Tropical Storm Harvey continues to dump rain on Southeast Texas.
Rescuers answered hundreds of desperate calls for help Sunday as floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey rose high enough to begin filling second-story homes, and authorities urged stranded families to seek refuge on their rooftops.
A fleet of helicopters, airboats and high-water vehicles confronted flooding so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas. Rescuers got too many calls to respond to each one and had to prioritize life-and-death situations.
"It's heartbreaking," said Harris County sheriff's spokesman Jason Spencer.
Rainfall of more than 4 inches per hour resulted in water levels higher than in any recent floods and higher than during Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001, said Jeff Linder of flood control district in Harris County, which includes Houston.
Here is a timeline of key moments in the storm's development:
8:05 p.m.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters at a news conference that he has no regrets about not calling for an evacuation of the city, saying it was "in the best interest of Houstonians."
"It was the right decision in terms of their safety and always we must put the interests of the city and Houstonians first," he said. "That's exactly what we did."
7:15 p.m.
According to the mayor of Houston, city police and fire personnel had received 6,000 calls for rescues and had rescued more than 1,000 people as of 5 p.m. Only one fatality has been confirmed.
6:15 p.m.
Authorities in Dallas announced they will open the city's Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on Tuesday to about 5,000 people fleeing flooding in the southern part of the state.
3:50 p.m.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbot said a federal disaster declaration for the flooding now encompasses 18 counties, home to nearly 7 million of the state's residents.
The White House announced President Donald Trump will travel to the state Tuesday. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the logistics of the trip are still being coordinated with authorities in the state.
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2:15 p.m.
The Associated Press reported Harris County Judge Ed Emmett is asking private owners of boats and high-water vehicles to help rescue Houston residents whose homes have flooded.
Emmett told reporters at a news conference that additional boats and vehicles the state is sending to the Houston area are not able to get to the area due to flooded roadways, adding that vehicles previously sent to the area are already being used in rescue efforts.
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11:04 a.m.
At least five people have died and more than a dozen people injured as Hurricane Harvey and the resulting tropical storm moved across Texas, The New York Times reports.
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10:05 a.m.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says emergency personnel have responded to more than 2,000 calls to 911 for rescues in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. He said priority was being given to life-threatening calls.
Turner also said at a news conference Sunday that he has ordered the downtown George R. Brown Convention Center opened as a shelter as floodwaters inundated much of the city.
Turner also urged people not to drive, as numerous streets and roadways in Houston, the nation's fourth largest city, were flooded Sunday.
The George R. Brown Convention Center has 1.8 million square feet of space.
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9:50 a.m.
A Catholic priest has used a kayak to get from his home in southeast Houston to higher ground and hoped to say Mass for people stranded on the streets.
Father David Bergeron says that he tried to buy some wine for Mass at a convenience store but couldn't because sales are prohibited in Texas on Sunday before noon.
Bergeron tells television station KTRK that: "this is how America was evangelized -- by canoe."
He says that he is praying for people affected by Tropical Storm Harvey.
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9:40 a.m.
Staff at a Houston television station broadcasting live coverage of Tropical Storm Harvey had to evacuate after water from nearby flood-prone Buffalo Bayou started to gush into the building.
KHOU-TV tweeted images Sunday of water pushing through a front door and flooding the lobby. Other images showed sand bags placed against another door had failed to stop the water that was already ankle deep.
Floodwaters around 6:30 a.m. Sunday began seeping into the first-floor studio of KHOU, which is the CBS affiliate in the nation's fourth largest city. The anchors and news operations then moved to a second floor as live coverage of Harvey continued.
Later tweets say the station was being evacuated due to flooding.
The station last flooded in 2001 during Tropical Storm Allison.
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9:35 a.m.
Harris County sheriff's spokesman Jason Spencer says flooding throughout the county that includes Houston and the region is so widespread that it's "difficult to pinpoint the worst area."
He says authorities are prioritizing hundreds of phones calls for help to ensure life-and-death situations "are at the top of the list."
"It's heartbreaking," he says.
Spencer says the department has high-water vehicles and airboats but "certainly not enough." He says officials are encouraged that rescue teams from the National Guard and state agencies have also been deployed.
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9:25 a.m.
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says Hurricane Harvey is a "landmark event" and the federal agency will be in the areas worst affected "for years."
Brock Long says nearly 5,000 people from the federal government are doing search and rescue missions, helping to restore power and supporting what he calls "mass care missions."
Speaking Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," Long said: "We expect a huge mass care mission today, of people flocking to shelters, if they can get to shelters."
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9:15 a.m.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says that boats and helicopters are being deployed to help with swift-water rescues in the Houston area and parts of East Texas also facing flooding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
Abbott, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," said: "We're measuring rain these days not in inches but in feet."
He tells ABC's "This Week" that they "could not be more appreciative" of what the federal government and President Trump have done to help as Hurricane Harvey hit Texas.
Abbott said on CNN's "State of the Nation" he's talked to Trump several times and the head of FEMA. He says, "We've made multiple requests and we're getting absolutely everything we need."
Abbott said Harris County, which includes Houston, will soon be included in a federal disaster declaration as a result of Harvey.
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8:25 a.m.
President Donald Trump says he will be traveling to Texas "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption" in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
Trump tweeted that the "focus must be life and safety."
At least two people are dead and more than a dozen injured due to the storm that has battered the region, including the cities of Corpus Christi and Houston.
Trump has been complimenting the response to the storm on his Twitter feed, commending "Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government."
Trump adds that: "Many people are now saying that this is the worst storm/hurricane they have ever seen. Good news is that we have great talent on the ground."
The storm could linger for days in the region and could unload as much as 40 inches of rain on cities including Houston.
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8:15 a.m.
The U.S. Coast Guard says it's received more than 300 requests for urban search and rescue in the Houston area.
The Coast Guard has five helicopters working the emergency calls and is asking for additional helicopters from New Orleans to help.
Officials are advising people in dire straits to get to the roofs of their homes and mark them somehow to be seen from the air. They're suggesting people wave sheets or towels.
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7:45 a.m.
Flooding in some parts of the county that includes the city of Houston is so bad that residents are being urged to seek refuge on their roofs.
Harris County Flood Control District official Jeff Lindner says people inundated by rising waters shouldn't crawl into attics of their homes but should get on top of them.
He says rainfall of more than 4 inches per hour has sent water higher than in recent Houston floods side and are exceeding levels seen in Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001.
Lindner says areas south of the city appear hard-hit and some flooding is reported in downtown Houston and in the Texas Medical Center, which was devastated in Allison.
He calls Harvey "a different animal" from Allison and a "historic situation."
He says he's most amazed that he's getting reports "of water into second-story of apartments and homes." Considering Houston's flat terrain, "it's very rare to get that depth of water."
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6:20 a.m.
Authorities say rescue attempts continue in Houston for those stranded inside flooded homes and submerged vehicles in the wake of Harvey.
The Houston Chronicle reports that hundreds of calls have been fielded for water rescues as of early Sunday, including Houston police officials who evacuated two apartment complexes and rescued more than 50 children.
Meanwhile, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Sunday continued urging residents via Twitter to "shelter in place" and stay off rain-swollen roadways.
Gonzalez actively used Twitter overnight to field assistance for those trapped inside water-soaked homes, attics and vehicles. Those appealing for assistance or being steered to help via Gonzalez's Twitter feed included a person suffering "cardiac-arrest," and a woman who posted: "I have 2 children with me and the water is swallowing us up. Please send help."
Gonzalez at one point appealed for calm and patience, saying officials were "trying to make it to everyone as best we can."
Turner's official Twitter account said "911 services at capacity. If u can shelter in place do so, a few inches in your home is not imminent danger. Only call if in imminent danger."
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4:03 a.m.
The National Hurricane Center says Harvey continues to cause "catastrophic flooding in southeastern Texas."
The hurricane center says in its 4 a.m. Sunday update that the tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72.42 kph) and remains stationary about 45 miles (72.42 kilometers) northwest of Victoria, Texas.
A storm surge warning and a tropical storm warning also are both in effect for Port O'Connor to Sargent. The hurricane center says a storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline.
The center says Harvey is likely to weaken to a tropical depression later Sunday. Harvey made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service says a Flash Flood Emergency over west and central Harris County, where Houston is located, as well as for eastern Fort Bend and northern Brazoria counties remains in effect until 6:15 a.m. Sunday, calling it a "Particularly Dangerous Situation."
2:11 a.m.
Jersey Village, Texas, officials are recommending that people who live along the White Oak Bayou, about 17 miles northwest of Houston, consider whether they need to evacuate their homes.
Jersey Village City Manager Austin Bleess says the city issued a notice to residents about 1:30 a.m. saying the bayou looked like it would be out of its banks before long. He says city officials worried that streets may soon become impassable and wanted those residents to have time to make arrangements.
"Certainly if people can stay in their homes, they can do that," Bleess said. "It's quite possible that the streets could get impassable so we wanted to get that recommendation out."
Bleess says the city is in the process of opening a storm shelter at the Champion Forest Baptist Church, Jersey Village chapter.
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1:20 a.m.
The National Hurricane Center says Harvey continues to weaken at a slow pace as it produces torrential rains across parts of Southeast Texas.
In its early Sunday update, the hurricane center said the tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72.42 kph) and it is practically stationary about 45 miles (72.42 kilometers) northwest of Victoria, Texas.
The airport in Austin, about 165 miles (265.53 kilometers) west of Houston, reported sustained winds of 38 mph.
The center says Harvey is likely to weaken to a tropical depression later Sunday. Harvey made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service extended a Flash Flood Emergency over west and central Harris County, where Houston is located, as well as for eastern Fort Bend and northern Brazoria counties until 6:15 a.m. Sunday, calling it a "Particularly Dangerous Situation."
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12:30 a.m.
At least two people have died as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to dump rain on Southeast Texas.
The Harris County medical examiner's office confirmed the death of one person late Saturday in Harris County, but the office did not identify the cause of death.
Gary Norman, a spokesman for the Houston emergency operations center, says the woman appeared to have gotten out of her vehicle in high water. She was found by neighbors about 30 yards away from the vehicle. Norman says she was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor who was in the area.
Earlier Saturday, Aransas County Judge C.H. "Burt" Mills Jr. said the storm left one person dead in the county.
Harvey came ashore Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane, but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.
