Hurricane Harvey, the first natural disaster to strike during Donald Trump’s presidency, will be handled by two federal agencies with no permanent directors and a host of Obama-era officials.

The hurricane is expected to hit the Texas coast near Galveston and Corpus Christi late on the night of 25 August.

The US government has warned that the flooding and wind speeds are "life-threatening and devastating".

Coastal residents in Texas and Louisiana have been warned to evacuate.

New Orleans was the epicentre of the destructive Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but it also affected parts of the Texas coast.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), housed under the Department Of Commerce, and the Department of Homeland Security’s US Coast Guard have not been appointed permanent directors as yet by the Trump administration.

NOAA has 11,000 employees and manages the national weather service as well as monitors all storms.

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The country’s most important scientists during such storms is Stephen Volz.

Mr Volz is in an "acting" position since his job has not been filled by the administration. He was appointed in 2014 by the Obama administration.

Even DHS Director Elaine Duke is an "Acting" Director, held over from the Obama administration.

Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina A woman is carried out of flood waters after being trapped in her home in Orleans parish during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans, Louisiana, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina A U.S. Coast Guard rescue boat carries US Army 82nd Airborne Division soldiers as it searches a flooded street in New Orleans, Louisiana, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina A SUV lies against a house and rubble in Biloxi, Mississippi as Hurricane Katrina hit USA, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina A plea for help appears on the roof of a home flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina People are taken ashore in a boat after being rescued from their homes in high water in the Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina struck in New Orleans, Louisiana, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina An aerial view of the flooding near downtown New Orleans during the Hurricane Katrina, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina Houses are seen submerged under water in New Orleans, Louisiana, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina Canal Street, in New Orleans, during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Getty Images Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina Debris from Hurricane Katrina piles up along a bridge in New Orleans, Louisiana, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina Firefighters inspect damage left by Hurricane Katrina, in Biloxi, Mississippi, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina The Kids Quest (C) building sits in the middle of the route 90 next to the Grand Casino (L) 30 August 2005 in Gulfport, Mississippi, both damaged from the high wind and waves Hurricane Katrina, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina The most costly hurricane in history caused damages of $85bn. The category-3 storm formed over the Bahamas crossed Florida and the Gulf of Mexico before striking New Orleans AP Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina evacuees sit on their bed, on the floor of the Astrodome stadium in Houston, Texas, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina People search for their belongings among debris washed up on the beach in Biloxi, Mississppi, after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina Parishioner Chloe Guice Wise (R) hugs Mark Washburn at the conclusion of services at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer (shown in background) which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, in Biloxi, Mississippi, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina are taken ashore by Air Force National Guard soldiers in New Orleans, Louisiana, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina Fishing boats lay in a pile after Hurricane Katrina passed through in Empire, Louisiana, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina U.S. Navy flight deck personnel take part in an emergency replenishment working party aboard the dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46), as they load water into an MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter in support of Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts in the Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina A patriotic display can be seen in the ruins of a home in Waveland, Mississippi. Scenes like these dot the landscapes where homes once stood. Rescue and clean up efforts continued in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina three weeks after the deadly storm hit Hurricane Katrina - in pictures Hurricane Katrina A makeshift grave is seen for a woman on a downtown street in New Orleans, Louisiana, 2005

Retired General John Kelly, who was in the top position at DHS was recently made the White House Chief of Staff after the departure of Reince Preibus.

Mr Trump has appointed Wilbur Ross as Commerce Secretary, however.

DHS also oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which also does have a Trump-appointed permanent director - William "Brock" Long.

However, most of the officials in place at the 9,000-employee FEMA are either career civil servants or "Acting" officials from the Obama administration since Mr Trump has left the positions vacant.

"There's certainly someone at the helm," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said about Ms Duke.

"And again, I think that we are in great shape having General Kelly sitting next to the President throughout this process, and probably no better chief of staff for the president during the hurricane season, she said.

As Quartz reported, "there’s no reason to believe an "acting" official would be any less expert at handling a disaster than a permanent one."

But, the issue is what authority they have to make decisions in the Trump administration since their positions are political appointments.

There is also the history of federal response to hurricanes in the region. FEMA was criticised repeatedly for what many felt was an ineffective and delayed handling of Hurricane Katrina under the Bush administration.

Mr Trump, according to a Washington Post count, has currently left 368 of 591 positions vacant that require Senate confirmation.