harvey still pounding south texas this morning. rescuers are scrambling to save people stranded by rising waters. some of the scenes we're seeing overnight. floodwaters on the rise and rain is not letting up. a record 50 inches could fall before the storm moves out. we're live in the flood zone. >> the thousands evacuated from the deadly storm are housed at shelters and other emergency centers. some have been relocated to central texas. but it's unclear at this point if they'll be sent to other states. the bodies of all the sailors killed when the u.s.s. john mccain collided tanker. they're trying to figure out what caused that accident.

the president will visit the storm zone. he's asked about his pardon of former sheriff joe arpaio as he holds a press conference with the president of finland. those are headlines from today, monday, august 28. we do say good morning to you, everybody. we're following breaking news. as you take a look at this radar, this is not an old image from friday, although it kind of looks like it did when we were here on friday. that is a current satellite radar and it is not a good picture. rescuers are working into the night to reach stranded residents of the texas gulf coast. >> there are at least 3,000 members of the texas coast guard in the region, and they said more than half of their helicopters nationally are there, too. >> they expect the storm system to stay just off the coast most of today and tomorrow. >> abc's lana zach is in houston right now where the threat isn't so much the wind but that terrible flooding. good morning, lana.

>> reporter: good morning, linda and kendace. the flooding certainly a problem as there are threats of levees that are going to be topped within hours, dams that officials are concerned about may break, and that's why they're starting to do these releases that are going to flood neighborhoods with even more water. one after another we continue to get evacuation orders for different neighborhoods and towns here in texas. rescues continue in the dark of night here in houston. >> we got you, don't worry. >> reporter: bisected by roads that are now rivers, america's city is in crisis. >> we need help in fifth ward. we need people here to evacuate people. get people here now before they die. >> reporter: the 911 system overrun. 56,000 calls in just 15 hours. many people say they can't even get through. houston's mayor is asking for patience. >> this is pretty much like day

two. there will be day three, and there will be day four, and there may be day five. >> reporter: first responders and good samaritans are working around the clock, desperately trying to keep up with all the cries for help. those that are rescued are often left with nothing. >> it's memories being taken away by, like, something you don't expect. it's all just sterimaterial stu. >> she had no dry clothes or shoes on her feet. she was grateful to be plucked from her roof, but like others, she was left with no place to go. >> no buses were there. >> reporter: so you were just sitting there. >> we were just sitting there. that's when peter came to rescue us. >> reporter: peter, you're just a good samaritan. >> i've been cooped up in my home watching you guys, and i thought, you know what, i'm able bodied. i'm going to ask someone if

there's something i can do, so i drove down there. >> he's our hero. >> refrigerators floating, couch floating. we're done. >> it's scary. very scary. >> reporter: even now at this hour, there are still people who are waiting for people to pick them up. thousands have been evacuated. there are potentially thousands more who are still waiting for assistance. and then when they're picked up, they're brought to high ground but not necessarily to shelter. kendace, linda? >> so many people, lana, are taken off guard by all of this and they seemingly have no idea where to go, including right there at your hotel. you saw some pretty dramatic images of people just kind of showing up with no idea where to go. >> reporter: they were shell-shocked. the expression on their faces as they came in, many of them holding maybe a plastic bag that had all of their worldly possessions in it, many of them

clutching pets that were drenched and soaking. all of them soaking. so many people that didn't have a change of clothes, who didn't know where they would sleep tonight. and one of the things i have to tell you guys, i was just so profoundly moved by this. many people like linda there without shoes, that they didn't have time, even, to gather up the most essential of things for themselves and waiting for help. it was a remarkable situation. when they would come here to the hotel looking for a room, soon it became apparent that the hotel couldn't keep up with the folks that were coming here. and they were starting to -- even now we have some people sleeping in the lobby because the hotel was nice enough just to allow people to stay even if they couldn't give them a room. >> we're hoping for the best for all of those folks right now. abc's lana zak live in houston for us right now this morning. thank you, lana. a man is describing an

incredible rescue he took part in today. >> mike was racing to a neighborhood with a canoe to help his family. on his way he heard someone yelling for help from a freeway. that person was standing in what appeared to be chest-deep water. this is what he told ktrk, our reporter there, ted oberg. >> i heard someone screaming. i followed a guy and another kid. i helped him in the canoe. i paddled to the guy in a truck, and i said, what kind of truck do you have? an 18-wheeler. all i could see was this part of him. >> that was amazing. the man was standing on top of his 18-wheeler. most tractor-trailers are nearly 14 feet high. mike was able to pull the man to safety and that man was fairly tall, as mike mentioned, as well. >> as we've been saying, those rapidly rising floodwaters took so many people by surprise. >> we spoke to a woman trapped in her houston home surrounded

by water. she made a desperate plea for help as she prepared to make a move with her family to higher ground. >> hailey, describe the situation you're in right now. what do you see outside your home? >> at least six feet of water as far as you can see. >> reporter: you're trying to evacuate your house? >> we're about to walk chest high in water to three properties over to a shed that looks like it's above ground more than we are. >> reporter: what do you want to tell management officials all across the country right now? >> we need help in fifth ward. we need people here to evacuate people. everyone has water in their homes now. the water is high enough in the street that you cannot pass it on foot. get people here now before they die. >> what a desperate cry that is. it's very reminiscent. that's the sort of desperate cry

we heard during hurricane ka katrina. >> we should check the forecast and what we can expect. meteorologist paul williams is here now. paul? >> good morning, kendace and linda. this storm is barely on the threshold of being a tropical storm but it's still deadly nonetheless. the location 28.7 north, 96.4 west. it's moving to south-southeast. it's expected to strengthen a little bit to stay cohesive enough so it still has an impact as it travels north. the eye is not expected to be back in the grade of a hurricane, so that's good news. but still causing multiple concerns for tornado warnings that have been issued throughout the area, and take a look at this water. we're expecting an additional 16

to 32 inches of rain. back to you. >> absolutely incredible there, paul. >> paul, tell us what, in the days to come, the next day or so, the next 48, 72 hours, what's the worst we can expect? what will be some of the worst hit areas? >> unfortunately, we already had a very rain-soaked ground, so it was already wet there in the first place. take a look at this tracking. it's going to track throughout eastern portions of texas but it will take all week long. we have right now in the video you've been showing previously not just flash flood warnings, but we have what's called flash flood emergencies which is even more dire. i expect more flash flood emergencies as we deal with catastrophic -- catastrophic -- flooding concerns in and around houston and even going further inward, we're looking for extreme problems there. you just mentioned katrina. well, remember, over towards new orleans, we're expecting some flooding to possibly occur there from this exact same storm. >> that's not the sort of thing that folks in new orleans would like to hear, paul, at all.

they only have 14 pumps that are operational right now. paul williams at accuweather, thank you. president trump is expected to face some tough questions about his controversial decision to pardon former arizona sheriff joe arpaio when he holds a news conference at the white house today. >> he's also facing criticism for firing off several tweets about a wide range of other issues as harvey slams texas. here's abc's mary bruce. >> president trump returning from camp david with a wave. >> mr. president, what's your message to the people of texas? >> reporter: he's been monitoring the storm response via video conference. harvey is a major test for the president. and from the flood zone, warm words from the texas governor. >> we could not be more appreciative of what the federal government has done from the president on down. >> reporter: on twitter the president is touting the great coordination, saying we have an all-out effort going and going well. but he's also tweeting about everything from a book by a controversial political ally to the border wall, nafta and his upcoming visit to missouri, a state he, quote, won by a lot.

and he's taking heat for his controversial decision to pardon former arizona sheriff joe arpaio and his response to charlottesville. the secretary of state pressed about the president's values. >> i don't believe anyone doubts the american people's values or the commitment of the american government or the government's agencies to advancing those values and defending those values. >> and the president's values? >> the president speaks for himself. >> reporter: some strong words there from the secretary of state. now, the president tweeted that he wants to visit texas as soon as it's possible without causing a major disruption. and the white house says the president will be there on tuesday. mary bruce, abc news, washington. >> well, hurricane harvey stranded at least 500 people at houston hobby airport. coming up, how they were evacuated and more on the travel nightmare caused by this storm. also the plan to rescue more victims from the floodwaters this morning. we're going to talk to one of the people in charge of the search and rescue effort.

"world news now" weather, brought to you by downey. by downey i want you to stay this bright blue forever, that's why you'll stay in this drawer forever. i can't live without you, and that's why i'll never ever wash you. protect your clothes from stretching, fading and fuzz with downy fabric conditioner. fading and fuzz with downy fabric conditioner. it smooths and strengthens fibers to protect clothes from the damage of the wash. so your favorite clothes stay your favorite clothes. downy fabric conditioner.

and here's another amazi here's another amazing rescue in houston caught on camera. a person holding onto their car trying to keep from being swept away. >> two men in a boat move in and drag the person into their boat and to safety. that rescue captured live there

overnight. >> you can see those waters rising so quickly. >> absolutely. he still had his wipers on. at one point they pulled him out of that vehicle and he got to safety. so with the floodwaters rising, we spoke to francisco sanchez. he's with the harris county homeland security and management department. he spoke about the rescue efforts under way. >> no community can handle 10 to 15 inches of rain over a four or five-day period. we have the isolated totals forecast of up to 30 inches. what we've been focused on is making sure we got in the room fire, law enforcement, transportation, weather and federal, state and local partners that will help us to address those areas as they happen to try to keep people safe and get them out of harm's way. i think what we saw when we asked for help from the community was overwhelming. we had federal and state resources that could not get in because of the floodwaters, and

we saw literally hundreds of people with their boats and high water vehicles that worked with our fire and law enforcement partners that were dispatched like we would dispatch any fire or law enforcement resource and working hand in hand with our first response partners to get people out of communities that had flooded. the u.s. army corps of engineers has decided to release waters from dams in the houston area, particularly particularly addicts and barker. what that means is the water lefrl wi level will rise and we have the potential of more homes that will flood. we asked them to work with us and gifr ve us the kind of noti we need to work with people and get them out of harm's way. >> so we're not seeing a quick end to the flooding issues they're dealing with in houston at all. >> not at all. usually they wait until an event

to unleash those dams in the case of a flooding, but now they're having to do it in the midst of it. >> feeling they can't wait. >> yep. coming up, how neighbors are helping neighbors in areas of houston hit the hardest. >> a travel nightmare caused by harvey. hundreds of people stranded in one airport. you're watching "world news now." against limescale. so switch to lysol. what it takes to protect. but at this moment, she's fighting a brain tumor. announcer: please take a moment and join st. jude

in finding cures and saving children. visit stjude.org.

and this picture that you're looking at is not a picture of a lake in texas. this is actually one of the runways at hobby airport in houston today. almost unbelievable to look at. it wasn't much better at houston's other airport. >> which is a major hub for united airlines. we're talking about bush international airport. about 500 passengers were stranded at houston's airport sunday. more than 1400 flights were canceled. the larger of the two, bush intercontinental, won't reopen until at least noon today.

hobby airport, where you saw those images earlier which is used by southwest airlines among others, may reopen on wednesday. late sunday southwest ran special flights to evacuate people from houston to dallas. united flew a planeload of passengers to chicago because of bush airport. in particular they couldn't leave the airport because of the roads out. they could fly them out. >> thousands of people have now sought shelter in the houston convention center because of the storm. >> some of them also fled their homes in new orleans. our houston station ktrk showed the houston convention center saturday night. >> when i woke up i saw daylight. and i said, yeah, we got to get out of here. so we stood up on cars and they seen us and a rescue boat came. our cars are under water, our house is under water.

everything is just kind of sad. we're here with the kids. >> reporter: my goodness and they had a long night. >> yeah. we had a long night. everybody had a long night. we were scared to get to sleep so we made sure water didn't go above everybody, made sure the kids stayed in a bed that didn't fall in the water. so yeah, we really did have a hard night. >> this is my front yard this morning. here it is again. that's the neighbor's. you can't see the road. that's the front porch. it did make it up to the front porch but i was getting scared. it was scary this morning. >> there's really nothing else you can do, just thank god we made it through. that's all you can do. >> so amazing to think that people who went through this experience in new orleans with katrina experiencing something similar again. >> so many of them said they would never go back to new orleans in fear of another hurricane. and there they have it right there. >> trying to get little babies to sleep on the floor of the

convention center. >> good luck with that. coming up, one of the many heroes in houston.

because your carpet there's resolve carpet care. it lifts more dirt and pet hair versus vacuuming alone. resolve carpet care with five times benefits i love you, droolius caesar, but sometimes you stink. febreze car vent clip cleans away odors for up to 30 days. because the things you love can stink. there'in herbal essences it's bio:renew a blend of sea kelp, aloe and antioxidants that help bring your hair back to life.

herbal essences. let life in. we, of course, are hearing so many stories of houston heroes, people who dropped everything to help others in need. >> reporta reporter was riding rescue boat when he became part of the story. >> we got you, don't worry. it is a little cold, but we got you. don't worry. come on up. let me put this microphone down, okay? >> okay. >> and they're going to help her get onto that boat which is in and of itself not an easy thing in those currents that they're dealing with. and we can see the rain is falling. >> are you okay? you guys can talk. i'm going to put the microphone down and help this guy.

i'm going to get him on the ledge so we can sit him down and take off. this shows you how critical these people are. they need the help right now. there's just not enough boats, not enough helicopters, not enough first responders, obviously, to get every single person. as you heard, there's 300 people in this apartment complex. a lot of them need the help. here. because they are -- they're elderly, some of them obviously have medical conditions that they need to be on dry land. >> he even gave up one of his raincoats as well as his ktrk umbrella to some of those folks. >> sometimes you just can't help but help. >> if i was stuck in a flood, i want to show you an image that would be me. that would basically be me. >> you're in the duck floatie? >> does he have a beer? yes.

this is a guy that was stuck in some of the floods there and this image we saw over the weekend. >> i love that the duck has shades. >> a lot of people were around. >> the girl on this toucan floac posted this instagram, when you're in a flood and all you can do is float. >> there was another great story of a man who was in his house with his daughter as floodwaters came in, and then they noticed a fish had gotten into their home. much to his daughter's delight, he dove to catch the fish in their house. i love it. he was diving around trying to catch the fish for them and entertained his daughter for quite a bit of time there. >> if they're there for a while, they alr

breaking news this morning on "world news now," harvey's deadly effects get worse. >> get people here now before they die. >> the situation turning desperate overnight as victims of the historic flooding wait to be rescued. the coast guard plucking people from above as boats pass by completely submerged trucks. people taking to their roofs hoping to be seen by rescuers. >> the remnants of the hurricane now completely drowning one of the nation's largest cities. could some of the victims have been spared with a stronger warning? we're live with full coverage this morning on "world news now." we do say good morning to you, everybody. we thank you for joining us. we're going to start with that breaking news and what's proving to be a terrible early morning for much of houston and south texas. >> the victims of harvey are

still battling in north texas. some areas could see 50 inches of rain. at least three deaths are now being blamed on the storm. mandatory evacuation orders were issued overnight for hundreds of homes in the houston suburb of rosenbe rosenberg. and the texas governor has raised his disaster declaration to 54 counties. >> families and even pets plucked from rooftops. houston alone was inundated with 56,000 911 calls over a 24-hour period. the national guard has been activated. fema is sending in more than 1800 staffers and president trump is heading to texas even as the rain continues to fall tomorrow. abc's lana zak is in the thick of it all for us, and lana, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, kendace and linda. more than 600 billion gallons of water have been dumped here in houston, and as the waters continue to rise, there are increasing calls for help.

rescues continue in the dark of night here in houston. >> we got you, don't worry. >> reporter: bisected by roads that are now rivers, america's fourth largest city is now in crisis. >> we need help in fifth ward. we need people here to evacuate people. get people here now before they die. >> reporter: the 911 system overrun. 56,000 calls in just 15 hours. many people say they can't even get through. houston's mayor is asking for patience. >> this is pretty much like day two. there will be day three, and there will be day four, and there may be day five. >> reporter: first responders and good samaritans are working around the clock, desperately trying to keep up with all the cries for help. and those that are rescued are often left with nothing. >> it's like memories that get taken away by, like, something you don't expect. but, i mean, it's all just materialistic stuff.

>> reporter: louise has no dry clothes, no shoes on her feet. she was grateful to be plucked from the waters, but like so many others we heard from, she said she was left stranded without a place to go. >> they said there would be buses. no buses ever came. >> reporter: so you were just sitting there. >> we were just sitting there in the rain just waiting for someone to take us. >> reporter: and then peter came along. >> that's when peter came to rescue us. >> reporter: peter, you're a good samaritan. >> i've been cooped up in my home the last few days watching you guys, and i just said, you know what, i'm able bowledied. i might as well ask someone what i can do, so i drove down there. >> he is our hero. >> reporter: a definite hero there, and some heroes. they really deserve all of our praise and gratitude. but, again, the situation here continues to deteriorate. we have learned that there are possible levy breaches that are going to occur in the next several hours. people frantically trying to find some dry space. and now officials are saying that they are planning on

releasing -- they are planning on releasing water from two reservoirs that will have a major impact on hundreds of homes and potentially thousands of people. linda? kendace? >> also, lana, issues seem to be with the fact they were told initially they didn't have to evacuate? >> reporter: you're right, linda. part of the frustration is the confusion. the governor told people he would evacuate if he was still in houston, he would leave. that was quickly retorted by the mayor who said people shouldn't leave. folks here were getting two different messages and the mayor went hard saying people should stay put. that goes back to 2005 in hurricane rita. hours before rita was supposed to hit, i think it was 2.5 million people were out on the road all at once and these highways became congested.

6 60 people died as a result of those evacuation orders. that's what they were trying to avoid, but is it all too little too late? that's what people are asking now. >> indeed. you can still hear the rain kind of coming down there and even some thunder right there in the background. >> and tornado warnings as well. there's been all of it. >> absolutely. it's going to be a long week out there. lana zak joining us from houston. we'll have another live report from lana later on in the next half hour. houston area hospitals in the meantime are facing several challenges that may be making things tough to stay open. two critical issues, getting staff to and from work, and the delivery of supplies. >> at least two area hospitals have already decided to evacuate patients. bay shore medical center is moving nearly 200 patients to several other hospitals in the area. it's also suspending services, including its 24-hour emergency medical center. >> and one hospital there, ben

taub, canceled the evacuation of 200 patients because the roads are too difficult to travel there. we spoke on the phone with wendy waterman. she and two dozen other people are waiting for water to recede. >> we would see one helicopter fly by, another helicopter fly in another direction. we heard boats. but when we were outside, you would go in the front yard and the backyard, and you would see one or the other, a helicopter lowering someone down to save them. this was going on for a good couple hours. >> are you guys planning to leave the home or leave that area any time, are you waiting for people to come and rescue you? >> no, we're planning to stay until the water recedes. we don't have power. we do have plumbing right now, but we feel lucky, fortunate, that we're dry, and we have

enough food and enough water and hopefully within the next 24, 48, 36 hours, the water will recede and people will be able to go to other places. >> reporter: do you feel as if you're in danger at all? >> yes. >> very, very much so. we have one of the houses that are higher up, and it's one thing to feel for your community, which is something obviously you feel very much inside, but it's another thing and just another level to be scared for yourself and your own well-being. >> the elderly folks who are here in the home, that's what makes me -- my grandmother is here and she's 93 years old. she does have medication here, but at some point we may need to call to, you know, get more help. >> like the 96-year-old, we had to get her across the street. they had to lift her in a chair across water. >> we don't have access. there is 19 people here and to get all of us out --

>> by canoe or kayak or raft. >> -- it would be dramatic. >> and we don't have a place to go. >> and i think the situation with that particular group right there, i don't think they have any idea of how long this road is going to be. so they're saying, we're good here for just another couple of days or three days once the water goes down. the water will stop coming from the skies in two to three days. then it will take a long time for it to start going down. but they're trapped on the island right now in a home. >> and that's what's concerning to so many, that this catastrophe isn't over yet in southern texas. the worst may be yet to come. >> accuweather's paul williams is joining us now with details on the trek. good morning. >> good morning. we have concerns. i'm not trying to be an alarmist, but something happened in the last few moments. let me show you where we are right now. we have a tropical storm.

it's likely to be downgraded to a tropical depression, but don't let that make you think you're out of the woods, because it will strengthen just a little bit more before the track moves to the north. we're looking at 40-mile-per-hour winds, but we have, in the outer tentacles of this thing, we have over 150 and still counting tornado warnings alone. we're not even talking about the devastation of the flooding. but look at the track. we're expecting this track throughout eastern portions of texas, and i want to make this very simple for understanding's sake. the eastern part of the state right into the southern portions of arkansas. but i want you to note this is going until friday. it's going to take it a week to travel through eastern texas, what we don't need. and one final note, now we're starting to get more reports as far as what's happening with the power outages. there is another part of this. remember, previous weeks we've had a tremendous amount of rain that's been hitting this same area over and over again. so now we're looking locally for

over 40, maybe 50 inches of rain? but we've already had a water-logged land mass. >> our thanks to paul williams there. more than 40 inches of rain by the time this is over. just impressive numbers all around. >> all around. coming up, it's the image that's defined this disaster so far. that nursing home packed with seniors as water mercilessly continued to rise. an update on those senior citizens. >> and a producer inside south texas brought producers inside his home. the family waited in flooding waters to be rescued. you're watching "world news now."

clearasil rapid action begins working fast for clearly visible results in as little as 12 hours. but will it stop this teen from chugging hot sauce? ...oh jeremy. so let's be clear: clearasil works fast on teen acne, not so much on other teen things. whatit's up to you, like with tampax pearl.od? you get ultimate protection on your heaviest days,

and smooth removal for your lightest. tampax pearl. and pocket pearl, for on the go. refrigerators floating, couch floating. it's done. i wouldn't expect it to be like that. >> it was very scary. it was very scary. i mean, i experienced 2002, but it wasn't this bad, though.

it came and got us pretty quick. >> he's saying it came and got him pretty quick and it was very scary. that's just one of the harrowing stories from an evacuee who is now at houston's convention center. one of the strongest images from hurricane harvey shows some of the storm's most vulnerable victims. >> they were nursing home residents in dickinson, texas, some of them up to their chest in rising floodwaters. we look at their desperate wait for rescuers to arrive. >> reporter: the picture heart breaking. senior citizens in wheelchairs trapped in a nursing home just outside houston. one woman seems to be calmly knitting in her recliner while the water raises. with the flood making an escape impossible, another woman sent that picture to her son-in-law. >> she said, things are really bad. she said, we really need help right now. we can't wait. >> reporter: a few hours later, the seniors were rescued by helicopter, an official telling the local paper, we were

airlifting grand mothers and grandfathers. here evacuations still under way. an elderly woman with a walker helped into a truck. a woman clutching her baby in a canoe. in houston the mayor facing criticism by telling residents friday to stay put. >> there is no need at this point for people to be thinking about leaving, getting on the road and putting themselves in greater danger. >> reporter: from the governor, the opposite advice. >> if you have the ability to evacuate and go somewhere else for a little while, it would be good. >> reporter: the governor refusing to criticize the mayor saying, we've moved beyond whether or not there should have been an evacuation or not. you can see those water rescues still happening behind me. the people we spoke to says this is an area that typically floods. once they realized it was bad, they say it was too high to leave. eva pilgrim, abc news, dickinson, texas. >> and shooo hard for the offics

to learn those lessons of the past. do they tell people to stay put or do they tell them to get on the road? >> it's tough because in corpus christi, on friday we thought maybe they're making the right decision by not evacuating everyone -- corpus christi got off relatively okay. houston thought, we don't know where the storm -- exactly. they did the same thing and it's a tough decision for these politicians. coming up, inside the flood. we go inside one man's house as the waters were rising around his family. >> that's next on "world news now." w." no way. nada. really? dish issues? throw it all in. new cascade platinum powers through... even burnt-on gravy. nice. cascade.

texas governor texas governor greg abbott is sending another 150 armed guardsmen to houston texas governor greg abbott is sending more national guard today. >> they have rescued more people from roofs and cars and bridges. i want to show you this fascinating piece of video that came in just a matter of hours ago. the driver of that suv got overwhelmed by the flooding, the wipers still being on there. this is the houston surveillance camera, the traffic system surveillance camera capturing that rescue right there. quite a dramatic scene. >> houston police are asking

anyone with boats or motor boats to come and assist in those rescue efforts. they have received 16,000 emergency calls in a 15-hour period this morning. >> absolutely amazing numbers right there. unprecedented and historic are words being used to describe what the reality is. >> while this storm is not as deadly as hurricane katrina, it's just as historical with many heartbreaking images seared into the minds of people in sandy and katrina. katrina, though, was the costliest natural disaster in history. it cost $128 billion. >> and then there's hurricane sandy which was the second costliest at $78 billion. repairs are still being made in the new orleans area and that's five years later.

>> joe gleason went high in his house as the waters were rising. >> i'm sure he didn't want to be there for that live shot. his whole family was eventually rescued. here's a live look. >> we actually started moving things upstairs about 5:00. then probably about 5:15, the water started coming through, and so at this point we kind of just said, okay, let's just get, you know, the most important things, pets, kids, and go back upstairs. here's the before picture. this is what it looks like normally. then you see it today. never before have we seen it this high. >> so many of you have been watching throughout the last 15 hours and heard the story about abc sports producer joe gleason and his family. we showed you inside his house

at san filipe and voss. we are so happy to report they are fine and at his in-law's house. joe was overwhelmed by the help he's received. >> water started rising over my neighbor's railing, and i said if it starts rising over the railing, we got to move. and i started hearing boats on buffalo bayou. i was yelling at him and whistling at him and trying to get their attention. they didn't come our way and i was starting to panic a little bit. after that live pop i did, they rallied a boat over there, and within an hour i was in a boat and we were here. people i don't even know offered to come over and get us and offered clothes for the kids and offered a place to stay, and i've got a garage apartment. houston is unbelievable.

>> absolutely amazing moment there. we'll be right back. right back. it's never much, just what's left after i break a dollar. and i never thought i could get quality life insurance with my spare change. neither did i. until i saw a commercial for the colonial penn program. imagine people our age getting life insurance at such an affordable rate. it's true. if you're 50 to 85, you can get guaranteed acceptance life insurance through the colonial penn program for less than 35 cents a day, just $9.95 a month. there's no medical exam and no health questions. you know, the average cost of a funeral is over $8,300. now that's a big burden to leave your loved ones. as long as you're 50 to 85, you cannot be turned down because of your health. your premium never goes up and your benefit never goes down due to age.

plus, your coverage builds cash value over time. call now for free information and a free gift. all i did was make a phone call and all of my questions about the colonial penn program were answered. it couldn't have been any easier and we both got the coverage we should have had for years now. mm-hm, with change to spare. (laughing) (colonial penn jingle) tand, our adulte children are here. so, we save by using tide. which means we use less. three generations of clothes cleaned in one wash. those are moms. anybody seen my pants? nothing cleans better. put those on dad! it's got to be tide.

♪ lysol max cover kills 99.9% of bacteria, even on soft surfaces. one more way you've got what it takes to protect.

as southeastern texas gets as southeastern texas get pummeled by unprecedented flooding by hurricane harvey, we're looking at pictures of neighbors helping neighbors. >> indeed, and you can see by the radar there, there is still a lot more rain to come for southeastern texas. people not in that particular area are probably wondering this morning, what can you do to help? salvation army disaster services is one option. you can call them at 1-800-725-2769. or the website you see he helpsalvationarmy.org. >> or call the red cross at 1-800-redcross. text harvey to 90999.

red cross is heading to that region. they're plig subpoebringing sup them. operation barbecue is headed to texas. they bring hot meals to those in need. they picked up about 900 pounds of pork and they're on their way. i have to say, 900 pounds, they'll need a lot more pork, but at least it's a start. >> it's definitely a start. a little league team from southeast texas took the league's collective mind off harvey at least for the weekend. >> that's right, the team took on japan in the little league world series. they got a home run to start off. then another home run. they took a 2-0 lead. >> then japan came back. so they broke loose for a combined nine runs in the fourth and the fifth innings. and there you see it. japan won 12-2, giving another

hit to southeast texas. but those kids did great and they should be very proud. and how proud, you know, just knowing that -- >> right, that they were out there fighting for their victory for texas. >> all of texas was looking to the storm we had. a lot of celebrities, of course, are reacting to the situation in texas. >> a lot of them want to help in amazing ways. thael that's the most heartwarming part. >> the point guard for texas tes said, hearts go out to the people of texas. >> j.j. watt set an initial goal of 200,000 for a fundraiser and he already made that. now he's hoping for 500,000. we've got cher also sending love and prayers to all

when i have an asthma attack... i feel scared. sometimes my parents have to take me to the hospital. i feel like a fish with no water. you know how to react to their asthma attacks. here's how to prevent them. call... visit... or call your doctor. because...

did you know that people born from 1945 through 1965 have the highest rates of hepatitis c, but most don't know they're infected? people can live for decades without symptoms, but over time hepatitis c can cause serious health problems. if you were born during these years, the cdc now recommends that you get a blood test for hepatitis c. so talk to your doctor and find out if you have hepatitis c. it could save your life. know more.

breaking news, breaking news, flooding catastrophe in texas. breaking news, flooding catastrophe in texas. >> the aftermath of harvey deepening overnight. >> they're soaked to the bone. >> they're completely soaked. >> rhe >> the relentless rain pounding on south texas. using boats to navigate the freeways. >> people in the country's fourth largest city pleading for help. >> we need help in fifth ward. get people here now before they die. >> the millions dealing with epic flooding and the race to save them right now on this special edition of "world news now." >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now."

we do say good morning to you, everybody. you see the radar, the satellite image over there and you can tell it's not over yet. all those incredible images we saw there will just continue. >> for the next several days. >> for the next several days. that's the breaking news we're continuing to follow, the drenching rain hammering south texas and not letting up soon. >> harvey is still triggering frantic rescues. more downpours moving in overnight after houston was already swamped with more than two feet of rain. and another two feet of rain may be on the way over the next several days. the coast guard was working around the clock, rescuing people by water and air. many were on rooftops and submerged cars. >> this man spotted gliding through the streets of houston in an air boat.

>> reporter: the rescues do not stop here in houston and that's the real danger right now. we spent part of the night with a group of brothers, the jackson brothers, who had been going out rescuing their fellow neighbors. search and rescue teams and first sporesponders are stretch thin because there are so many people trapped. >> all the rising water happens so fast. >> reporter: the jackson brothers went on a flats boat. they went right up to this family stuck in a house. they had run up to the second floor because the water came rushing in. there happened to be two families in that house along with multiple pets. they all crowded onto this flats boat and they were taken to higher ground. this was happening all across houston right now. this is what's happening as this rain doesn't stop and the hard e est rain doesn't leave this area. >> that really is the story right now.

people doing whatever they can to get to safety. neighbors like this couple in their 90s in houston. the red cross now has eight shelters open in the greater houston area. >> abc's victor a family in the houston convention center. >> reporter: what area was it? and how high was the water in the house? >> it's about chest high on me. >> cars flooded, refrigerators floating, couch floating, it's done. >> i experienced 2002, but it wasn't this bad. it was very scary. it was very scary. >> definitely a frightening scene there. harvey will likely cause gas prices to rise throughout the gulf coast. key refineries and oil production facilities have been forced to close. dozens of oil rigs and several

refineries have also been shut down. on sunday two of the nation's biggest both located in texas, shell's deer park and exxonmobil closed. >> they produce about 2 million barrels a day. they are predicting gas prices could rise to the houston's hobby airport won't reopen until wednesday at the earliest. flights to and from houston airports were closed yesterday. more cancellation and see delays in the u.s. were caused by those delays in south texas. rail and bus lines were also suspended and many interstates in the region are also closed. 50% of coast guard helicopters are helping in the

region. >> this is going to be an extremely complex situation in the next few days. so putting it on a playing field to say we're marching down the field and what quarter of the game, we haven't figured out exactly what this will look like at the end of the day. what i can assure you, we're in here supporting the state of texas and fema for the duration, but this is a very complicated event that hasn't sort of reached its full zenith or peak yet. >> obviously there are many people in their homes that are trying to figure out what do we do as the water continues to rise? what do you tell them to do? >> first and foremost, take the threat very seriously. you know, people that get in their cars taken to vehicles and high water situations very dangerous. stay in your homes. get to high ground in your homes. if the water levels are such where you're starting to feel for your personal safety, you should try to get ahold of 911. if you have to, because the waters get to a certain height, get out to your roof, wave some

type of towel, put a marking on your roof, that is the best way for us to find you. if you're making contact, if you have phone service or cell service, what helps us is having a street address and zip code. that helps our pilots navigate to your location. this is a large-scale, very large-scale event that's yet sort of -- we have our arms around the full extent of it. i think katrina, the rupturing of the levees and the immense flooding here at a fairly quick pace. what we have here is we saw, and you asked me earlier about our preparations. we prepositioned to get in here. i would say we were in here with a robust package of capabilities to support the state before today and we are in the fight rescuing folks. >> we are in the fight, right there. that indeed for the coast guard. harvey, of course, is no longer a hurricane but is still a life-threatening flooding event

as it crosses southeast texas. >> let's go to accuweather. good morning, paul. >> what we have now, a tropical storm. barometric pressure has dropped. 96.4 west and it's moving to the east-southeast at 3 miles per hour. we are looking at the eye of the storm possibly reemerging over the water and then restrengthening once again. look at those bands of rain. you see all the red indicated right there. that's where we're getting a lot of the tornado warnings and we've had over 150 and counting just from the outline aspects of the system. we're talking about devastating and catastrophic impact with flooding, with over 50 inches of rain in some areas. >> paul, can you tell us, when we look at these images, we think about hurricane katrina, we think about superstorm sandy,

especially here in our area in new york. in your weather memory, how is the storm ranking compared to those storms? >> well, i actually worked katrina when i was working in mississippi at the time. and it's not quite to that girth or that strength, but it's still a problem because of this. remember, this storm is going to take until friday to even clear out, so it's a slow mover. that's problem number one. problem number two, you might not remember, but last week and the previous week, we had heavy showers in the first place. that's going to make this even worse as far as dealing with the power outages. >> and it's quite an interesting track, paul, because it went -- i believe it was a 36-hour period where it went from being nothing to tropical depression to a hurricane 4. how unusual. >> right. now, it's not so unusual because when you take a look at this from a meteorological standpoint, over the warm water of the gulf, that's not so

unusual to happen. for example, you're not likely to get a 4 or 5 hurricane over the pacific in the california coast. but you can imagine this happening in the gulf, because historically the gulf has a lot of energy in place to create this opportunity. not only that, then we're dumping a tremendous amount of rain, 40-plus, maybe 50 inches. although that is tremendous and earth shattering in and of itself, it's not the record. the record amount of rainfall in one day is like 43 inches of rain and that was set in 1979. >> that is impressive there. as we watch south texas, we should also mention off the atlantic there is also a disturbance that paul and many folks are paying attention to. paul, we appreciate your work. >> i'm sure they'll be focusing on it in the next few days. we'll have more breaking news coverage in the show, but when we come back, a look at our other headlines. >> including president trump's pardon of former sheriff joe arpaio. a look at that controversial decision, just ahead. also violent clashes in

berkeley, california as counter-protesters rattle right wing demonstration, slamming them with homemade shields. stay with us. you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by flonase. flonase. our bodies react by overproducing 6 key inflammatory substances that cause our symptoms. flonase helps block 6. most allergy pills only block one and 6 is greater than 1. with more complete relief you can enjoy every beautiful moment to the fullest. flonase. 6 is greater than 1 changes everything.

at least three people are at least t at least three people are dead as a result of hurricane harvey. it is now a tropical storm but its torrential rain, strong winds and catastrophic flooding will continue in southeastern texas this week. >> overnight officials are releasing water from two reservoirs upstream of houston to prevent those dams tr collap -- from collapsing and they warn that this alone might flood some homes. >> this event played out on live tv with our station there in houston. the president did monitor the situation while he was in camp david over the weekend where he tweeted several things about the storm. >> all over texas, floods are unprecedented and more rain coming. the spirit of the people is incredible. thap thanks. as the president returned to washington with the first lady and son barron, the president

announced he'll be visiting texas tomorrow to look at the storm zone. president trump pardoned former sheriff joe arpaio as this storm was bearing down on texas. >> he's continuing his immigration patrols after a judge ordered him to stop. former vice president joe biden wrote, quote, the president's contempt for the u.s. constitution and his willingness to divide this nation knows no bounds. homeland security adviser tom bossert defended the president's decision. >> i think it's pretty straightforward what the president did. it's not something that will threaten our constitutional order. >> the president constantly talks about healing, healing, healing, but almost every single one of his actions as president has been the exact opposite. >> and the secretary of state rex tillerson was hesitant to defend the president's values. this was interesting. he would only say the president

speaks for himself, not the american people. >> well, the navy has found the remains of all the missing sailors killed after the u.s.s. john mccain collided with a tanker in singapore several days ago. the bodies were all recovered inside a flooded compartment inside the destroyer. the navy is now reviewing all its operations because of the collision. it's the fourth major accident for the u.s. pacific fleet this year. back in this country, an intense and ugly scene in berkeley, california as masked anarchists clashed with right wing demonstrators. at least 14 people were arrested at the protests. the protests were largely peaceful until the anarchists attacked a group from no to marxism at a rally. they had also gathered at the rally to protest there was a lot of ugliness that

took place in berkeley. at a time when confederate monuments are coming down, alabama is unveiling a new one. several people attended a dedication of a marking of unknown confederate soldiers in montgomery. it's in a park built on private land that opened two years ago. the group that organized that event says it's just a coincidence the unveiling was announced after the events in charlottesville. when we come back, more coverage of this devastating storm in texas. >> we'll be right back. right back. whitening therapy. it's our best whitening technology. plus, it has a fortifying formula to protect your enamel. crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life.

...until we found a connection. you have the power to change your child's life. the boys town national hline can help. (tdd# 1-800-448-1433)

the evacuation orders for the evacuation orders for residents of houston's southwest suburbs along the brazos river have just been upgraded from voluntary to mandatory. it's expected to rise to 59 feet, one an official calls an

800-year flood level. the river is expected to hit its peak this afternoon. the storm is staying over south texas the next several days, pounding it with heavy rain. abc's lana zak joins us now from houston where the rain is continuing to come down. lana, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, kendace and linda. that's exactly right, this tropical storm has not left. he came into town and not only dissipated to the point where he is a tropical storm, he's moving about 2 miles per hour. that continues this deluge of flooding that we've seen. 15 inches is expected in houston here alone. two major hospitals have ordered evacuations. one found they were unable to successfully evacuate the folks at their hospital, in part because the waterways all around them are completely blocked off,

the hospital having to confess that they were an island and unable to safely move their patients out. they say they do have supplies for now, but that's not going to last very long. and that's something that we've heard from so many people, that they were prepared for the flood, but they were not prepared for how severe this has been. and the lack of resources, really thousands waiting for somebody to come rescue them. kendace, linda? >> so many people in that same situation, lana, in houston. just fascinating to see those scenes of that river overflowing its bank. it's going to be a long week. lana, thank you. the texas town of rockport was ravaged by harvey's 100-mile-an-hour winds. they ordered evacuation, but more than half the city's residents stayed behind. one woman was skecheduled for a

c-section on tuesday. >> they were unable to see the damage to their home, so they asked matt to go there and take video. >> we can't see the damage that was done. >> that was the baby's blanket that i was making for her. >> that was in our bedroom which is off that end of the trailer. >> she was scheduled for a c-section this tuesday. devastating. >> well, residents of the town are stunned and devastated by the damage. officials say it's likely in the hundreds of millions of dollars. the electricity has been out in rockport since the storm began, and the local cell phone tower still is not working. at least one texas mom will remember this storm every time she says her son's name. >> harvey rodriguez was born in corpus christi on friday. his mom hadn't selected a name for him when he was born, so the nurse made a suggestion.

>> mom and new baby boy harvey are said to be doing good. >> more news, next. ed. we'll be back. ed. we'll be back.

(male #1) it's a little something i've done every night since i was a kid, empty my pocket change into this old jar. it's never much, just what's left after i break a dollar. and i never thought i could get quality life insurance with my spare change. neither did i. until i saw a commercial for the colonial penn program. imagine people our age getting life insurance at such an affordable rate.

it's true. if you're 50 to 85, you can get guaranteed acceptance life insurance through the colonial penn program for less than 35 cents a day, just $9.95 a month. there's no medical exam and no health questions. you know, the average cost of a funeral is over $8,300. now that's a big burden to leave your loved ones. as long as you're 50 to 85, you cannot be turned down because of your health. your premium never goes up and your benefit never goes down due to age. plus, your coverage builds cash value over time. call now for free information and a free gift. all i did was make a phone call and all of my questions about the colonial penn program were answered. it couldn't have been any easier and we both got the coverage we should have had for years now. mm-hm, with change to spare. (laughing) (colonial penn jingle)

all right, we're back, and there were other things that took place o we're back and there were other things that took place overnight. a busy night in the pop music -- or just pop world generally, got, "game of thrones," had its finale and the music awards kicked off last night with katy perry with an interesting video featuring buzz aldren, among others. >> the evening was full of powerful performances, too, and powerful speeches. one of the topics talked about, of course, hurricane harvey. >> awful us here at the vmas are sending love to the people of southeast texas and everyone affected by hurricane harvey right now. we're praying for your safety in the days to come, and we stand with you as you rebuild because we're all in this together.

>> but for the fans, perhaps the most anticipated moment of the night was the premiere of taylor swift's "look what you made me do," video, which was interesting, too. she plays several versions of herself, including zombie t. swift. >> the video already has over 8.7 million views on youtube. she's reinvented herself from country, of course. but the controversy of this is people are saying it's basically a sad rip-off of beyonce's "formation" video. >> right, and the director came out and denied that. >> one of the tweets people have been saying, including with a caption saying, my daddy pennsylvania, my mommy pennsylvania, you mix up pennsylvania with the vania. >> you get taylor >> so the most talked-about performance was from pink.

she performed ahead of accepting the vanguard award. >> the mix matchup brought the house down and then broke it down literally with some break dancing? >> yeah. it's pink. >> let's check her out. ♪ >> she goes crazy in >> she did the entire set, and the cutest part was seeing her daughter -- well, that's interesting. her daughter was there along with her husband while she accepted the award. and as we mentioned, a lot of people were still -- from the celebrity world still talking about harvey. >> and how you can help. kevin hart actually really wants to help. he said he's putting up a link and called out specific celebrities, jay-z, jerry seinfeld, chris rock. he's calling on

>> that's what's making news in america this morning. breaking news, flooding castastrophe in texas. >> the emergency after hurricane harvey deepening overnight. >> it's scary when water is rushing that fast, rising that fast. >> the relentless rain still pounding the houston area. water submerging whole neighborhoods. a runway at a houston airport underwater and boats now navigating freeways to make rescues. >> you hate to see people lose everything they have and, you know, all we can do is try to help them get to dry land. >> people in the country's fourth largest city pleading for help. >> we need help in fifth ward. get people here now before they die. >> the millions dealing with epic flooding and the race to save them right now. and the storm's latest path. we're tracking it all.