More counties in Texas declared under state of disaster

Governor Greg Abbott on Friday declared 24 more counties in Texas under a state of disaster, bringing the total of such counties to 70, as severe storms have been hitting the southern U.S. state since early this month.

In Houston, authorities announced on Friday that Houston Solid Waste Management Department will begin storm debris collection in the hardest hit areas of the city on Saturday.

Local residents are asked to separate discarded items into six categories and place each pile at the curb away from mailboxes, fire hydrants, water meters, electrical lines and other impediments.

In Rosenberg, 56 km southwest of Houston, officials on Friday ordered a mandatory evacuation of about 50 flood-threatened homes near the Brazos River. Residents in the affected homes will not be allowed to re-enter the evacuated area until it is deemed safe to return.

Meanwhile, Wharton, 96 km southwest of Houston, was also ordered to evacuate on Friday due to the rising Colorado River.

The National Weather Service said on Friday that a strong cold front will move south and east over the weekend, bringing widespread rain and thunderstorms to much of the United States. And the possibility of heavy rain and flash flooding exists because of unstable air and moisture coming from the Gulf of Mexico.

"The already soaked soils of north Texas will be especially prone to flash flooding," the weather service said.

In neighboring Oklahoma, the storms also killed at least six people. In Arkansas, Governor Asa Hutchinson has issued disaster declarations for five counties hit hard by recent storms and flooding.

In a related development, U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday signed a presidential disaster declaration to provide federal assistance for affected counties in the state. Endi