Hurricane Harvey

Shelters around Houston are struggling to keep up with the thousands of people forced from their homes. The downtown convention center is filled beyond capacity, and people are still arriving.

Described as a "sweet, gentle public servant," Perez ignored his family's warnings that it was too dangerous for him to report to work.

The 24/7 comfort-food chain is notable for keeping the doors open when hurricanes and natural disasters strike, but two of its restaurants in Houston have had to close because of Harvey.

John Livious and his family settled in Houston after being evacuated from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. For him, watching the flooding from Harvey is "unbearable, because it's like déjà vu."

The president said he waited to visit until he could do so "without causing disruption." He sidestepped Houston and instead stopped in Corpus Christi, where Harvey made landfall, and then in Austin.

Lakewood Church occupies an arena that used to house the Houston Rockets. Questions had circulated online about why it wasn't being used to house those needing refuge from Hurricane Harvey.

On Tuesday morning, a rain gauge southeast of Houston reported 49.32 inches — breaking a national record that was set by cyclone Amelia in 1978, the National Weather Service says.

Two weeks before Hurricane Harvey struck, monsoon rains swamped Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Aid groups are struggling to deal with both disasters.

The president heads to Texas on Tuesday to survey the damage from Hurricane Harvey. It will be a test of his young presidency to show empathy and competence in responding to a historic storm.