WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — More than 42,000 people slept in shelters overnight in the US state of Texas after evacuating their homes due to flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, Governor Greg Abbott told reporters on Friday.
"Last night, the overnight population in shelters in Texas was 42,399," Abbott said, adding that 258 facilities were welcoming those seeking refuge in the state.
1 September 2017, 20:44 GMT
Around 440,000 people in Texas have applied for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and around $79 million in aid has been approved so far, Abbott said.
Hurricane Harvey struck the state of Texas on August 25 as a Category 4 storm and has made landfall two more times since then as a tropical storm.
Harvey has dumped record levels of rain on southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, and has killed up to 47 people, according to US media reports.
