and officials estimate that more than 100,000 homes are destroyed or damaged. >> no exact figures this morning but number of people in shelters is dropping dramatically from a high of 34,000 as people start returning to their homes. power outages are also down to about 160,000 customers from a high of over 300,000. the mayor of houston has declared the city open for business. president trump tweeted this morning texas is healing fast thanks to all of the great men and women who have been working so hard but still so much to do. will be back tomorrow. >> some of the biggest problems this morning remain in the city of port arthur texas, east of houston which was swamped by flood waters and cut off forcing dramatic rescues. where you saw so much of those chopper rescues. blake mccoy joins us live from port arthur. give us an update. >> reporter: stephanie, good morning. this was one of the hardest hit areas because it was one of the