Harvey made landfall as a category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 130mph (210km/h)


Hurricane Harvey has made landfall in Texas between Port Aransas and Port O’Connor, after swiftly gathering strength over the Gulf of Mexico

It made landfall as a category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 130mph (210km/h)

It is the strongest hurricane to hit the US since the category 3 Wilma battered Florida in 2005

As many as 5.8 million people are believed to be in the path of Hurricane Harvey, as well as the heart of America’s oil refining operations. The storm’s impact on refineries has already pushed up gasoline prices

More than 100,000 people are without power, and people in the city of Corpus Christie have been told to boil their water

Thousands of Corpus Christi residents have opted to leave the city. They gathered at a city gym, where they were registered and taken by bus to San Antonio

Multiple tornado warnings have been issued for the surrounding areas

The key concerns are storm surges and flooding, with the storm expected to linger for days, potentially depositing 25 inches (63cm) or more of rain in some areas

It is expected to hit close to Houston, the state’s fourth-largest city and one that is flood prone

Donald Trump has signed a disaster proclamation at the request of the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott. This will release federal disaster response funds and resources. Abbott has already declared a state of disaster in 30 counties to speed up deployment of state resources

The mayor of the town of Rockport, where the storm hit, has urged residents who chose to stay to write their social security numbers on their arms to make it easier for rescuers to identify them

In Victoria, about 85 miles (137km) north of where the storm hit the coast, mayor Paul Polasek told CNN he estimated that 60 to 65% of the town’s 65,000 residents defied the mandatory evacuation order

Houston mayor Sylvester Turner says this is just the beginning and things are going to get worse

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/26/texas-hurricane-harvey-what-we-know-so-far

HOMES DESTROYED - Video like this just breaks your heart, but shows the extreme power & strength of #HurricaneHarvey #TXwx


https://mobile.twitter.com/GarofaloWX/status/901328355936555014/video/1

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

We will remain fully engaged w/ open lines of communication as #HurricaneHarvey makes landfall. America is w/ you! @GovAbbott @FEMA @DHSgov pic.twitter.com/PryIqRxgLr
August 26, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvpjualyZ6g

Power network corporation Ercot now says Hurricane Harvey has knocked out power to more than 211,000 customers.