
Texas is just beginning to recover after Harvey wreaked havoc on the state, leaving behind residential areas partially submerged in flooded waters.

New satellite images from DigitalGlobe show the extent of the catastrophic damage that the storm caused, as experts claim that flood damage alone will amount to at least $35billion, about what Katrina cost in 2005.

The stunning photos, taken from November through Wednesday, show areas outside of Houston flooded with murky waters after Harvey dumped more than 19 trillion gallons of water on the region, a stark contrast from the green land just months beforehand.

Officials said most of the flooded waters are expected to recede by the end of the weekend, as residents salvage items from soaking homes and bury loved ones as at least 47 people died because of the life-threatening floods.

‹ Slide me › These images of the tiny city of Simonton, Texas, shows how the community of 800 people had a rush of brown, murky waters flood their homes on August 30 (right). However, on November 20, 2016 (left) streets were still visible from above

‹ Slide me › These striking photos of Angleton, Texas on April 6 (left) and August 30 (right) reveal how waters overtook the city which boasts of 20,000 residents. Houses along the stream are presumed to have taken on water after Harvey flooded the land

‹ Slide me › Simonton, Texas, (pictured) was completely overtaken by flood waters, causing the death of preacher Donald Rogers, 65, and his 58-year-old wife Rochelle who drowned on Wednesday when they were swept away by a current in their car

‹ Slide me › Home to around to 1,000 people, Holiday Lakes (pictured left on April 3 and right on August 30) had a mandatory evacuation on Saturday afternoon after officials were concerned about catastrophic flooding

More than 100,000 homes were destroyed when Harvey slammed into the Lone Star State last Friday night, and some cities are left without water as the storm continues to dump record-setting amounts of rain.

After touring the devastated Texas Gulf Coast on Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday more than 300,000 people have applied for disaster aid as the region begins to put the pieces of their lives back together.

Now that flood waters have receded enough for the recovery mission to begin, the death toll is expected to rise past 47 when most of the water is gone from Houston and Harris County by Friday or early Saturday.

Texan fire fighters were going door-to-door in a grim search for survivors and victims of Hurricane Harvey as hospitals and homes that were the last to be hit are evacuated on Thursday.

At least two the dead recovered in the waters were from the areas shown in the striking aerial satellite photos included in this story.

‹ Slide me › These stunning photos show Brookshire, Texas, (left on November 20 and right on August 20) before and after Harvey dumped more than 19 trillion gallons of water on the region, a stark contrast from the green plains just months beforehand

‹ Slide me › Officials in Houston estimate that most of the flooded waters will recede before the end of the weekend. Pictured: Rosenberg, Texas, (left on April 3 and right on August 30)

‹ Slide me › Residents are left weary, having to salvage items from their soaking homes and bury loved ones as more than 40 people died because of the life-threatening floods. Pictured: Wharton, Texas (left on October 9 and right on August 30)

‹ Slide me › There were two explosions at Arkema Inc. Plant on Thursday morning. Fifteen police officers were taken to hospital for treatment after being exposed to the harmful substances which were released the plant as a result of the blasts. Pictured: Arkema Inc. Plant in Crosby, Texas (left on January 29 and right on August 30)

‹ Slide me › Texas is just beginning to recover after Harvey wreaked havoc on the state, leaving behind residential areas partially submerged in flooded waters. Pictured: Wharton, Texas (left on October 9 and right on August 30)

FLOOD VICTIMS URGED TO FILE THEIR INSURANCE CLAIMS BY FRIDAY Hurricane Harvey flood victims are being urged to file their insurance claims by Friday before Texas enacts a bill that will result in companies paying out less for damages. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill on May 27 that reduces the penalty interest rate for insurance companies. The law covers lawsuits that have weather-related damages, including hurricanes but not flooding. The rate would drop from 18 percent to 10 percent, meaning policyholders could lose out on money if they were to sue over claims. People are being urged to file before Friday, when the law is activated. Advertisement

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said previously that he feared how many bodies his officers would find. His bleak outlook was echoed by Fire Department Chief Terry Garrison at a press conference late on Tuesday night.

As emergency crews switched their efforts from rescue to recovery mode on Thursday, the military faced harsh criticism for how it has handled the catastrophe which has been described as a 1,000-year-flood.

Residents in some parts of Tyler County, which has a population of around 20,000 which sits to the north of the city, were told to 'get out or die' on Wednesday night as rivers overflowed, triggering yet more floods.

Anyone who chose to stay behind was told to write their social security number on their arm so that emergency services would later be able to identify their body.

There was also fresh danger in Harris County in Houston after two explosions at a chemical plant.

Fifteen police officers were taken to hospital for treatment after being exposed to the harmful substances which were released from Arkema Inc. Plant as a result of the blasts.

The fire was put out but officials are monitoring the site for more blazes.

A handout photo made available by the US Coast Guard shows damage seen from a deployed Coast Guard helicopter crew surveying in response to Hurricane Harvey in Wharton, Texas on Thursday

A US Coast Guard crew from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Mugu, Oxnard, California saved more than 29 lives and assisted nearly 70 who were impacted by flooding waters. Pictured: Port Arthur, Texas on Wednesday

On Thursday, 40 survivors were rescued from flood water in the city. The emergency services have rescued 3,500 in total since Harvey began. Pictured: Flooded Port Arthur, Texas on Wednesday

Residents in some parts of Tyler County, which has a population of around 20,000 which sits to the north of the city, were told to 'get out or die' on Wednesday night as rivers overflowed, triggering yet more floods. Pictured: Orange, Texas

Flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey rushes over a roadway in Beaumont, Texas on Thursday after the storm hit last Friday

A flooded street is seen after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Thursday in Port Arthur, Texas. At least 47 deaths related to the storm have been reported since Harvey made it's first landfall north of Corpus Christi

In Houston alone, the fire department has received 15,000 calls for help since Harvey made landfall. Some areas of the city continue to be at risk as water from the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs is released, causing the flood level in areas nearby to rise.

On Thursday, 40 survivors were rescued from flood water in the city. The emergency services have rescued 3,500 in total since Harvey began.

Homeowners suffering flood damage from Harvey are more likely to be on the hook for losses than victims of prior storms — a potentially crushing blow to personal finances and neighborhoods along the Gulf Coast.

Insurance experts say only a small fraction of homeowners in Harvey's path of destruction have flood insurance. That means families with flooded basements, soaked furniture and water-damaged walls will have to dig deep into their pockets or take on more debt to fix up their homes.

This combo of file photos shows flooded cars near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise in Houston on August 29 (top) and vehicles in a car dealership lot sit surrounded by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on September 10, 2005, in New Orleans (bottom)

Houston has 'turned a corner', the mayor said on Thursday night. Power to much of the city has been restored and flood waters have receded, with officials claiming most of the water should be gone by Friday night or Saturday morning

Houses in Port Arthur, Texas, on Thursday morning. The true devastation of Hurricane Harvey unfolded on Wednesday as emergency crews began the grisly mission of recovering bodies from homes and flood water

Houses in Port Arthur, Texas, on Thursday morning. With the rain finally over in Houston and other parts of Texas and the flood waters now receding, recovery missions can start

‹ Slide me › These photographs show how the I-10 between Houston and Beaumont was submerged during Tropical Storm Harvey on Tuesday - to the point that waves can be seen rolling feet above the asphalt

Some may be forced to sell, if they can, and leave their communities.

'All these people taken out in boats, they have a second problem: They have no insurance,' said Robert Hunter, director of insurance at the Consumer Federation of America who used to run a federal flood insurance program.

Hunter estimates that total out-of-pocket costs for flooded homeowners could reach $28 billion, the largest in U.S. history.

Hunter expects flood damage alone from the storm to cost at least $35 billion, about what Katrina cost. But in that 2005 hurricane about half of flooded homes were covered by flood insurance. With Harvey, only two of 10 homeowners have coverage, Hunter estimates.

GOOD SAMARITAN SAVES 50 PEOPLE - INCLUDING BABIES AND THE SICK - WHO WERE STUCK IN HARVEY FLOODS AFTER RESCUERS DIDN'T SHOW UP Gaelon Phillips, 23, saved the lives of 50 people - including babies and the sick - who were stuck in Harvey floods after rescuers failed to show up to Port Arthur, Texas. A Good Samaritan saved the lives of 50 people - including babies and the sick - who were stuck in Harvey floods after rescuers failed to show up. Gaelon Phillips, 23, took matters into his own hands when he decided to step in and rescue members of his community in Port Arthur, Texas, after the storm caused extensive flooding where he lived. The music producer said he waited hours on his roof to flag down a rescue helicopter but was told his family wasn't a top priority at the moment, leaving him to be rescued by his uncle in a boat later that day. After realizing that emergency responders weren't saving people fast enough, he decided to go around and bring his neighbors to dry land. Speaking to The Sun, Phillips said: 'People were ringing 911 and other departments and getting nowhere. When we went out on the boat I saw more volunteer rescues than official help - I'm talking about nine to one. 'We were all thinking 'Wow why is it taking the officials so long to respond?' They had said they were waiting until 6am to even come out and start rescuing people but the flooding started about 12-1am so that was a long time to wait. 'My uncle and I rescued a good 50 people from our neighborhood. The streets around me had it worse than I've seen in the whole of Port Arthur. People were messaging me their address on Facebook asking to be rescued and I tried to get to as many as I could. 'There were people of all ages from month-old infants to children to adults and the elderly. We even had to carry people into the boat. There was one woman who had just had some kind of surgery to her stomach and she had no feeling in her legs so we had to carry her into the boat and then carry her out of the boat to the US coastguards.' Advertisement

Water swamps Port Arthur, Texas, where thousands were impacted by the wrath of Hurricane Harvey earlier in the week

A house in Orange, Texas, on Thursday where flood waters continue to swallow up homes after Hurricane Harvey

As residents wade through the declining murky waters to salvage what is left of their homes, experts warn that it has 'millions of contaminants', including toxic chemicals, sewage, debris and waste

Residents in a neighborhood near the Barker Reservoir return to their homes to collect belongings on Thursday in Houston, Texas. The neighborhoods surrounding the reservoir are still experiencing severe flooding due to the accumulation of historic levels of rainfall, though floodwaters are beginning to recede in many parts of the city

More than 100,000 homes were destroyed when Harvey slammed into the Lone Star State last Friday night

Volunteer rescuer Matt Clarke searches for local residents after a mandatory evacuation was ordered in the area beneath the Barker Reservoir as water is released, after Hurricane Harvey caused widespread flooding in Houston

A man stands in his flooded home in a west Houston neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Thursday

A truck underwater in Houston, Texas, on Thursday where floods continued to surge in parts due to the controlled release of water from two over spilling dams

The mayor of Houston has said the flooded city has turned a corner after electricity was restored to much of the area and shelter numbers were beginning to decline as of Thursday night.

Mayor Sylvester Turner declared in a press conference that Houston is 'open for business' adding that large areas were 'drying out and drying out well' and traffic was returning to the streets.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday night, Turner said he expects to move people from the Toyota Center downtown to the nearby George R. Brown Convention Center on Friday.

The convention center, which once housed 10,000 people at one point, sheltered about 8,000 late Thursday.

Officials were also optimistic about the heavily flooded city, expecting the waters to be gone from most of Houston and Harris County by late Friday or early Saturday.

The city is beginning to recover from the catastrophic storm with just 37,000 left without power, down by Wednesday's number of 75,000. Houston has a customer base of around 2.4 million.

As residents begin to return to their homes to assess damage, experts are warning people to stay clear of the dirty water, citing its numerous hazards.

Porfirio Villarreal, a spokesman for the Houston Health Department, said to the New York Times: 'We're telling people to avoid the floodwater as much as possible.

'Don't let your children play in it. And if you do touch it, wash it off. Remember, this is going to go on for weeks.'

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (pictured) declared in a press conference that Houston is 'open for business' adding that large areas were 'drying out and drying out well' and traffic was returning to the streets

More than 300,000 people have applied for disaster aid as the region begins to put the pieces of their lives back together

Experts are warning people to stay clear of the dirty water, citing its numerous hazards. They advise people not to play in the water and to wash themselves right after coming into contact with it

People have begun to empty out of shelters in the city, returning home and starting to rebuild their lives

As of Thursday night;

The death toll is past 47 and is expected to rise quickly as crews switched their efforts from rescue to recovery missions

Harvey has been downgraded to a tropical depression and moved out of Texas after six days of torturous rain

It will bring heavy rain through Mississippi, Tennessee and parts of Kentucky before finally tailing off on Friday

100,000 homes have been destroyed by the storm and more damage will reveal itself as the waters recede

Some people in Houston returned home to find their houses ruined while others, expecting to discover them in pieces, cried tears of joy after finding them in tact

The entire city of Beaumont is without running water due to failed water plants, forcing the evacuation of hospitals

An explosion at a chemical plant in Houston leaked toxic substances into the air and water but the fire was out by Thursday night

Rescue efforts continue in parts of southeast Texas and Louisiana

More towns are still being evacuated including Sweeney and neighborhoods near the Addicks reservoir

Texan fire fighters were going door-to-door in a grim search for survivors and victims of Hurricane Harvey as hospitals and homes that were the last to be hit are evacuated on Thursday morning.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said previously that he feared how many bodies his officers would find. His bleak outlook was echoed by Fire Department Chief Terry Garrison at a press conference late on Tuesday night.

As emergency crews switched their efforts from rescue to recovery mode on Thursday, the military faced harsh criticism for how it has handled the catastrophe which has been described as a 1,000-year-flood.

Former Joint Task Force Katrina Commander Russel Honore likened the response to 'amateur hour' and blasted the government for not having a better plan.

Harvey has almost cleared out of Texas and is making its way over Louisiana in the less severe form of a tropical depression. By Friday night, it will creep up in a northwest diagonal direction over Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky, bringing heavy not not life-threatening rain.

But just as the panic seemed to die down on Thursday, sudden floods caused by burst rivers in Beaumont triggered the evacuations of medical centers and the failure of water plants meant that hospitals filled with patients were suddenly not fit for use.

Two hundred patients were removed from the Baptist Beaumont Hospital on Thursday after its water failed. Elderly patients from the Gulf Medical Center were also transported to other facilities in wheelchairs and on gurneys.

'SOMETHING IS SIGNIFICANTLY WRONG': KATRINA COMMANDER'S THUNDEROUS CRITICISM OF US MILITARY RESPONSE TO HURRICANE HARVEY On Wednesday, Former Joint Task Force Katrina Commander Russel L. Honore made the following remarks to CNN's Erin Burnett in a scathing condemnation of the US military response to Hurricane Harvey. He has been inundated with gratitude and praise by people in Texas who say his assessment is spot on. 'Night is coming and it is going to get worse before it gets better. We have a lot of citizens that are hanging by the thread of their lives. '12 years ago today I arrived in New Orleans post Katrina. We did an extensive study on readjust how we were going to do business. We put a lot of emphasis on the states being the first responders. The problem is we have 50 different solutions. Katrina Military Cmdr. criticizes federal response to #Harvey: "We have a lot of citizens hanging on by a thread" https://t.co/WZlepit1Cu — OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) August 30, 2017 DECISION NOT TO EVACUATE 'It will be proven wrong because that is not the doctrine of homeland security. You take actions to protect people. We put a lot of money in these state parish and county control so they can be predictive. You don't have to evacuate 6milion people. You evacuate the elderly and the disabled. You evacuate the people in areas that were previously flooded and you allow people to voluntarily evacuate. This is a bankrupt problem. He has been warning people to evacuate for days 'I hope the guy in Miami and Tampa is not listening and thinking this is a success because it is not. Last week I wrote a Twitter saying this whole operation didn't have scale. COMPARISON TO KATRINA 'In Katrina we had 40,000 national guard, 240 helicopters in the first 4 days. They just got 100 helicopters in Texas. This is a lot bigger. I went out in a boat this morning and this is huge. After Katrina, the air elements and components of the northern command created a significant grid system for search and rescue. 'I don't know where that is. Doesn't look like anyone in Texas read that plan. PROBLEMS AT THE TOP 'Something is significantly wrong with our command and control and they need to stop patting each other on the back while these poor people are out here waiting to be rescued. You gotta come in big and be there right at the edge of the storm so that you can come in and rescue people. 'The federal government took their hand off it. They went off to fight terrorism and each time we have a Sandy, or now a Harvey, the solution is different. It's put by the local state. They don't evacuate, they don't preposition troops. 'The American people have put too much confidence in us. We have been too successful overseas to come out in amateur hour and incrementally deploy the force. 'I'm sounding critical but if we don't talk about this now…cause the congress thought we fixed this. 5th army got the mission to supervise army response to civil authorities under northern command, a command you never hear of. There comes a point in time with the mission that it is too big for the state national guard and they need to get the hell over it and bring in the big dogs when you've got a big mission.' Advertisement

Rescue personnel help Hersey Kirk as she is airlifted into a rescue helicopter after being rescued from her home flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey in Rose City, Texas

Vehicles are seen on a flooded highway in Beaumont after Hurricane Harvey in Texas

Astranded stuffed toy is seen in flood waters in Port Arthur after Hurricane Harvey in Texas

Evacuees who were rescued from the flood waters of Tropical Storm Harvey wait to board school buses bound for Louisiana in Vidor, Texas

Heather Craig, carries her 23-month-old son Bryant Craig, as Gabby Hollingsworth, 16, carries Craig's 6-month-old daughter, Kaisley, away from their home along Highway 18 in Fayette, Alabama, after a tornado went through Fayette County

Marine Corps League member Jeff Webb, left, of Montgomery, Texas, and rescue diver Stephan Bradshaw, right, of South Carolina rescue a dog that was chained to a flooded porch in Lumberton, Texas

Homes are surrounded by floodwater after torrential rains pounded Southeast Texas following Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey in Sugar Land, Texas

Cars sit on a farm surrounded by floodwater left in the wake of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey near Orange, Texas

A home is surrounded by floodwater after torrential rains pounded Southeast Texas following Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey

'LOOTERS WILL BE SHOT' - FRESH WARNING FOR HARVEY OPPORTUNISTS AS ATTORNEY GENERAL RECEIVES 700 COMPLAINTS OF PRICE GOUGING There were fresh warnings for opportunistic criminals on Thursday who hoped to capitalize from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey - loot and you will be shot. As the humanitarian crisis of the storm unfolds and Good Samaritans rush to help, a handful of evil businesses and individuals have tried to take advantage. Looting is a concern but only four arrests have been made for it. The mayor of Houston has implemented a midnight to 5am curfew to curtail it. Texan business owners are enforcing their own preventative measures. At the Little York Food Mart in Houston, a former law enforcement officer is standing guard with a shot gun. In a video-taped message for looters, he warned: 'I am not afraid to shoot you.' There were signs warning 'looters will be shot' outside homes near the Barker Reservoir too. The Attorney General has so far received more than 700 complaints for price gouging - an illegal act which Governor Greg Abbott condemned as 'reprehensible' and 'un-Texan' on Wednesday. Among culprits was Best Buy which was caught selling packets of water for $42 earlier in the week. They have since apologized. Advertisement

A cow sits in a pasture surrounded by floodwater left in the wake of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey near Orange, Texas

Beaumont firefighters rescue two horses stranded in floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in the north end of Beaumont, Texas

Port Arthur residents traverse a flooded lot along Memorial Blvd. in Texas

Vehicles drive through floodwater after torrential rains pounded Southeast Texas following Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey

To donate to the Red Cross Hurricane Harvey relief fund, click here or call 1-800-435-7669.