UPDATE 2-Torrential Imelda rains flood homes, snarl travel around Houston

Rescuers in boats pulled people from flooded Houston-area homes, the city's airport temporarily halted flights and tens of thousands of people lost power on Thursday as the remnants of Tropical Storm Imelda dumped torrential rains over the region.

Officials warned millions of people in the area to hunker down as the National Hurricane Center forecast the storm could drop up to 40 inches (102 cm) of rain along the southeastern coast of Texas through Thursday night. "If you're at school, stay at school. If you're at home, stay at home. If you're at work, stay at work," said Lina Hidalgo, the Harris County judge, at a press conference as she declared a state of emergency for the Houston area. "Right now, it's about life safety."

George Bush Intercontinental Airport halted all flights for about two hours due to the storm, and Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster for over a dozen counties. Scores of motorists were stranded in their vehicles as some of Houston's main roadways flooded, submerging cars, television images showed. Firefighters, police and ordinary citizens were out in boats and all-terrain vehicles to pick up people trapped in their homes by the rising waters.

There were no reports of deaths or severe injuries by mid-afternoon. The storm knocked out power to around 100,000 people in Houston and southeast Texas, according to reports from energy companies, while work at oil refineries in the area was slowed or halted.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city was better prepared to rescue stranded residents and deal with flooding than when Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017, leading to dozens of deaths in Houston and billions of dollars in damage. The small town of Winnie, about 60 miles (100 km) east of Houston, was badly hit. Officials there evacuated Riceland Hospital and tried to rescue people marooned in their vehicles after roads turned into lakes.

Parts of Interstate 10, a major east-west highway, were closed near Winnie. Imelda made landfall as a tropical storm near Freeport, Texas on Tuesday.

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