'Worst flood ever' hits Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey Live updates

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said 3,052 people have been rescued by law enforcement since Harvey started wreaking havoc on the city. And in the last eight hours, 1,000 have been taken to safety, the Associated Press reported. 

FEMA Administrator Brock Long said on Monday that he expects 450,000 people affected by Hurricane Harvey to apply for federal assistance. Long stated he was shipping 2 million liters of water and 2 million meals to the affected areas, which includes Louisiana.

In Texas's Harris County, several thousand people stranded in vehicles and buildings near water were rescued by firefighters and law enforcement using helicopters and motorboats. Many volunteers in the area even used their own boats to bring people in danger to safety, the New York Times reported.

Texas officials estimate 30,000 people affected by Hurricane Harvey have fled to emergency shelters, including to inland cities like Dallas and San Antonio. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings stated the city was told to get ready for “numbers that could be up in the tens of thousands.”

In San Antonio, large warehouses turned into shelters that could house more than 4,100 people fleeing Harvey.

On Monday, the center of the storm turned eastward to the Gulf of Mexico, which in turn raises the possibility that Harvey could strengthen even more, the New York Times reported. 

Texas officials reported that at least nine people have died statewide since Hurricane Harvey began, the Washington Post reported. Authorities expect the number of fatalities to rise as rescue efforts continue, Late Monday, during a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, President Donald Trump made a promise to people affected by the storm. “I think that you’re gonna see very rapid action from Congress, certainly from the president, and you’re gonna get your funding.”

Joel Osteen, pastor for the 17,000-seat Lakewood Church in Houston, is facing criticism because he did not immediately open his church to residents displaced by Hurricane Harvey. Yesterday, the church's Facebook page posted a statement that read: "Dear Houstonians! Lakewood Church is inaccessible due to severe flooding!"

Many people have since taken to social media to criticize Osteen for not making his place of worship available to people seeking help.

On Monday, in response, Osteen tweeted that he would start work on a hurricane relief fund. "Over the last couple of days, as the enormity of this storm was being realized, we have been working to organize relief efforts for the Houston area with our friend Franklin Graham and the disaster relief organization that he oversees, Samaritan’s Purse." 

On Monday night, writer Charles Clymer cited a source inside Lakewood Church and posted photos alleging that it would soon be opening.

"Lakewood Church apparently bought countless air mattresses and are prepping to open their doors. Took a while but good news."

No official comment has been made by Osteen or anyone from his ministry regarding the opening of the church.

FEMA administrator Brock Long estimates that a total of 30,000 people in Houston, along with the southeast area of the state, will have sought shelter at the time of the storm's conclusion, the Associated Press reported. 

Local investigative reporter Ted Oberg tweeted Monday afternoon that "a sea of people" are trying to evacuate from an area in northeast Houston, according to KTRK. 

Hurricane Harvey has claimed another life, as the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office confirmed Monday afternoon that 60-year-old Lisa Jones was killed by a tree that fell on her home while she slept. The woman's husband went to the authorities when he noticed the tree fell, but when he came back with help, they discovered Jones was dead. At least eight people have died so far as a result of Harvey, according to KHOU. 

READ MORE: Devastating aftermath of Hurricane Harvey as death toll rises (VIDEO)

Budweiser-maker Anheuser-Busch has converted a factory in Cartersville, Georgia to stop production of beer, and instead will be producing cans of water to be distributed to victims of the catastrophic Hurricane Harvey in Houston. The company has already shipped out over 155,000 cans, according to WXIA. 

READ MORE: Hurricane damage shuts down major US oil refineries 

NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston is now closed due to rainfall and flooding connected to Hurricane Harvey. The center's emergency management office tweeted that waters are now knee-deep on some streets near the facility. However, the center for human spaceflight will reopen Tuesday for all mission essential personnel.