New Jersey and New York City have dispatched search and rescue teams to Texas who have experience with Superstorm Sandy.

Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall on the Gulf of Mexico coast on 25 August, has dumped up to 40 in (102 cm) of rain in some areas and flooded several parts of the Houston metropolitan area.

In 2012, the Atlantic coast of New Jersey and southern New York were slammed with Sandy and received aid and rescue help from several states and the federal government.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was particularly appreciative of the help and announced that NJ Task Force 1, comprised of police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel - are in Katy, Texas, a suburb approximately 30 miles (48.3 km) west of Houston.

"As Americans, we come together during times of crisis and today New Jersey’s heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the people of Texas at this very difficult time...During superstorm Sandy, emergency and law enforcement response contingents from around the country came to our aid," Mr Christie said in a statement.

The team - part of the National Urban Search & Rescue Response System - were originally supposed to go to San Antonio, Texas but have been re-routed due to road closures.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is also sending 120 emergency personnel to Texas from the Fire Department's Incident Management Team and the Urban Search and Rescue Rapid Response Team.

“We are set up for all types of rescues, including swiftwater rescues. We have a compilation of tools that include boats, motors, dry suits, rescue equipment for collapsed structures, rope equipment for confined spaces, and a large compilation of Haz-Mat equipment and tools," said the Fire Department's Jack Flatley who leads the team.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also deployed the 106th Rescue Wing of the New York National Guard to Texas and Louisiana with boats, helicopters, and personnel.

Members of the so-called Cajun Navy, a group of Louisiana civilians with experience during the deadly 2005 Hurricane Katrina, made the journey to Texas with their small boats and watercraft and have made several rescues to assist overwhelmed local authorities.

'I didn't think I was going to make it': The Independent speaks to Harvey survivours

After Sandy, 20 Republican members of Congress and both Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz were against the 2013 Congressional relief package for victims of the disaster in the New York and New Jersey area.