just now getting to dry land after seven days in water-logged neighborhoods. as long as we have food, now we are running out of food and water so i m ourt here. reporter: in west houston officials strongly urging those with water in their homes to leave now as water is planned to be released from stressed reservoirs. flood waters in the homes is a hazardous situation. there s dangers of electi electrocution. it is not a safe place to remain. reporter: but homeowners in the region are going to get help in assessing the hazards and damage to their homes. a federal official tells cnn there are about a thousand housing inspectors from the federal government on the ground in texas with maybe 200 more on the way and, jim, they are going to desperately need help to assess the damage and some of the dangers around their homes. no question, brian todd there. we re going to go now to another part of beaumont, texas, one of the hardest hit communities from harvey where the river is stil
beaumont, texas. we are following new evacuations including intensive karcare infs being air lifted to safety. adding to the urgency of the crisis there. new efforts underway to get water flowing again possibly as soon as tonight. in houston the mayor is pleading with hepeople still holed up. the water may not go way in 15 days. more than 100,000 homes are flooded in the houston area alone. the scope of devastation growing along with the death toll that stands at 47. the horrors from harvey still unfolding, the new threat of a disaster looming, hurricane irma churning across the atlantic now posing a major threat to the caribbean and potentially the u.s. also breaking, as president trump prepares to return to the
it takes a long time to get it there and to treat the water, and that s what residents here are counting on. the engineers understand how desperate r desperate residents are to have their water back but they have to make sure it is safe to use. there is a lot of stuff that still needs to be completed. they need to go through the batter treatment phase and work through all of the treatment facilities that you need in order to actually get back into the homes. the city doesn t have a time london on is that yet. reporter: at beaumont hospital they aren t waiting. the most fraj i can evacuees are being air lifted. among them premature babies separated from parents due to flood conditions. we are calling them and letting them know every couple hours how their babies are doing. they need to take care of themselves now and we ll take care of their babies. reporter: there have been more than 172,000 harvey related rescues this week. adults, children and pets of all kinds plucked from