From nbc news, this is a special edition of today the impact of Hurricane Harvey. With matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to today. We have craig in for matt. When we look as these images, its absolutely heartbreaking. This is the fourthlargest city in our country. And words like catastrophic and historic, the words to describe the flooding there. And houston will see more rain over the next few days, as well. At least two people have died. But officials are expecting that number to rise, as crews work their way through stillrising floodwaters. In houston alone, more than 1,000 highwater rescues have already been carried out. Overnight, mandatory Evacuation Orders for several neighborhoods along the brasos river. That river is expected to rise three foot above its record. One official calling it an 800year flooding event. Texas governor, greg abbott, announced a thousand National Guard members are headed to houston, in addition to 3,000 already headed to that region. The white house says President Trump will visit there tomorrow to survey the damage for the first major Natural Disaster of his presidency. We have complete coverage. Our team is across southern texas. We want to bring you the latest. Lets start with lester holt in houston. Good morning to you. Reporter hi, savannah. Good morning to you. The National Weather service says they havent seen anything quite like this. There is drama and crave bravery here. With the rain expected to continue into the week, this could turn out to be the worst flooding disaster in u. S. History. Overnight, after torrential rains battered texas, residents are bracing for more rain. Tropical storm harvey now a historymaking disaster, dumping more than two feet of rain on houston over the weekend. Another two feet expected to come. The catastrophic flooding consuming homes, cars, even entire highways. The army corps of engineers, taking Emergency Action overnight. Releasing water from two reservoirs in the houston area, to reduce the risk of destructive flooding. Some residents have been wading through chestdeep water, desperately trying to salvage what they can. People were carrying babies on their shoulders. All i could grab was my wallet and my phone. Thats all i knew to grab. Reporter thousands have been left stranded by the storm, as First Responders scramble to save them. By boat, by truck and by helicopter. But some have already lost everything. We prayed a lot. And we just praised god. And we were rescued. So, were very thankful. Reporter local medical centers are also preparing to evacuate patients. 350 patients at this hospital need to be moved after floodwaters and a burst sewage pipe damaged food and supplies in the basement. In dickinson, texas, 15 Senior Citizens were rescued. Several sat in waistdeep water before being airlifted to safety. Energy services are at capacity, with 15,000 calls to 911. Now, the mayor is protecting the decision not to order an evacuation. You give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare. Reporter harvey made landfall as a category 4 hurricane. Its high winds uprooting trees, tearing roofs off buildings. Now, the fear is the heavy rain that will go on for days. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has activated 3,000 National Guard troops. And tomorrow, President Trump will travel to the hardesthit areas. Fema says tells nbc news that the president is concerned about the situation on the ground. Hes given me the authority to amass our resources with our state and local partners. Reporter with the storm not over, the fog ederal government preparing for a long recofferry effort. It will be years. Reporter let me put the pictures in perspective. Were talking about rising floodwaters, they do rise and they also go down. There is a drainage system here. And it works to a certain extent, but it also goes down. Let another downpour happen, it will come up again. Savannah and craig, it makes it difficult to get around the city because it is a city of islands right now. You turn a corner and suddenly youre in the floodwaters, as another rain band starts to come through here. We can hear that behind you, lester. Well check back with you in a few moments. Scenes of devastation playing out all over Southeast Texas this morning. Kerry sanders is in victoria. Thats two hours southwest of houston. Kerry, what are you seeing where you are . Its still raining here, as well. The problems are not going away. But there is good news because a relief kitchen has been set up for many people. For many people, it is the first warm meal theyve had in days. Some of the folks leaving the shelters here trying to make theyre way home, are discovering they have no home to go to. This is the scene of one apartment complex here in victoria. It appears, according to authorities, that a Lightning Strike may have hit it during harvey. It went up in flames. Folks are returning now and have nowhere to go. In other homes, you can see trees have toppled on top of the homes. Those homes are not habitable, in part because the rain is coming through the broken roofs. Lines and lines today as people get out in their cars and try to get gas, as well, searching for food, beyond just this kitchen that has been set up. Finally, the real concern is along the Guadalupe River here. That river is expected to crest 32 feet above sea level. Historic flooding event here they will happen by wednesday. Police have been going doortodoor, knocking and telling people who live along the river there, they need to evacuate and get out before the water comes on wednesday. Many people telling us, they didnt know about it because they have no electricity. They have no telephones. They really dont know whats going on. They are cut off and are thankful that the police decided to come by and tell them theres another flood and another disaster looming here. Craig . Kerry sanders for us in victoria this morning. As kerry mentioned, this is an unfolding disaster. Its far from over. Some areas bracing for, get this, another two feet of rain. Dylan dreyer is in houston with our forecast. What are we expecting . Good morning, savannah. Thats exactly right. Theres another 15 to 25 inches of rain yet to go with this storm. Its not really going to let up until the middle of the week. Lets look at the radar which tells a huge story here. We have feeder bands coming off of the gulf of mexico. Its warm moist air that helps to feed these storms. The line has shifted east into beaumont, texas, and parts of louisiana. But the storm is moving southeast at three miles per hour. Its generally meandering over the same area. It will draft into the gulf of mexico and it will maintain the Tropical Storm status. So far, we have picked up 15 to more than 30 inches of rain, in and around the houston area and across eastern texas. But we have more to go. The storm system, as it hits and taps into the gulf of mexico, were going to see these heavier tropical downpours continue. Look how expansive the flash flood warnings are, extending into lake charles, louisiana, which could end up with seven to ten inches of rainfall. We could easily pick up more than 50 inches of rain in some areas. We still have a long way to go. Its hit and miss. Sometimes you get a break. The waters recede a bit. And you get a downpour and the waters come back up. We have river flooding and bayou flooding that could last into next week, as all this water finds a place to go. Okay, dylan, thank you. Were joined by one of the top officials in houston, Harris County judge emmet. Thank you for being with us. Good morning. Im sure youve been up all night. In your view, is the worst over . Or is the worst yet to come . Well, we dont know the answer to that. We hope the worst is over. It looks like those feeder bands are moving to our east a little bit. Were focused totally on life and safety of our residents at this point. Judge, over the weekend, as houston started to fill with water, a lot of folks watching the images started to wonder, why was there no mandatory evacuation issued . Can you walk us through that decision, how you decided not to issue that mandatory Evacuation Order . Absolutely. When a hurricane comes, you know to get people out of harms way. You know where the storm surge is going to hit. So, we have a very defined process for moving people out of storm surge. With a rain event over a county of 4. 5 Million People, you dont know where the rain is going to fall, you dont know which neighborhoods are going to flood. If we had gone out three days before and said we want 4 Million People to leave Harris County, that could have been a totally nonsensical thing to do. We didnt know where it was going to flood. We didnt know what neighborhoods were going to flood. And the truth is, if we had told people to do that, they would have laughed at us or ignored it. I want to ask you about a call that went out from officials there, i think yesterday. Anybody with a boat, come help, if you can. Do you have the resources you need . Are you still asking for the private publics help to help you with these rescues . One of the great things about this community is neighbors help neighbors. And so, we knew that a lot of people were helping with their boats. But the state of texas did a great job of making Resources Available to us. Like everybody else, they couldnt travel the highways. Yesterday, during daylight, we wanted to maximize our ability to get people out of harms way, get people off rooftops. Im the one who said, please, were going to organize an effort for Community Volunteers to come through. We had a tremendous response and they saved a lot of lives. You have millions watching and listens. Millions of good hearted americans that rise to the occasion like this. What do you need them to know about whats needed now in your county . The red cross is here. Other agencies are here. Theres been funds set up. This is, as everybody said, its historic. Its unprecedented. This going to take us months, years to get back to normal. So, any help that people can send, we would certainly appreciate. Judge, the president is expected to come to texas tomorrow. Will that be helpful . What are you hoping that will accomplish . Anytime the federal government steps in and cuts through the bureaucratic maze and allows people to get relief early the homeowners need to get back into their homes. They need to have access to the grants and loan programs. His coming is a signal that houston and Harris County is important to the nation. Judge ed emmet, i know you have a lot on your plate. Thank you for your time. You can find more information on how you can help people in texas, on our website, today. Com. As President Trump gets set to head to texas tomorrow, in washington, he is facing quite the backlash on both sides of the aisle over his decision to pardon former sheriff joseph arpa arpaio. The president sparing sheriff arpaio a pardon. A polarizing figure. And President Trumps move, days after delivering a speech to heal the wounds that divide us, is only deepening the critics. President trump returning to the white house, after whipping up a fierce political storm, granting his first president ial pardon to controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Was sheriff joe convicted for doing his job . Reporter House Speaker paul ryans office writing, the speaker does not agree with this decision. Both Arizona Republican senators arguing the president undermines the rule of law by pardoning arpaio, who has expressed no remor remorse, after his conviction last month of contempt, for defying a judges order to stop racially profiling latinos. The 85yearolds relationship with the president goes back to the birther movement. White house aides defend the president s decision that did not go through the usual review process at the department of justice. Just about every president ends up with controversial pardons. Reporter that pardon enraging critics, not just for its message but its timing. Announced as Hurricane Harvey barreled towards texas. A friday night news dump that included the president formal e formalizing his order, banning transgender military recruits. And departure of another white house aid, nationalist gorka. Rex tillerson seemed to distance himself from mr. Trump, when discussing the impact of charlottesville. I dont think anyone bouts the american peoples values or the commitment of the American Government or the agencies of defepding those ral values. And the president s values . The president speaks for himself. Reporter joe biden writing, we saw the truth of this president. He wont stop. His contempt for the u. S. Constitution and willingness to divide this nation knows no bounds. We are living through the battle for the soul of this nation. We have to do what our president is not the and we have to remember our kids are watching. Back here this afternoon, President Trump will host the president of finland. The two leaders are expected to hold a joint News Conference with plenty of topics to discuss. The u. S. Navy says divers have recovered the bodies of all ten sailors missing since uss john mccain collided with an ail tanker last week. The remains were found inside the ships flooded xacompartmen. This was the second deadly dligs involving a merchant vessel, in two months. Lets head back to dylan for news on harvey and the national forecast. Dylan . Good morning, guys. The rain has picked up again here in houston. It will continue to do so throughout the rest of today and through wednesday morning. We have a tropical system approaching florida and the southeast coast of the carolinas, where we could see heavy rain, perhaps two to four inches of rain, with that system there. In the northeast, were looking at sunshine back through the midwest. A beautiful day. Lots of sun, temperatures in the 70s and lets see, there are the wildcats til we die weekenders. The watch me let if fly. This i gotta try weekenders. Then weve got the bendy. Spendy weekenders. The tranquility awaits. Hanging with our mates weekenders and the its been quite a day. So glad we got away weekenders. Whatever kind of weekender you are, theres a hilton for you. Book your weekend break direct at hilton. Com and join the weekenders. Good morning. Im meteorologist bill henley. Grab your sunglasses. Bright temperatures and sunshine will be climbing. Mostly sunny skies. 77 in philadelphia. The suburbs on the way to 75 degrees today. Look at the warmup for new jersey. From the 50s this morning to 76 degrees this afternoon. Partly sunny later today. Breezy with winds of 20 miles an hour. Upper 70s for the Lehigh Valley and delaware. Partly to mostly sunny skies. Have a great day. And thats your latest forecast. Guys . All right, dylan, thank you. Just ahead, were going to have a lot more on this storm. The flooding that is ravaging southwest texas. And the video of rescues taking place across that region. And the new test that just pushed the dream of a hyperloop getting you from new york to washington, closer to reality. Well take you behind the scenes this morning. First this, is today on nbc. Just ahead, from wild performances to something new from taylor swift. 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Designed to clean better. As clean as a shimmering mermaid. Cottonelle® wants everyone to feel as clean as a shimmering mermaid. How cottonelle® do you feel . Good monday morning. Im katy zachary. A few minutes before 7 30. Lets get right to bill henley. Hes here with most accurate neighborhood forecast. A cool start. We wont see a lot of sunshine today and a pretty good breeze blowing. Surf up. And rip current risk has moved higher today. Could be dangerous surf later on. 61 degrees right now in philadelphia. 50s at the shore. Some of the cooler neighborhoods are in new jersey. Now 51 degrees in atco. Warming into the 70s and staying dry today. Not bad. Lets get