. 27, 2017.
![Marine veteran Megan Lowry with the Wounded Veterans of Oklahoma...]()
Scott Olson / Getty Images
Marine veteran Megan Lowry with the Wounded Veterans of Oklahoma helps to rescue a horse from floodwater after torrential rains pounded Southeast Texas following Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey causing widespread flooding on Sept. 2, 2017 in Orange, Texas.
![Rescue boats fill a flooded street as flood victims are...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Rescue boats fill a flooded street as flood victims are evacuated Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston.
![Joe Garcia carries his dog Heidi from his flooded home...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Joe Garcia carries his dog Heidi from his flooded home as he is rescued from rising floodwaters Aug. 28, 2017, in Spring, Texas.
![Fatima Flores, 12, center, gets her hair done by Shelly...]()
Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times
Fatima Flores, 12, center, gets her hair done by Shelly Flores, 7, left, and Ashley Flores, 7, as their family take shelter at Max Bowl, a local bowling alley after they were evacuated from their homes in Groves due to rising floodwater caused by Tropical Storm Harvey in Port Arthur, Texas, on Aug. 31, 2017.
![California Air National Guard 129th rescue wing's Master Sergeant Adam...]()
Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times
California Air National Guard 129th rescue wing's Master Sergeant Adam Vanhaaster searches for survivors or possible evacuees as they fly over flooded residential neighborhoods near Lumberton, Texas on Aug. 31, 2017.
![Mike Henry, center, lifts his leg onto a boat as...]()
Gerald Herbert / AP
Mike Henry, center, lifts his leg onto a boat as members of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries helps rescue him during flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey in Orange, Texas, Aug. 30, 2017.
![Texas Army National Guard members help families rescued from their...]()
Erich Schlegel / Getty Images
Texas Army National Guard members help families rescued from their flooded Pine Forest Village neighborhood Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
![Terry Smith stands in the kitchen as Henry McKay sleeps...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Terry Smith stands in the kitchen as Henry McKay sleeps in an apartment where the ceiling collapsed when Hurricane Harvey hit on Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
![A man carries his belonging as he walks through the...]()
Thomas B. Shea / AFP/Getty Images
A man carries his belonging as he walks through the floodwaters on Telephone Road in Houston on Aug. 27, 2017.
![A young girl clutches her dog after getting into an...]()
Staff Sgt. Jordan Castelan/U.S. Air Force
A young girl clutches her dog after getting into an HH-60 Pavehawk from the 129th Rescue Squadron for extraction to a safer location during the relief effort for Hurricane Harvey, Aug. 31st, 2017, Beaumont, Texas.
![A woman walks out of her home with personal items...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A woman walks out of her home with personal items salvaged from a once flooded house as residents begin the recovery process from Hurricane Harvey on September 1, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
![Genice Gipson comforts her lifelong friend, Loretta Capistran, outside of...]()
Nick Wagner / Austin American-Statesman via AP
Genice Gipson comforts her lifelong friend, Loretta Capistran, outside of Capistran's apartment complex in Refugio, Texas, on Aug. 28, 2017.
![Workers begin repairs to a wall that was lost in...]()
Eric Gay / AP
Workers begin repairs to a wall that was lost in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Aug. 30, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
![People wait outside a shelter in the Brown Convention Center...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
People wait outside a shelter in the Brown Convention Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
![People wait in a city dump truck on an Interstate...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
People wait in a city dump truck on an Interstate 610 overpass for evacuation during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
![A power generator tips in front of Texas' CHRISTUS Spohn...]()
Courtney Sacco / Corpus Christi Caller-Times
A power generator tips in front of Texas' CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, as Hurricane Harvey hits Aug. 25, 2017.
![A rescuer moves Paulina Tamirano, 92, from a boat to...]()
Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle
A rescuer moves Paulina Tamirano, 92, from a boat to a truck bed as people evacuate from rising waters from Tropical Storm Harvey, Aug. 29, 2017 in Houston.
![A woman and a child along with their family members...]()
Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times
A woman and a child along with their family members are rushed to a nearby hospital by California Air National Guardsmen in Lumberton, Texas, on Aug. 31, 2017.
![A car is seen submerged after Hurricane Harvey caused heavy...]()
MARK RALSTON / AFP/Getty Images
A car is seen submerged after Hurricane Harvey caused heavy flooding in Crosby, Texas on August 30, 2017. Monster storm Harvey made landfall again Wednesday in Louisiana, evoking painful memories of Hurricane Katrina's deadly strike 12 years ago, as time was running out in Texas to find survivors in the raging floodwaters.
![Precinct 6 Deputy Constables Sgt. Paul Fernandez, from left, Sgt....]()
Jon Shapley / Houston Chronicle
Precinct 6 Deputy Constables Sgt. Paul Fernandez, from left, Sgt. Michael Tran and Sgt. Radha Patel rescue an elderly woman from rising water on North MacGregor Way, near Brays Bayou, after heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
![Joseph Boutte walks through his home damaged by floodwaters in...]()
David J. Phillip / Associated Press
Joseph Boutte walks through his home damaged by floodwaters in the aftermath of Harvey Sept. 2, 2017, in Houston.
![Jack Rigby, 17, and his family and friends ride out...]()
Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post
Jack Rigby, 17, and his family and friends ride out the storm at the Green Iguana Grill in Port Lavaca, Texas, as Hurricane Harvey intensifies on Aug. 25, 2017.
![A truck driver walks past an abandoned truck while checking the...]()
Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images
A truck driver walks past an abandoned truck while checking the depth of an underpass in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
![Paul England, Jr. helps Michael Brown, not pictured, search for...]()
Gerald Herbert / Associated Press
Paul England, Jr. helps Michael Brown, not pictured, search for belongings inside his flooded home, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey, in Port Arthur, Texas, Sept. 2, 2017.
![Bobby Starnes, 11, plays near a pier in Bacliff, Texas,...]()
Stuart Villanueva / The Galveston County Daily News
Bobby Starnes, 11, plays near a pier in Bacliff, Texas, as Hurricane Harvey approaches the Texas coast Aug. 25, 2017.
![Staff Sgt. Lawrence Lind, left, hoists a child into a...]()
Chris Machian / Omaha World-Herald
Staff Sgt. Lawrence Lind, left, hoists a child into a Black Hawk helicopter while Sgt. Ray Smith, right, helps the boy who was rescued from the flood waters from Tropical Storm Harvey, in Port Arthur, Texas, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017.
![A man helps children across a flooded street as they...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A man helps children across a flooded street as they evacuate their home Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
![People catch a ride on a construction vehicle down a...]()
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
People catch a ride on a construction vehicle down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
![A submerged car is seen on Interstate 610 North on...]()
Thomas B. Shea / AFP/Getty Images
A submerged car is seen on Interstate 610 North on Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
![Caesar Mendez and his daughter Catalina wait inside the Corpus...]()
Courtney Sacco / Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Caesar Mendez and his daughter Catalina wait inside the Corpus Christi Natatorium to board an evacuation bus to San Antonio ahead of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 24, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
![Cows make their way through fallen power lines along the...]()
Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post
Cows make their way through fallen power lines along the road near City-by-the Sea, Texas, as Harvey hits the state's coast Aug. 26, 2017.
![Tim Stamps takes a photo at his fathers' house surrounded...]()
Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle
Tim Stamps takes a photo at his fathers' house surrounded by water from the San Jacinto River due to Tropical Storm Harvey in the Kingwood Greens Subdivision,Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017, in Kingwood, Texas. Stamps was there to help his father, Mike, retrieve his two cats, who had to be left behind, as he was evacuated on a jet ski Tuesday.
![Highways around downtown Houston are empty as floodwaters from Tropical...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Highways around downtown Houston are empty as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey overflow from the bayous around the city Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
![Emergency vehicles wait at a roadblock after a chemical plant...]()
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
Emergency vehicles wait at a roadblock after a chemical plant operated by the Arkema Group had an explosion during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on August 31, 2017 in Crosby, Texas. Local emergency officials reported two explosions Thursday at a flooded chemical plant in the Texas town of Crosby, its operators Arkema Inc said.
![Rain is blown past palm trees as Hurricane Harvey makes...]()
Eric Gay / AP
Rain is blown past palm trees as Hurricane Harvey makes landfall Aug. 25, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
![Evacuees wade down a flooded section of Interstate 610 as...]()
David J. Phillip / Associated Press
Evacuees wade down a flooded section of Interstate 610 as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise on Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
![Firefighters search for survivors at an apartment complex in Rockport,...]()
Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post
Firefighters search for survivors at an apartment complex in Rockport, Texas, as Harvey hits the state's coast Aug. 26, 2017.
![Interstate 69 is covered by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey...]()
David J. Phillip / AP
Interstate 69 is covered by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Humble, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
![A Texas state flag and an American flag are seen as...]()
Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images
A Texas state flag and an American flag are seen as rain from Hurricane Henry falls on Aug. 26, 2017, in Texas City, Texas.
![HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 30: Residents try to keep their...]()
Scott Olson / Getty Images
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 30: Residents try to keep their belongings dry while waiting for rescue at an apartment complex after it was inundated with water following Hurricane Harvey on August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi August 25, has dumped nearly 50 inches of rain in and around Houston. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Advocacy groups said Friday that Texas is poised to unfairly distribute billions in federal funding provided for housing repairs following Hurricane Harvey’s devastation — prioritizing wealthy homeowners over poorer victims in ways that could constitute racial discrimination.
At issue is a draft state rebuilding plan that says homeowners may only be eligible for federal assistance, regardless of income, if they suffered $8,000 in property damages. The renters’ threshold is $2,000.
Harvey hit Texas in late August, damaging or destroying tens of thousands of homes in Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, and smaller communities throughout the state’s Gulf Coast. In addition to other disaster recovery approved by Congress, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Agency has allocated a bit more than $5 billion to rebuild Texas homes.
But a coalition led by the Austin-based nonprofit Texas Housers says damage assessments to determine who is eligible to get help are based on data from Federal Emergency Management Agency inspections that calculate property losses rather than the full human toll of major natural disasters — making it more difficult for victims who live in lower income areas to meet damage thresholds.
They say that incomplete data, coupled with the thresholds, could combine to exclude low- and middle-income households from more than $1 billion in housing repair aid across Texas.
“Whether you’re living in a $500,000 home or a $50,000 home, a foot of water inside of it, or your roof blowing off, is going to have the same effect,” Charlie Duncan, Texas Housers’ research director, said during a news conference at the state Capitol. “It’s going to render that home unlivable and you’re going to need assistance.”
Duncan said Harvey victims who rented and owned homes in 20 largely minority areas in Houston, as well coastal communities like Port Arthur, are most likely to be excluded.
“It’s absolutely a civil rights issue,” he said. “A lot of these zip codes that we’ve identified that stand to be the most underfunded are communities of color.”
Brittany Eck, a spokeswoman for Texas’ General Land Office, which is overseeing housing recovery and rebuilding efforts, said federal officials — not the state — set damage eligibility thresholds.
“The info that they are citing is pulled from the formula used in the Federal Register, posted by HUD, that determines the HUD methodology for allocation of funds that the GLO is required to use,” Eck said by email, referring to the federal and her own agency by their initials.
Eck said any threshold modifications could make the federal government reject the final version of Texas’ plan for distributing aid, which is still in draft stages. She also said Texas has included discretionary language to ensure that more Texans qualify for funding.
But advocates said they’d like to see Texas fight to make its funding plan more inclusive, a concern echoed Friday by northeast Houston resident Alisa Anthony.
Anthony, who like a lot of her neighbors in the Houston Gardens neighborhood is black, was renting a home from her mother when Hurricane Harvey brought in several feet of flooding. The house and everything inside was a total loss, she said, and only four homeowners on her block have returned home eight months after the storm.
“It seems like disaster recovery programs don’t think about people like my finance, myself, my neighbors,” said Anthony, who worked as a home health care aid but lost her job when her patient also was displaced by Harvey.
Anthony recently lost the hotel room that the federal government had been paying for in the storm’s aftermath and have since moved in with the 94-year-old mother of her finance.
“Disaster recovery programs must change so that everyone can recover,” Anthony said.
