Houston flood: Dams begin overflowing amid record rainfall

[Playboy™]

Two major dams outside Houston have begun overflowing as Storm Harvey pushes reservoirs past capacity. Flood control official Jeff Lindner said nearby communities could face further flooding as a result. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are in Texas to see the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey, now downgraded to a tropical storm.

Record rainfall has caused huge floods and is starting to affect Louisiana. Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in the Houston area while rescuers are trying to reach others that remain stranded. At least nine people are reported to have died, including six members of the same family whose van was swept away by rising floodwater.

Engineers have been releasing water to try to ease pressure on the Addicks and Barker dams, which control the amount of water in the Buffalo Bayou - the main river into Houston.

But the water level in the Addicks reservoir west of Houston exceeded 108ft (32.9m) on Tuesday, geological data shows, causing it to flow over the top of defences. Meanwhile flood gauges on the Barker dam have themselves been put out of action by the deluge.

Officials said the overspill could cause further flooding in areas close to the Buffalo Bayou, but the exact impact was unknown.

"This is something we've never faced before, so we're trying our best to wrap around what exactly this water is going to do," said Jeff Lindner, meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. Meanwhile, officials in Brazoria County, south of Houston, said a levee at Columbia Lakes had been breached, tweeting: "Get out now!"

Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years when it made landfall on Friday near Corpus Christi, 220 miles (354km) south-west of Houston.

The slow-moving storm - currently over the Gulf of Mexico - is expected to continue dumping huge amounts of rain in the coming days over already flood-hit areas.