barreling through a large portion of the state. at least one person is dead. 12 others have been hurt and the storm made landfall as a category four and downgraded about two hours ago today. >> it is hammering the area and i think the best way to demonstrate what the winds have done already is to look at this oak tree which has split here, falling two directions, going on to the roof of this house. >> i'm going to order my gurney now because i've never seen this before. >> multiple floods are possible for the city of houston. we just don't know how this is all going to play out. >> and you heard it and you could see it. the big concern now is the rain, the riedsing water levels are already setting off flooding fears. more than 300,000 people are without power right now. and this is just day one. of a very slow-moving storm which is expected to last at least four days as harvey lingers above a large portion of the lone star state. >> there are more than 338,000

outages and it will still be several days, perhaps before those outages could be addressed. >> texas governor greg abbott there and brand-new information on the strength of the storm. let's bring in shanna mendio. what is the latest on this. i know it is down to a tropical storm. but that is nothing to take lightly. >> that is right, alex. let's take a look at the currents on this storm. downgraded to a tropical storm. and all that means is the winds have died down a little bit but the rain just embedded in this storm, enough to produce that heavy flooding that we're expecting for the next few days. it is stationary. so it is not moving. that is a big problem. because when you get rain over the same amount of area, at one time, again, that is a lot of rain that happens. and we'll expect this for a couple of days. right now the location is 45 miles northwest of victoria, texas. winds are dying down to 65 miles per hour. but strong enough again to uproot the trees and take down power lines and cause a lot of

damage out there to structures. let's look at what we could expect in terms of the life-threatening storm surge. that will go away into the next couple of days and our focus is now the flooding and the path of the storm has changed. now the latest update from the national hurricane center shows it will take a turn to the north into wednesday. but it is going to be a several-day event and that is why we are so concerned with the amount of rain that is going to follow. now why is it not moving. we want to tell you about that. normally the jet stream is what dictates the patern of the weather here. we get the movement right there. we need the steering winds for anything to move so there is a blocking high out west if you live in california, you know there is a big heat wave on the day and it is not changing for the next five days. that is blocking harvey. without the steering motion and the wind and without pushing it away it is stuck in the same position and we'll soo this for the next five days ahead. weather patterns coast to coast staying the same. in terms of the rain totals, this is historic devastating

flooding that is possible. up to 40 inches are possible by the end of the storm in a lot of locations in texas getting the amount of rain that they get, close to a yearly amount. so this is going to be again a concern in terms of flooding, it is going to take time for the rain to recede and day by day we'll have to watch this because the ams of rain that are going to happen is just truly deaf tating. that is why we are watching this so closely. >> and very quickly. talk about all of the rain and i'm thinking the ground has got to be saturated already. it has no place to go. >> it will take time for it to recede and it is happening from now into wednesday and some of the models saying saturday. >> wow, a whole week of this. thank you very much into and now to rosenberg, texas, where a evacuation order was just issued. stephanie gosk is standing by for us. let's talk about the conditions. doesn't look like it is raining so that is good news. >> reporter: yeah, you know, alex, you are talking about the winds dying down from the

hurricane. there isn't a ton of rain right lear and people are getting evacuation orders. you could imagine sitting in the house and thinking the river is down the road, the brazos river and it is rising but not very high. but they are being told to leave and their listening to it. because the people who live in this area of texas know that it floods. this is marina salinas family and they are moving everything out of the house. they've got their refrig, furniture, kids toys, and they had to do this last year or they were -- they should have probably done it last year. there was a flood in 2016 on memorial day. and this entire area flooded including their house. maria, can you tell us what happened last year when your home flooded? >> well, the water went up about two feet inside. we lost everything. we were not prepared. we've had -- >> so you lost your furniture, you lost --

>> everything. i mean, the only thing we probably took out was just very little necessities of clothes and like things that you -- not even food. we left everything here and lost everything last year. >> can you believe that in just a year later, a little over a year later you are in the same spot. >> i can't believe it. just because we're -- literally been here back eight months back in our home and to have to go there through t again is just overwhelming. >> sitting here, it is not raining. >> it is not raining. >> the river is not very high. >> it is not that high. >> it is tough. this is hard to move all of your furniture, you have three kids. >> three kids: it's hard. just looking at this now, this is surreal to me. i -- i can't believe it is happening all over again. >> how long has your family lived here. >> about 20 years. >> and how many floods have been there. >> this would be the second flood. >> two years, two floods. >> yes. >> and the financial cost for

all of this. >> yes. >> it enormous. >> yes. very much. so this year we just again -- last year we left everything, furniture, we lost everything and this year we're not leaving anything to chance. we said, we had voluntary evacuation, now where they are telling us it is mandatory so now we're like, you know what, we're taking efrpg and not going to lose everything and have to buy furniture all over again. >> and you are listening to it. alex, it raises an interesting point because we've been talking about the difference fren voluntary and mandatory and we go into places where it is mandatory evacuation and you might see people who aren't moving but you have to consider what it means for families to get out, to move their possessions. the emotional strain of it, the financial strain of it and then they sit here and think, maybe i'll just risk it. but obviously we have an example, the family that lost everything last year and they are not taking any chances this year. >> i have to tell you, i'm

trying to look at the silver lining here and the good thing is at least it is dry right now. so they could make haste and try and get things loaded up and get out of there. but what a hassle. two floods in two years after living there 20 years. who would have thought of it. could you just double check one thing with me, stephanie. i understand in the city of rose anberg, it is only a partial mandatory evacuation, right? or is it the whole town? >> reporter: it is not the whole town. it is just sections. and the sections that are closest to the brazos river. which is right down the road. so we drove around here and we noticed in this neighborhood here which is definitely a mandatory evacuation and the block surrounding here, there are certainly people that are not heeding it. there are definitely people that are staying and although i saw a sheriff's car a moment ago, maybe they have having conversations with people. but again, it is hard to wrap your head around the fact that it is not raining, river is low, you might sit there and think that there isn't a risk and you

also might be looking at the news and saying it is no longer a hurricane or a category 4. we don't really have to worry about that and officials are saying don't be fooled by the fact that the winds have died down. don't be fooled by the fact that the strength of the hurricane isn't there. that there is still a risk of heavy rain and that heavy rain could potentially cause devastating floods. >> stephanie gosk. thank you very much. let's go back to victoria, texas. a curfew has been put into effect there. that is where katie beck is joining us live. so a curfew. what are the details on that and what is is it like there where you are other than that big, huge, massive down tree, katie? >> reporter: hey, alex. we have seeing the weather that stephanie is not. we are seeing torrential rain. pouring sideways and pretty significant winds. and here in victoria if the streets aren't blocked by watt.

>> they are blocked by trees. this tree took a power line with it. it came up by the roots as you could see. and folks here say this happened sometime last night. so this means this road has not been passable obviously since then. a couple of minutes ago we were talking to a man who is repairing a business down the street. a shattered window. and he said, i simply can't find plywood anywhere. he's been going around town everywhere. he is trying to board up windows in advance of what is still to come. so he said, i just don't know what to do. i'm running out of items that i could nail over the spaces to avoid future damage. so here in victoria, the conditions are still pretty strong and this rain has been consistent throughout the day. as we drove around, there are a fewer and fewer people out. neighbors don't want to come out of their homes. businesses are closed and power is out. and i think they're bracing for another round. the streets are definitely seeing some overspill from the flooded sideways so it is going

to be a situation here where there are a lot of roads that are impassable, probably by later in evening. >> hate to break it to you. i'm looking at the latest release from the national hurricane weather center and about 4:00, so 9 minutes ago they said this storm is barely moving. all of the torrential rains will continue and that storm is only about 45 miles away from victoria so heads up on that. katie beck, thank you so much. and joining us to talk about the state response to tropical storm harvey is ken paxton. you've had a long day because we talked a good six or seven hours ago together. but let's talk about the response on the ground so far. are you satisfied with the level of preparation? >> you know what, i think texas has done a good job. obviously this is a bigger storm than we probably have ever seen. and yet i feel like we have done a have good job of responding. we still have issues. i know i have a guy on the ground trying to get to rockport with a bunch of buses and some fuel trucks and some supplies

and they decided they couldn't get there without risk being stuck because of the new flooding. so they are now using helicopters. so we've had to adjust as weather conditions have changed and the problem has become different with a lot more rain and lots more flooding. >> rockport has been really the epicenter of things being called the ground zero. we had a lot of trouble getting our nbc news course pends into the area. they could not get there for safety's sake. we also understand there was one resident who died in rockport as a result of a house fire. have you heard of any more fatalities, sir? >> no. and i've talked to a lot of people. that is the only fatality i've heard of. now that doesn't mean there are not more because we haven't been able to get people out there and we're doing it by helicopter as opposed to bringing out large numbers of people by vehicle. >> okay. there is a promise of catastrophic flooding levels in areas of the lone star state there. what are your major concerns as we move forward? >> well, one is that it is so unusual to have this type of

rain where it sits on us for day after day after day. so i don't know how you prepare for something like that. i don't know if you can. because we don't really know exact lip what is going to happen. things could change in a day. but because we don't know exactly what is going to happen it is difficult to prepare and also difficult to respond as you have flooding that makes it more difficult for us to get our resources in the right place. >> something i want to talk about again, we addressed it a bit earlier this morning, the price gouging, those who seek to take advantage of others, particularly the elderly, during the difficult times. you've had a store i think you mentioned charging $99 for a case of water. so how do people file these complaints an how do you expect to handle them. >> so as of about an hour ago, i was in i meeting with my consumer fraud division, we have about 325 complaints since the storm started. and so people call us, we have people sitting at the call center all day today and all day tomorrow answering questions, helping. we've sent out for the really bad cases, we've sent out some

of my law enforcement guys to go produce a consumer investigation demand. and we've addressed some of the larger companies that pave issues. we've called them and said you may want to check this out before we have to go any further. so we are very actively involved. i have a large number of people that are out either delivering these letters and also just taking on these complaints so they could get this resolved so people know about this law and so they don't gouge. >> yeah. okay. what about state coordinating with federal agencies, fema and the like. how is that working so far? is there anything you think needs to be stepped up or ways the public could help. >> i've been impressed. right now the public needs to sit on the side line largely because of the flooding and making sure that first responders could get and get access to places. we don't need people out on the roads and some of the devastated areas but it seems to me, because the trump administration got involved early, there is more coordination early with our governor and with the people involved with him.

i feel like they are doing a good job of coordinating with other agencies and other levels of government. >> all right. well texas attorney general ken paxton, i think it has been eight hours since we spoke. it is a long day for you and for me as it happens. thank you very much. it is good to see you. best of luck getting through. >> thank you. keep us in your prayers. >> we will certainly do that, sir. thanks. joining us now, maury goodman from the communication and public affairs at fema. with a welcome to you. harvey is being called the first major test for the trump administration. when it comes to this kind of a natural disaster readiness and so far in terms of a response on a federal and national level, what is your view. >> well, first of all, president trump did one great thing. he named a very professional emergency manager to lead fema. brock adams, who is the emergency manager in alabama is universally and nationally respected. he knows what he is doing. and most of it is people at fema

who are the career people. who do this every day, day in and day out. and regardless of who is the president. but we all know at one point there was a president who didn't name a professional emergency manager and it really hurt the agency and it hurt people in katrina. but brock adams at fema is a real superstar in emergency management and he's -- he'll have things under control. >> i had a really -- i was able to have a good conversation with mr. long and appreciated his insight and he seems to have a good grip on things. >> i'm sorry, brock long. i sa i said brock adams. >> that is okay. the same person, sir. but the real story is the flooding. and there are predictions of over 40 inches of rain in certain areas of texas. so what does fema need to do to keep people safe? what can fema do? >> well, right now, the federal force, which is made of up

people from across many agencies, they are actually -- it is still in response mode. so it is not in a recovery mode yet. and they are not moving in just yet because they don't want to put these people in harm's way either. but they have been very, very forward leaning. they've brought generators, dozens, and practice sheeting, cots, blankets. they've really, really moved out ahead of the storm in terms of the -- being able to respond and help jump start the recovery. people are going to want to get back and see what kind of damage they have to their homes. there is two types of assistance that fema handles. one is individual assistance and that is to people who lose their homes and lose their mode of transportation, and then there is -- there is public assistance and that is the streets and roads and bridges, traffic lights and infrastructure,

electric power plants, and the like. and all of that is just going to be inundated and it is going to take a long time to get that recovered. one good thing is people are right now in shelters. a lot of people who evacuated have found themselves in shelters. luckily it is the end of the vacation time so there may be more hotel rooms available. so that fema could get in there and get people out of the red cross shelters and into a more not permanent about not quite a shelter environment and give them hotel vouchers. because it is going to take a long time to set up trailer parks, get the electricity running. so we're on the cusp between response and recovery and it's -- you'll see a lot of activity once the okay is given to -- >> you make a good point about the perma-temp facility, for families, kids getting off to school and doing the norm am

thicks, they need to be out of shelters into something more permanent if you will. well thank you so much. appreciate your insight from fema. >> my pleasure, alex. after days of hints and speculation, president trump has pardoned arizona controversial sheriff joe arpaio and coming up next, fallout over that decision. that might help. show me the carfax. now the car you want and the history you need are easy to find. show me used trucks with one owner. pretty cool. [laughs] ah... ahem... show me the carfax. start your used car search and get free carfax reports at the all-new carfax.com. can make anyone slow downt and pull up a seat to the table. that's why she takes the time to season her turkey to perfection, and make stuffing from scratch. so that you can spend time on what really matters. marie callender's. it's time to savor.

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well, much of the nation's attention on friday night was focused on the potential impact of hurricane harvey, president trump issued a pardon to controversial sheriff joe arpaio. he was convicted of criminal contempt of court ignoring a judge's order from arresting people suspected of being illegal migrants.

and let's listen to what the former sheriff said about his conviction. here it is. >> so looking back, would you have done anything differently with these immigration sweeps? >> no. my guys did nothing wrong and i didn't do anything wrong and i hope that with the help of my attorney we'll outline at our press conference. >> so kevin, is this whole pardon viewed as more than just a presidential reward to a die hard supporter. particularly with trump's view on illegal migrants. >> yes, you are absolutely right. just a rebuke that this drew from the two arizona senators, jeff flake as well as john mccain both republicans criticizing president trump for this pardon. but, look, sheriff joe arpaio is controversial and that is putting it mildly. he was one of the earliest endorsers to then candidate donald trump. i remember when ali vitale and i were back on the campaign trail

in phoenix and this is someone who frequently appeared at campaign rallies and is very controversial. not just among republican and democrat battleground but also again receiving harsh criticism from prominent republicans. >> i have to tell you, i remember talking to ally outside of that campaign rally which it must have been a doozy of a story, because that is a while ago. the president hinted at all of this at another big rally that he had there in phoenix. so this really wasn't a surprise, was it? >> well, it wasn't a surprise. and the fact that we could all have that memory just shows that time is a flat circle. we are doing the same story over and over again with new updates. so this week when we were in phoenix, arizona, trump was expected to pardon joe arpaio but then heard from the president was not going to do while on the stage at rally and he had a prediction that joe arpaio would be just fine. he said i'm not going to do it tonight. i was to avoid the controversy. he didn't say the word "pardon"

but we know what he was talking about. it shows he wasn't willing to deal with the protests that were waging outside of the phoenix rally and wanted to wait and come back and do it under the cover of this hurricane on a friday when he had a news that included guidance on the transgender military ban and another departure from a white house aide, sebastian gorka, which we confirmed last night so this is a news dump friday. >> both of the stories we'll talk about later in the hour with you both. but kevin, there are some and that would include the mayor of phoenix, arizona, who view this pardon as a slap in the face at the judicial system. what are your thoughts? >> well think when you look at the policy foreshadowing of what this could potentially mean when lawmakers return from recess, in just more than a week and especially with the fight over averting a partial government shut down, at that rally president trump saying he's not afraid of a government shut down, especially if it comes over the wall. now democrats aunited against

this as are a handful of moderate republicans. so this pardoning of this controversial former sheriff joe arpaio really could spell -- the potential foreshadowing of the potential policy fight over funding of the u.s.-mexico wall later this -- in september. >> and talk about fore shadowing, ally, as this is the president's first pardon, is there a thought he could be testing the waters for future russia investigation pardons, should it come to that? >> look, that is something that i've definitely seen people wondering about. and i think that it is fair game in terms of when you consider what could be next from this president. he is someone who has really bucked all trends. he didn't go through the usual wait period associated with someone waiting for their conviction, waiting then to pardon them. so he does things at his own pace and when he feels that he wants to do them so that is a fair question to ask. and as the russia investigation gets deeper, he has had kind and good words for people like

michael flynn who is one of the key people in that investigation. and so i think it is fair to wonder about if this is just a precursor. of course it is a controversial pardon and it is his first one. but it is one that also begs the question, is this just a harbinger of things to come. >> we mentioned the departure of gork a and the transgender military ban and we'll talk about that in just a little bit so don't stray too far. thank you so much. and tropical storm harvey on a painfully slow crawl across texas and expected to cause catastrophic flooding. coming up next, we talk with the salvation army on how you could help with the relief efforts there. we got a yes! what does that mean for purchasing? purchase. let's do this. got it. book the flights! hai! si! si! ya! ya! ya! what does that mean for us? we can get stuff. what's it mean for shipping? ship the goods. you're a go! you got the green light. that means go! oh, yeah. start saying yes to your company's best ideas. we're gonna hit our launch date! (scream)

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so that you can spend time on what really matters. marie callender's. it's time to savor. hurricane harvey impact on the texas coastal region will be felt long after this storm is gone. organizations like the salvation army are on the ground right now to provide help to thousands. joining me is the commanding officer in corpus christi,

texas, captain guestner. let's talk about what going on there as the evacuees have been given the okay to return home but they need to know about the water boil advisory due to the power outages there. so what do they need to do if they need assistance beyond just getting in their homes and cleaning up? >> well, thank you for having us on the show tonight. there is still a water boil happening in corpus christi and surrounding areas. we also know that rockport and port aransas and the pass experienced a lot of damage from the hurricane. there is a lot that we're doing to serve here. at the salvation army, we're providing meals at several locations and the fema domes for these people though that have evacuated. the soicity and the news statio are suggesting to not return back to corpus christi unless you are returning during the daylight due to the damage and down power lines and debris.

so it is really best to be well informed before attempting to return back to the town. >> yeah. and can the public help specifically? we're all familiar what do you around the holidays but those in need in texas, can the public help you out? >> absolutely. yes. this hurricane is going to be one of the most costliest hurricanes in the history probably of the nation. in fact, we've heard as much as a billion dollars or more. and the salvation army, we need your help in raising money to provide the funds to purchase materials needed, and all of the supplies needed to be able to help all of the victims of the storms. and the best way that you could do that, there is multiple ways that people could give donations. the first is you could go to www.help salvation army.org. or we could also have you call at 800-thou-army and if you want

to write a check, write a check to p.o. box 1959, atlanta, georgia, 30301. and put in the memo line, hurricane harvey and make those checks payable to the salvation army. that is p.o. box 1959, atlanta, georgia, 30301. and put hurricane harvey in the memo line. www.help salvation army.org. >> well i've been taking those notes and i'm sure everything is listening and thank you for repeating that address twice and we all thank you as always on behalf of the salvation army and everything they do in times of need like this. captain patrick guestner, best of luck as you get to helping folks in texas. thanks. >> tank you so much for having us. god bless. texas getting drenched by

tropical storm harvey. we're in the ground in san antonio where the biggest legacy could be the flooding there. david. what's going on? oh hey! ♪ that's it? yeah. ♪ everybody two seconds! ♪

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welcome back, everyone. i'm alex whit here at nbc headquarters in new york. tropical storm harvey wreaking havoc in texas. so far one person has died. and that storm is expected to bring catastrophic flooding to several areas. rainfall totals are reaching 20 inches and could see 20 more. the coast guard is warning the public to stay safe and avoid venturing near any rising water. so far they have rescued 15 people aboard vessels in distress. tom price declared a public health emergency in texas. and more than 300,000 are facing power outages. in fact the city of corpus christi has given residents the okay to return to homes but they are warning they must boil water before they try using it for anything. meantime, new york governor

andrew cuomo has deployed the national guard to help out in texas and louisiana. san antonio may be a bit further west of tropical storm harvey but the city is getting pounded. let's bring in maria la rosa from the weather channel. good day to you. >> absolutely. and we got to meet a few of those people. and san antonio finds itself in an interesting situation where they are dealing with the natural disaster of their own potentially here with all of the flooding rainfall. but welcoming all of those who escape the coast. and i'm once again honored to be joined by the city's mayor, mayor nirenberg, could you give us an update or status of the situation with the evacuees right now. >> we are still receiving evacuees and we had over a thousand in shelters and urban rescue teams were here in san antonio waiting for the storm to be downgraded from a hurricane and it has so the folks are moving now into the coastal

areas, serve -- surveying the damage and trying to rescue people. we imagine as those operations begin to take place, we're going to see more evacuees come into san antonio possibly and into other locations throughout south texas, but we're ready. we're still reminding our residents that the conditions here -- while they haven't been the worst, could change on a dime. we're still expecting a lot of rainfall. which could create localized flooding so keeping residents off the roads while we allow first responders and the emergency operation crews to bring in the folks that need help. >> a lot of people may be watching at home or seeing that it is not that bad out and already thinking about monday. as far as schools, i understand they're going to make that call later? >> we know this is a prolonged event. so the school districts will be meeting tomorrow at 2:00 to have an assessment to find out whether or not schools need to be closed. again this is a changing situation almost hourly. we see what the storm can do. we do expect a lot of rainfall

which could pose dangerous situation, so we're asking everyone to again stay off the roads but also stay tuned to the weather and announcements from emergency services about what is going to happen this week. >> have you had any updates on mass transportation, buses and the airport. >> yes. so we have had delays at the airport. to and from san antonio flight delays and some cancellations as a result largely of regional activity and a lot of storm events around the city. our mass transit system continues to operate. our bus service. but everything is touch and go. that is why it is important to stay put in your homes, if you don't have to travel and if they do have to be out, be careful of low water crossings. but really keep in touch with our emergency responders through various announcements and things like that. we have a texas app that keeps everybody updated and stay tuned

to the weather. >> and with darkness, another tough weather night in this area. what are your plans, what is your next few hours look like? >> well we're going to be vigilant and we got off the state call -- coordinated call with the national weather service as well and we are told that the evening hours will tend to see the ramp up of some of the rain activity. so we're staying tuned ourselves. i'll be at the emergency operations center with all of our regional emergency responders and we'll be ready. whatever comes. >> mayor nirenberg, thank you so much again for taking time with us. again, here at airport, only about half an inch, you only have to go 20 miles where they've had three to four inches and that is the challenge east of town here in san antonio. >> and that is maria la rosa reporting for the weather channel. rockport so far the hardest hit. one person has died. and a little more than a dozen have been hurt. many homes and businesses an schools that are destroyed, this

hurricane has since been downgrade to a tropical storm. and joining me on the phone is resident marianne hineman related to one of our producers here at msnbc and we are good to get you on the phone and we were worried about your safety being you were in the eye of the storm. when did you evacuate? how tough of a situation was that for you? >> we evacuated prior to it coming. we helped the neighbors and they helped us and we got boarded up so we could get out of there. my children expected me to leave town. so that's basically what i did. i have no information about my home or anything yet. we can't go back. you can't find out any information. there is no phone service. so we're just waiting for city officials to tell us what to do. >> that is got to be pretty disconcerning to not have a good idea what is going on with your home when you hear the devastation there. are you confident that all of your neighbors got out safely? >> pretty much, yes.

we had some friends that are going to stay and they stayed. they have family coming down to find them because there is no communication to make sure they are okay. so there are people that did get up and get out. so hopefully most of them did. >> well, you've left one place, but you got to another. and i know you are staying with family north of san antonio, but we understand that is another area in danger of flooding. can you tell us what is happening where you are there? >> well, the weather increases and it decreases and it comes back again. we're going to expect that rain to come. but we're -- we have plenty of groceries, my sister-in-law is a good cook so we're in for the duration. >> i was speaking with your niece, my colleague, about the kind of work you do. you work in a hospital. was there evacuation procedures that were -- that were executed in the hospital that you worked in? >> yes. there were hospitals all over town that evacuated, that i've

been in the business for 40 something years and i've evacuated several times. so we had a great team. they practice, they know what to do. and things went long well. and got everybody out that needed to be gone. >> well rockport resident, marianne hineman, we hope you stay safe and could return home fairly soon and that you have still a lovely home to return to. so we'll hold a good thought for you. thank you so much for joining us. >> yes, ma'am, thank you. >> and we'll go to houston. that where heavy rainfall and gusty winds have battered that area. let's talk about the conditions there right now. looks like some rushing waters behind you, but not too bad. kind of soaking wet, but not too rainy, how are things? >> the ground saturated. we have seen the white oak bayou behind me go down. we've seen the heaviest rainfall here in the houston area this morning. say through about lunchtime, heavier downpours. we had a lull in the heavy rain over the afternoon. however, the threat is going to

continue for coming days. so that is why we're telling folks not to let their guard down, not to think that they've missed out on harvey. in stead because of its expected movement or lack of movement that rain will continue to be in the cards for the houston metro as we go through the remainder of today, tomorrow and through much of next week. and by the time all is said and done, we could be looking at rainfall approaching even exceeding 1 and a half feet, that is 18 plus inches here for the houston metro area. and we talk about this being a metro area. that is already very susceptible to flooding. from a heavy thunderstorm. so when you talk about persistent tropical rainfall over several days in the forecast for this city, we are very concerned about that threat of perhaps life-threatening flooding. now when you drive around the city, you get to some of the low lying spots in the roadway, some of the underpasses and there are gauges that show folks how high the water is on the roadway. but with that potential for

heavy rain and roads to get covered, officials have been trying to stress the message of turn around, don't drown. unfortunately when we get these inland flooding events from the tropical systems many of the deaths occur from folks who tried to drive through those flooded roadways. so with more rain in the pik-- the picture, we're telling folks to not let their guard down and be prepared for flooding rain over the next several days. >> good forecast and good advice from you from the weather channel. thank you. a controversial pardon and a high profile departure and a official transgender military ban. and with all focus on harvey, the white house is busy making its own headlines. we'll have the president's friday night news dump next. (dad) don't worry about it. (mom) honey, honey, honey, honey! (vo) at our house, we need things that are built to last.

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heri think i might burst..... totally immersed weekenders. whatever kind of weekender you are, there's a hilton for you. book your weekend break direct with hilton.com and join the summer weekenders. well, the controversial pardon of sheriff joe arpaio was just part of a classic friday night news dump by the trump administration. the president also signing an order officially directing the pentagon to no longer accept

transgender men and women as military recruits. tonight also featuring the removal of sebastian gorka, a controversial adviser to the president. now gorka, for his part, said he resigned while the white house said he is no longer with the administration. joining us now, nbc news white house reporter ali bit alley and kevin surrely, another welcome back. ladies first with you. is it odd that this change in military policy came in the form of a memorandum and not remarks that were made before the nation or at least at the pentagon in a big change in military policy. >> well, look, this was obviously something that was very controversial. it was abrupt when it was first announced last month when trump tweeted about this ban on transgender individuals being allowed in the military. and what this does is it still leaves in limbo those transgender individuals who are already serving. and so when we were reading through this memo and asking senior white house officials about what the implications of

this were. they couldn't really say what would happen when general mattis does, in fact, weigh all of the different cite ear riteria thato outlines as to whether or not transgender individuals should be allowed to stay and continue serving in the military and repeatedly these repeatedly thee officials were asked and they could not say whether or not that would at the end of the day be allowed. so there's still a lot of ambiguity about this policy. but of course controversial one and released under the kind of cover of a hurricane on a friday night in the summer. its not one that they were looking to publicly size too heavily. >> but you make a point about general mattis. and isn't the president virtually leaving up to him to decide the criteria to judge the presently serving transgender military and the president's directive is going forward, no more new hires. that's it. that's my interpretation. >> reporter: yeah, i think you're right to interpret it that way. >> okay. so, kevin, how does this reversal affect the strength of our military if at all? especially with an increase in

troops expected in afghanistan? >> great question. and i'll pig gi back off of what ali said. it was just several days ago that the president, commander in chief really received some praise from folks within his party for advocating for there to be a continued military presence in afghanistan, 4,000 additional boots on the ground to the estimated 84, 8,600 troops that are already there. but let's make no mistake here. just about the big on the policy that is being advocated now and the rhetoric of that policy regarding this transgender military ban. just think for -- let's talk about the numbers for a second. i mean, it's fewer than a half a percent age point of the military budget that was advocated on behalf of these medical procedures. but take away the medical procedures policy did he balt for a second on whether or not that should be utilized by taxpayer money. and let's talk about the people. ucla study says that this would impact anywhere from about 14,000 folks in the national reserve as well as in the

military, which is about .03% of the entire armed forces. but the ambiguity that this leaves for the parents of these people, for the families, the friends of these military heroes and patriots who are serving overseas cannot be understated, nor should it be understated. and coming just days after the commander in chief gave a military national address earlier this week on afghanistan policy and then proceeds to announce a news dump during the middle of a hurricane. people should read into that what they want. particularly when republicans within the president's own party, including john mccain, he himself an american hero for his courage serving overseas, criticizing heavily, alex, this policy last night. >> yeah. >> so i think that, you know, this type of policy will not be ignored, but the confusion that it has caused within the military community, because they have simply dodged the issue about whether or not folks who

are currently serving in the military, how they're going to be treated. can you imagine if you're the parents or the friends or the family members of one of these folks who are overseas as we speak and on a friday night that statement is released? i can't imagine. >> yeah. you make a very good point there. ali, gorka, what are you hearing in terms of resignation or getting the boot? >> reporter: so we're hearing both. and it's interesting because last night when we first saw this story pop up, i had one white house official telling me that sebastian gorka resigned because it was clear that he wasn't really going to be able tow a substantial path forward after all of the item ultimate that the west wing has seen in terms of staffing this month. every friday means some kind of if new departure and of course this friday was no exception to that. the person was basically telling me gorka resigned knowing that there was really no meaningful way for him to have a role going guard. and then of course another white house official coming out saying he's no longer with the white house but he didn't resign.

mixed messaging there. on the white house point they're trying to save face a little bit because of course it looks good for them to say that someone that controversial has been pushed out and that he didn't resign, but they were the impetus for that. and then on the other hand, of course, sebastian gorka and folks in his camp want to make it look like he resigned. so there's still a little ambiguity on what happened there, but definitely competing messages coming out of the white house last night. >> all right. guys, thank you so much for sticking with me through this entire hour. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> and hour coverage of tropical storm harvey continues. however, it is expected to linger for days. coming up next, how the department of homeland security is responding to the disaster. comfortable you are in it.

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getting a look now at brand-new photos of president trump receiving an update on tropical storm harvey. had this was happening at a conference room in camp david. he was taking part in the video tell conference as well as vice

president mike pence, chief of staff general john kelly, elaine duke and william brock long the administer of fee ma. so for a bit more now on harvey we're joined by james nor ton. james, welcome to you. talk to us about the dhs response to this disaster. i'm curious what role does homeland security play during a crisis like this. >> you actually named somebody important in that. elaine duke, the acting secretary of homeland security is actually somebody that i served with for a number of years when i was at homeland security. and she's actually a career civil soeb antd that's held several positions at tsa, dhs and oerl other places. she's actually the right person at the right time to help lead dhs through this particular crisis. and i think she'll be able to work very well and has worked very well with brock long and serve the president well in advising him. >> that's good tow her part of that team. so what exactly does homeland

security do during a crisis like this. >> this is one of the most important missions in terms of saving lives. it's important to communicate, communicate with state and local officials, communicate with the federal government, make sure the disasters are declared. in this case the president did declare a disaster yesterday which allows for funds tore released. and that's one of the most important things is right now we're still in the saving lives mode and response mode, but once that clears and the storm clears, there's going to be several days, weeks and months ahead in terms of recovery for this particular area. it's important to get that funding out there right away. >> yeah. and another agency is mobilizing as best you can so the focus is on texas. anywhere else? i know louisiana, there's been some question about flooding there as well. >> yeah, absolutely. i think one of the things to really look at here is not only the flooding in the coastal areas but also inland. with hurricane irene up in new york and new jersey that did most of the damage inland in vermont and new hampshire and

northern new york. i think there will be similar situation with massive understooding in louisiana, in arkansas, in the texas area. so i think it's important for people that are not only in the koegs alareas but also inland as well to take as many precautions as they can and to be aware that this is something that is going to play out a little bit at a time. it was only a couple of days after hurricane katrina when we thought the coast was clear when in fact the lef ease did breach and that's where most of the damage did take place. >> that was a very expensive lesson to be learned. james nor ton. thank you so much for that. >> thank you for having me. >> that's a wrap up this hour for everyone. my colleague picking up our continuing coverage of harvey. i'll see you tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. >> alex, great rolling coverage over the last couple of hours. we're going to continue to track harvey, now a deadly stofrmt. harvey roaring on to the texas coast as a category 4