Houston police officer drowns in floods

Houston: Houston police officer Steve Perez drowned in floodwaters while trying to make his way into work to help with the emergency response to Harvey, officials announced Tuesday.

The 34-year veteran died in the early morning hours Sunday, while trying to drive into work from a rural area where he lived, police chief Art Acevedo said.

“He spent about two and a half hours driving around, trying to get to his duty station,” Acevedo said. “He could not find a path.”

A dive team, with the help of volunteer rescuers, recovered the officer’s body from an underpass five metres deep that was flooded with water.

At least four people have died since Harvey first slammed into Texas as a category four hurricane on Friday. Six more deaths were potentially tied to the storm.