02:32

Kevin Vitto only moved to Houston in February. What he did not realise until Harvey struck is that his family’s apartment in a smart new complex backs onto a reservoir with a dam that feeds a bayou.

Levels rose to record highs on Tuesday. As officials struggled to manage both deliberate and uncontrolled water releases from the Barker and Addicks dams, more neighbourhoods flooded in an already badly-hit area about 20 miles west of downtown.

Some parts face being submerged for weeks or even months, and water could spill over from Addicks for another three weeks, officials said at a press conference.

A more hopeful update followed from officials who said that improving conditions mean the reservoirs are expected to crest about one to three feet lower than expected. Shortly before sunset, residents in the prosperous Memorial district went for walks, children played in the streets and neighbours holding beer or wine gathered to gawp at flooded streets while drivers gingerly navigated roads with broken traffic lights.

Fears of what could happen to a swath of the city if the dams fail still stalked some residents. The 1940s-era structures are run by the federal government and were undergoing repair before Harvey; military helicopters buzzed overhead for much of the day, while in the evening a convoy of vehicles was parked along Interstate 10 as rescues continued in tandem with efforts by boat-owning civilian volunteers.



Vitto’s building has a swimming pool for residents in the middle and now it has a boating lake out front where Highway 6, a major north-south route, is submerged.