Hurricane Harvey has slammed into Texas with initial winds of up to 130mph (215km/h) battering coastal areas.
The biggest storm to hit the US mainland in 13 years is moving slowly, with 16.43in (42cm) of rain reported in one area.
Catastrophic flooding is expected, though Harvey’s winds were downgraded from category four to category one.
Some residents are feared trapped in collapsed buildings and tens of thousands of homes are without power.
After freeing up federal aid for the worst-affected areas, President Donald Trump praised emergency services in a tweet, saying: “You are doing a great job – the world is watching! Be safe.”
With Texas Governor Greg Abbott warning of record flooding in multiple regions, Harvey made a double landfall: north-east of the city of Corpus Christi initially, then just north of Rockport a few hours later.
Emergency services in Rockport say a school, a hotel, a housing complex for the elderly and other buildings suffered structural damage.
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