HOUSTON (AP) - Texas cities are getting some help to stay functioning as they focus on reconstruction after Harvey, with federal loans from the Federal Emergency Management Agency helping keep operations intact.
It’s an early step in a massive cleanup effort that’s starting now with people leaving shelters, figuring out what to do next.
A look at what’s happening:
HARVEY’S LEGACY
Hurricane Harvey started with raging winds. But its legacy will be all about water.
The storm dumped almost a year’s worth of rainfall on Houston, leaving misery that will linger and cost tens of billions of dollars.
Some 7,000 homes have already been destroyed in Texas. More than 37,000 homes have been heavily damaged and it’s too soon to know how many are salvageable. But Houston officials say some will be submerged in water for up to a month.
SHELTERS
Just because evacuees are leaving Houston’s emergency shelters doesn’t mean they’re going somewhere better.
Some have returned to public housing complexes inundated with sewage and mud. More than 50,000 are in government-paid hotels, some far away from homes and schools. Others moved in with relatives.
FEMA officials also are weighing other options should the need arise, such as mobile homes.
DEATHS
Harvey is now blamed for at least 60 deaths confirmed in 11 Texas counties.
Of the counties confirming fatalities, Harris County, which is home to Houston and saw the worst flooding during the storm, still has the highest death toll with 30 confirmed Harvey-related deaths as of about 5 p.m. Monday.
BORDER FUNDS
Harvey has complicated the U.S. government’s plan to build a border wall in Texas, creating separation from Mexico.
All the government needed was Congress to approve the money. Now, the Trump administration must grapple with the demand to rebuild after the storm , which will require billions of dollars to start.
The White House wanted $1.6 billion for 74 miles (119 kilometers) of initial wall, including 60 miles (97 kilometers) in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley.
“FORMATION” FOR FUNDS
Happy birthday, Beyonce, let’s raise some relief funds. Love, Michelle Obama, Serena Williams and a few more famous friends.
Friends of the superstar singer from Houston marked her 36th birthday Monday by sporting one of her fiercest looks, donning black-brimmed hats and ornate necklaces like the ones worn by Beyonce in her “Formation” music video.
Above the 18 pictures posted on Beyonce’s website was a message and link asking fans to support relief efforts.
The pics included one of her daughter Blue Ivy Carter and others with her Destiny’s Child groupmates Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland.
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