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Tropical Storm Harvey makes landfall again in Louisiana

HOUSTON — The rain has come to an end in the Houston area, but what's left of Harvey is now dumping rain over parts of Louisiana.

Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Brian Monahan is in Texas, where the situation is constantly developing. He will have live reports throughout the day on Channel 2 Action News. 

Workers evacuated dozens of oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and Channel 2 Action News has learned one of the victims killed in the storm was a police officer on his way to work.

Federal and local agencies announced they've rescued more than 13,000 people. The death toll from Harvey has reached at least 31.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said more than 48,700 homes have been affected by flooding and other damage.

Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Brian Monahan has been in Houston since Sunday. He said parts of the city that were underwater started to dry out Wednesday, but there are still areas of flooding and people being rescued.

Confronting Harvey's fury, President Donald Trump is making an all-out push to show the federal government's responsiveness to the massive storm that has lashed the Texas coast and caused catastrophic flooding.

Trump traveled to Texas on Tuesday to observe the federal government’s work to help the state recover from Harvey’s devastation. The storm, bringing torrents of rain and all but paralyzing Houston, marks the first time Trump has been tested by a major natural disaster at the start of his administration.

The president is scheduled to receive briefings on the relief efforts in Corpus Christi, Texas, and later meet with state officials at the emergency operations center in Austin. The president was joined by first lady Melania Trump and other officials.

We'll have continuing LIVE coverage from on the ground in Houston throughout the week on Channel 2 Action News.

“Conditions haven’t cleared in Houston yet so probably not appropriate for him to go up there, probably not safe for him to go up there,” said Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas. “But I do think having your own eyes on the devastation that I have seen is important.”

President Trump arrives in Texas

WATCH LIVE: President Trump arrives in Texas where he is expected to survey damage from Harvey: http://2wsb.tv/2wG6VXu

Posted by WSB-TV on Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Trump promised that Congress would act swiftly to approve a large recovery package to help the Gulf Coast region and said he was likely to return to Texas, and make a stop in Louisiana, during the weekend.

Death toll reaches 31

The death toll from Harvey rose to 30 Wednesday night.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed the death of police officer when he was trapped in flooded patrol car.

Turner said police Sgt. Steve Perez died after he became trapped in his patrol car as he was driving to work.

The Houston Chronicle reported that the 30-year officer was heading to work Sunday when he became trapped in high water on Interstate 45 in north Harris County and then couldn’t get himself out of his car.

WSB-TV is teaming up with many of our Cox Media Group partners to send a "Convoy of Care" to Harvey victims in Texas. CLICK HERE for all the information on our #AtlantaCares initiative!

CLICK HERE for much more in-depth coverage of Tropical Storm Harvey from Channel 2’s newspaper partner The Austin American-Statesman.

Rain had been falling in parts of Texas for nearly a week from then-Hurricane Harvey.

Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Brian Monahan and photographer Oscar Carrillo De Albornoz have been on the ground for days in Houston, surveying the damage and reporting on the flooding for Channel 2 Action News.

The storm generated an amount of rain that would normally be seen only once in more than 1,000 years, said Edmond Russo, a deputy district engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers, which was concerned that floodwater would spill around a pair of 70-year-old reservoir dams that protect downtown Houston.

The National Weather Service said areas outside of Houston received 49.2 inches of rain -- a record for total tropical system rainfall.

The flooding was so widespread that the levels of city waterways have equaled or surpassed those of Tropical Storm Allison from 2001, and no major highway has been spared some overflow.

The city’s normally bustling business district was virtually deserted Monday, with emergency vehicles making up most of the traffic.

Rescuers continued plucking people from the floodwaters. Mayor Sylvester Turner put the number by police at more than 3,000. The Coast Guard said it also had rescued more than 3,000 by boat and air and was taking more than 1,000 calls her hour.

Harvey makes new landfall in Louisiana

Harvey made its third landfall just west of Cameron, Louisiana at 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

Harvey, which first made landfall on Friday in Texas as a category 4 hurricane, has dumped as much as 51 inches of rain on some parts of the state.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for parts of southeast Texas, including Beaumont and Port Arthur, which received as much as 2 feet of rain in some areas overnight.

Convoy of Care to help victims in Houston

Ever since the first images and first stories of Hurricane Harvey started coming into Channel 2, our viewers have been asking for ways to help.

Well, we came up with a way for you to help and North Georgia stepped up in a big way!

On Tuesday morning, we began collecting bottled water, to fill up a truck and take it to Houston. By Wednesday afternoon, we had collected as much water as we could deliver, filling up 5 semi-trucks!

This version of "Convoy of Care" is hosted by Cox Media Group -- specifically, WSB-TV, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, News 95-5 and AM 750, KISS 104.1, B98.5 and 97.1 The River.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report

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