Rising Flood Waters and Rising Death Toll in Texas; Thousands Rescued, Many Still Awaiting Help; Trump in Texas Vows Storm Recovery 'Better Than Ever Before'; Harvey Hits Record 51 Inches in Houston
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: ...</s>THE SITUATION ROOM. JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news. Immeasurable devastation. Flooding as far as the eye can see. Residents and rescue workers in Houston struggling to cope with the disaster of extraordinary scale. Thousands have been taken to safety, but countless others are still waiting for help. We're on the water and in the air. Unrelenting pain. Parts of Houston have seen more than 49 inches of rain, a record for the continental U.S. Dams and levees cannot hold any more water, with more on the way, perhaps another foot of rain as Tropical Storm Harvey just won't quit. In the storm zone. President Trump gets a briefing on the catastrophe from emergency managers and government officials. Inside the zone, he is vowing a disaster response better than ever before. And all options. The president responds to North Korea's latest missile launch with a not so failed military threat, saying that all options are on the table. CNN is the only western network reporting from Pyongyang. We're going to take you there live. Wolf Blitzer is off. I'm Jim Sciutto, and you're in</s>THE SITUATION ROOM. ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>SCIUTTO: Breaking news. The catastrophic flooding in Texas is worsening this hour. Water is rising in rivers, reservoirs and bayous; and the rain is still coming down. South of Houston, police warn residents to get out now following the breach of a levee. More than four feet of rain has now fallen in parts of Houston. That is the most ever recorded inside the continental U.S. Now Tropical Storm Harvey has been recharging over the Gulf and is expected to make landfall once again tomorrow. It could drop another 15 inches of rain. Thousands of people have been rescued from flooded homes by small boats and helicopters. Many others are still stranded, waiting for help. Houston Convention Center is sheltering nearly 10,000 evacuees, doubling the number of cots available there. The storm is now pounding neighboring Louisiana. Rescuers have picked up more than 500 people from flooding in the Lake Charles area. And on the 12th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, heavy rain forecast for New Orleans. President Trump is about to return to the White House after meeting with emergency managers and state officials in Texas, facing his first natural disaster as commander in chief. Perhaps characteristically, he's promising a storm recovery, quote, "better than ever before." I'll speak with Houston area Congressman Al Green. And our correspondents, specialists and guests are standing by with full coverage of the breaking news. Let's go straight, though, to CNN's Polo Sandoval. He is in Richmond, Texas. Polo, the waters -- the river rising. How many more homes are at risk tonight?</s>POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hundreds of them, Jim. There was a brief pause today. There was even a little bit of sunshine, even able to take off our rain gear for the first time in four days. But that was short-lived. There's still more rain in the forecast, and then there's the Brazos River. It is swollen right now and slowly rising. Earlier today the water line was where I'm standing, and little by little, it is slowly invading this community just outside of Houston.</s>SANDOVAL (voice-over): Desperate rescue operations still ongoing throughout southeast Texas. Though thousands have been rescued, countless others are still stranded in their homes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're still trying to get to folks, and again, like we said yesterday, don't give up on us, seek the higher ground. We will get to you.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch out. It's a little slick now.</s>SANDOVAL: For Texans, Harvey's historic deluge is deadly and overwhelming.</s>SANDOVAL: The Coast Guard says they're getting nearly 1,000 calls an hour from those in need. They're working with multiple other agencies, racing to get to the flood victims as the rain continues to fall.</s>COL. STEVEN METZE, TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT: The biggest issue right now is just time. Getting to everyone that needs to -- that we need to get to.</s>SANDOVAL: In Brazoria County, where the Columbia Lakes levy gave way, officials are directing residents to get out now.</s>JUDGE BOB HEBERT, FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS: It's a tremendously more powerful event than anything anybody alive in Texas has ever seen.</s>SANDOVAL: As the Brazos River in Fort Bend County rises to record levels, officials here also imploring residents to evacuate if they can.</s>HEBERT: That would be an 800-year flood event. And all of our flood protection assets are designed by law to protect against the 100-year flood. So we're on the verge of being overpowered. That's why we're evacuating.</s>SANDOVAL: Nearly 10,000 evacuees are now sheltered at the Houston Convention Center, nearly double capacity. But officials say they're not turning anyone away.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, they're trying to say children and woman [SIC] first. So we had to be separated, and that's where, really -- that's really the stressful part. It's hard in my heart, because to see my kids and my wife going and not be sure what -- they were going to be safe.</s>SANDOVAL: And back out live in Richmond, there is still more rain in the forecast, and that is fueling concerns that this river will continue to flood. Meanwhile, there are those mandatory evacuations that are in place, Jim. The people here experienced very similar flooding a year ago. They are not about to stick around. Many of them have already packed up and left this part of town, Jim.</s>SCIUTTO: Polo Sandoval there in Richmond, Texas. The area being devastated by this storm is truly enormous. Let's give you a sense of that. The Houston metropolitan area alone, more than 8,000 square miles. As a matter of comparison, that's about the same size, in fact it's a bit larger than the entire state of New Jersey. So let's look at the flood -- the flood zones in there. These are the floodways across the metropolitan area of Houston, and to give you a sense of the number of people in need inside those flood zones, look at all the emergency calls that have come in. So many points on the map you can't even count all those people in need of rescue. CNN's Brian Todd today flew over part of that area today on rescue missions with agents of the Customs and Border Patrol. Brian, I know seeing this from this air -- from the air is really overwhelming. Tell us what you saw as those rescue crews were going to work there.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "Overwhelming" is a very good word to use, Jim. We took off this morning. We returned just a short time ago, flying with Customs and Border Protection, their air and marine operations unit. From the air it's just a jarring sense of the scope of the devastation here. And they have a very strong sense of urgency, because from the air, as you mentioned, it's just a jarring sense of the scope of the devastation here. We flew to a neighborhood called King's Wood, which was -- it's northeast of Houston. It is just completely devastated. The water levels there are astounding, and from the air you can really see it as far as just how far it goes. You can't see the end of it, essentially. Water to window levels on second floors, water up to roofs on some occasions. And forget trying to use a road, because those are completely under water. We got a very good sense of that way up in the air. And then we touched down. We had to shuttle some of the people they were rescuing, rapid-fire, into these choppers and get them out of there. Agents were climbing out of our chopper, going into the neighborhoods, plucking people from boats, getting them onto our chopper. Also, we were flying in tandem with another Blackhawk when it hovered over one area and lowered a hoist, lowered a basket from a hoist down into that neighborhood, picked up six people and a dog. In our runs today, there were three runs that we made with these guys. I think we rescued 28 people, by my count, in the span of less than an hour. And this was in three runs. They're just doing it rapid fire into these neighborhoods. Jim, also what they're up against, horrific conditions in the air. Visibility is maybe a quarter mile at most, and we could hear -- I could hear the pilot and the co-pilot constantly talking to each other about what was coming up on their left or their right. They had very low cloud cover. That's a problem. Then they have to get down lower because of that, and when you do that, you're running the risk of hitting towers. Texas is known for having a lot of radio and TV towers, especially in this area. A lot of them have wires and cables coming from them, escalating from them at 45-degree angles. So it really is difficult to kind of get around those towers and to see them until you're right up on them. So the conditions for these pilots also very, very treacherous today, Jim.</s>SCIUTTO: No question, risk in the air, risk in the water. Brian Todd out with rescue crews over Texas. President Trump heads back to Washington shortly after flying out to Texas today to meet with emergency managers and state officials. He is vowing a storm recovery, quote, "better than ever before." Let's go live to CNN senior White House correspondent Jeff Zeleny. He is in Austin, Texas. Jeff, the president had to walk a fine line today between showing leadership but also staying out of the way of those very busy rescue crews.</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He did, indeed, Jim, and he largely stayed out of the hardest-hit areas. Did not go near Houston, of course, where the flood recovery efforts, as we've seen in Brian and Polo's reports, obviously are still under way. But the president did get a sense, through several briefings throughout the day. In fact, one just wrapped up here a few moments ago here at the state command center in Austin. He was with the governor of Texas, as well as the two Republican senators. He said this is going to be one of the most expensive efforts ever in the country to repair and recover Texas.</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to be looked at in five years and ten years from now as this is the way to do it. This was of epic proportion. Nobody has ever seen anything like this. And I just want to say that working with the governor and his entire team has been an honor for us. So, Governor, again, thank you very much. And we won't say congratulations. We don't want to do that. We don't want to congratulate. We'll congratulate each other when it's all finished.</s>ZELENY: And Jim, those words there show that the president is still very much learning on the job in terms of empathy, learning on job -- on the job in terms of how to react and relate to the individuals here who are, you know, responding to this. But we also saw President Trump after, in Corpus Christi, Texas, when he was addressing supporters. He said this outside a fire station in Corpus Christi, Texas.</s>TRUMP: We love you! You are special! We're here to take care! It's going well, and I want to thank you for coming out. We're going to get you back and operating immediately. Thank you, everybody. What a crowd, what a turnout. This is historic; it's epic what happened, but you know what? It happened in Texas, and Texas can handle anything. Thank you all, folks. Thank you. Thank you.</s>ZELENY: So that was the president there in Corpus Christi, Texas. He visited Austin here for a briefing. There were a lot of demonstrators here in Austin, not surprising, a liberal city, of course. Now there are some Trump supporters, as you can see, gathering here, Jim, as well. So -- but the president will face this test here of leadership, of government support here as he's working with Republican senators, as well as Republican congressmen and Democratic congressmen, as well, here. So despite all the antics going on here, Jim, as you can see, this is a very big test of his demonstration of his administration, of his ability to govern -- Jim.</s>SCIUTTO: No question. Jeff Zeleny there in Austin, Texas, traveling with the president. We're joined now by Democratic Congressman Al Green. His district includes some of the hardest hit parts of Houston. Congressman Green, it's nice to speak to you again tonight. When we spoke yesterday, you estimated that some 10,000 people just in one district in your area that you visited yesterday were still in need of rescuing. Do you have a sense today of how many more people are still in need of help?</s>REP. AL GREEN (D), TEXAS (via phone): Thank you. Let me start by expressing my sympathies and my concerns for the officer's family. We lost one of our finest first responders, and we are still in mourning and want the family to know that we're concerned. Yes, I'm out in the Missouri City area. And when I spoke to you yesterday, I was talking about the circumstance with the Brazos River. And we have had that breach, and that breach is going to cause a lot of people to suffer if we don't get people out as quickly as possible. And you might recall yesterday I indicated that we needed more helicopters. Well, we've got more helicopters in, and people are being rescued by way of helicopter. In reference to the number of people still in harm's way, it's hard to know. I do know that in Missouri City, they opened up one school as a shelter, and before I left last night -- I was there for two hours, because I had to go to another place -- it was full. They've opened up another school for a shelter. These shelters are being built as fast as we can open them up, and I'm grateful that they're being opened up. I'm grateful that the Red Cross is helping out. I'm grateful for the first responders and the helicopters that have been brought in and additional watercraft. But we're still in crisis management mode. Let's not kid ourselves. This is crisis management mode. And we've got to do all that we can as fast as we can.</s>SCIUTTO: It's good to hear, Congressman, that you're getting more resources, helicopters, rescue boats. I'm curious: Does anybody know or have an estimate of how many people are still standing on the roofs of their homes, still awaiting rescue from rescue services?</s>GREEN: Well, it's hard to know, because Houston is 600 square miles. And this had devastated an entire area the size of some small countries. This is a huge place. And because Houston is so large, we're trying to keep tabs on what's going on. But we're still finding that the rain is still coming down, and that rain is coming down at such a pace that we're still having additional flooding. We've had over 50 inches of rain here in this area. That's unheard of. And the president's right. He said that this is a crisis of epic proportions, and a crisis that is epic in its size requires a response that's epic in its size. And I hope that's what we are to do.</s>SCIUTTO: Now, when we look at these aerial pictures now of just the extent of the flooding, as you describe it there, we know that some 12,000 Texas National Guardsmen have already been activated. The military standing by with as many as 30,000 troops. And of course, the military brings resources that other first responders may not have, including aircraft. Do you believe that the U.S. military should be activated to begin to join in these rescues, as well?</s>GREEN: Well, you might recall yesterday I told you that we need as much as we can get. Too much was not enough. We need to get everything that we can in here. This is still crisis management. And I'm pleased to hear that we have more coming. I know that there are thin lines of communication -- pardon me, thin lines of demarcation as it relates to the military versus the National Guard versus the Coast Guard. But this is crisis management at its zenith. And we have to do all that we can as fast as we can. Let's help people get out of harm's way. There are people who are going to be out there tonight, expecting somebody to show up and say, "I'm here to help you." We've got to be there.</s>SCIUTTO: As night falls, we talked about this yesterday, as well. Waiting in those conditions during daylight, harrowing enough. Nighttime, even more dangerous. A Texas official said today that he's concerned after the floodwaters recede, about -- about people who may have been lost. He said about finding bodies. Is there -- is there a sense of how many people are not getting the help they need?</s>GREEN: Hard to know. Hard to know. Because some people are within structures such that we don't know what their circumstance is. We have encouraged neighbors to check on neighbors, especially people who may be disabled, but it's hard to know. I just can only say this, my dear friend, and I'm grateful for this question. This may require us going house to house as quickly as we can, especially in areas that have been flooded for some number of time, some amount of time such that people have not been able to walk out. We're going to have to just go house to house, take a bullhorn, take all of the sound equipment we can, and just call out to people. Hopefully, they'll answer. But this is going to still be a crisis that has to be managed by people on the ground, in this case in the water, until we know that every person has been accounted for.</s>SCIUTTO: Goodness. Twelve years almost to the day after Katrina, it reminds you of those searches after Katrina, house to house in New Orleans. Congressman Green, we know you've got a tough job ahead of you. We're giving you all the support we can, and we look forward to talking again.</s>GREEN: This station, this network has been outstanding. I greatly appreciate what you're doing. People need to know that their government cares and that we're going to be there for them. You're helping us to get that message out there.</s>SCIUTTO: Take care of yourself. We'll talk soon. Coming up next, much more breaking news. A desperate struggle to rescue stranded residents in much of Houston. And even more is expected on the way now. We'll get you the latest forecast from the flood disaster zone.