The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) expects that over 30,000 people in the affected region will have to be placed in temporary shelters.
Houston has been crippled by massive rains caused by Hurricane Harvey, which stormed the Texas Gulf Coast on Friday and has left an estimated 450,000 people in need of disaster assistance.
Schools, office buildings, and airports in Houston, the fourth-largest city in the United States and home to 2.3 million people, were ordered to remain closed on Monday
Towns up to 150 miles away from Houston were also bombarded with rain over the weekend, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) expects that over 30,000 people in the affected region will have to be placed in temporary shelters.
Reuters reports that at least two people have been killed since the storm hit Texas on Friday.
Houston officials say over 2,000 people in the city have been rescued so far.
“This is a landmark event for Texas,” FEMA Administrator Brock Long said. “Texas has never seen an event like this.”
The heavy rain is likely to continue throughout the week, according to the National Weather Service, with the worst floods expected on Wednesday and Thursday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said some parts of Texas could experience up to 50 inches (127 cm) of accumulated rainfall by the end of the week.
However, the storm’s path is unpredictable and could change at any moment, meteorologists have warned.
President Donald Trump will visit Texas on Tuesday where he will meet with Governor Greg Abbott to tour the affected areas.
