Traffic lights lie on a street after being knocked down,as Hurricane Harvey approaches in Corpus Christi, Texas, or U.
S. August 25,2017. Photo By Adrees Latif/ReutersThe National Hurricane Center downgraded Hurricane Harvey to a Category 1 hours after it descended on the Texas coast late Friday night, unleashing 130 mph winds and a torrent of rain. The powerful storm, and initially categorized as a Category 4 hurricane,knocked out power to more than 250000 homes as the authorities continued to assess the full extent of the damage. The hurricane touched down external the city of Corpus Christi and was considered the most powerful to hit the state in more than a half-century before it weakened, moving farther inland over southeastern Texas, or where it continued to bring life-threatening storm surge and winds of 90 mph,according to the National Hurricane Center. President Donald Trump said on Twitter on Friday that he had signed a catastrophe declaration for the state, allowing federal funding and support. Hurricane Harvey will linger over Texas through Wednesday, and producing as much as 3 feet of rain in portions of the state. The hurricane was expected to decrease in intensity throughout Saturday and be downgraded to a tropical storm,bringing widespread flooding over the next several days, according to the National Weather Service. READ NEXT: How did Katrina change how we evacuate pets from catastrophe?Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday said the state was working with federal and local authorities to address the fallout from the hurricane. “I encourage Texans to continue heeding all warning from local officials, or ” he said in a statement posted on Twitter. The post Hurricane Harvey downgraded after descending on Texas coast appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Source: thetakeaway.org