Houston's convention center is sheltering more than 9,000 people - far more than the 5,000-person capacity that had been set.
The move is necessary in order to prevent uncontrolled water flowing from the dams, the US Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement.
While it has been acknowledged that this approach will flood houses near both Barker and Addicks and has the potential to raise Buffalo Bayou's water levels up as well, officials have been clear that this option is better than what will happen if the integrity of the structures does not hold, according to Harris County Flood Control.
The record-breaking rains Harvey continues to pour onto Houston and the surrounding area have flooded thousands of people out of their homes, with tens of thousands potentially needing to take refuge in shelters. "If the water goes around the spillway, we would see changes on the impact of Buffalo Bayou".
The Harris County Flood Control District is asking that people to avoid going into their attic but to find a way onto the roof if they're escaping the rising waters as a last resort.
FEMA officials have said they are committed to getting federal resources to Texas as quickly as possible, noting that more than 450,000 people are likely to be seeking assistance.
That brings to almost 6,000 the number of prisoners displaced by Harvey, which made landfall Friday as a hurricane and is now a tropical storm. Berry Bayou, Beamer Ditch, Turkey Creek, portions of Clear Creek, Vince Bayou, Little Vince Bayou in Pasadena and more got over a foot of water in a matter of hours.
The water is being released from the Addicks and Barker dams into Buffalo Bayou, the main body of water running through Houston.
Californians Rally Against White Supremacy in Berkeley
The " Rally Against Hate " drew thousands of people to city parks, along with the Berkeley college campus, at Sunday afternoon. This video shot by Reveal's Al Letson shows Joey Gibson being chased by the mob and pepper sprayed at the Berkeley protest.
Australia v Bangladesh: Honours even after fluctuating opening day in Dhaka
He then removed Mehidy Hasan to get past Benaud to sit behind only Shane Warne (708) among Australia's all-time best spinners. Tottering at 10/3, the hosts were in a real scare of getting embarrassed, but their two experienced batsmen bailed them out.
'Poltergeist' director Tobe Hooper dies at 74
Despite the popularity of his horror films, Hooper felt more comfortable working on lower budget movies in the fright genre. Made for less than $300,000 and shot on 16mm, the film would go on to gross about $30 million domestically.
She says the rain could abate later in the morning but that another band of heavy rainfall will soon follow.
The centre forecasts another 6 to 12 inches of rain across the upper Texas coast through to the weekend.
The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency Sunday in the Houston area.
The National Hurricane Center says heavy rain from Harvey is expected to worsen flooding in Southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana.
One of Houston's two major reservoirs overflowed Tuesday for the first time in its history, overburdened by torrential downpours from an "historic" storm. But the releases were not enough to relieve the pressure after one of the heaviest downpours in US history, Army Corps of Engineers officials said. But officials acknowledge the grim reality that fatalities linked to Harvey could soar once the devastating floodwaters recede.
Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years when it made landfall on Friday near Corpus Christi, 220 miles (354km) south-west of Houston.
Some fear that may be more than the nation's fourth-largest city could bear.
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29 August 2017
29 August 2017
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28 August 2017