Thousands of people have been forced from their homes in Texas and Louisiana, as torrential rains continue to batter the southern coast of the United States. President George W Bush has declared 28 counties of south-east Texas a disaster area, ordering federal aid to supplement local efforts.
At least three people have been killed in the floods caused by tropical storm Allison, one of them a woman who drowned in a flooded lift in a building in the Texan city of Houston. Emergency officials in the city used boats and helicopters to rescue thousands of residents trapped by rising waters.
