Bryan Curtis normally rides his jet ski for fun. On Sunday, he turned it into an emergency rescue vehicle.

Curtis -- who lives in Conroe, a little to the north of Houston -- was one of the many civilians who pitched in to help evacuate those stranded in rapidly rising floodwaters in Texas's biggest city unleashed by monster storm Harvey.

Tropical Storm Harvey unleashed catastrophic flooding in Houston Sunday, turning streets in Texas' largest city into raging rivers as trapped residents climbed to higher floors and the death toll rose.

The head of the U.S. office for disaster preparedness urged residents of Texas Friday to get out of the path of Hurricane Harvey, warning of an impending "disaster" from the powerful storm.

"Texas is about to have a very significant disaster," said Brock Long, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, speaking to CNN.

South Africa's first online auction of rhino horn opened Wednesday, despite protests by conservation groups that the legal, domestic sale would encourage poachers.

Fukushima's operator on Tuesday started freezing the last section of a $320 million ice wall designed to combat widespread water contamination at the site of the worst nuclear accident in a generation.

More than 750 people have died in floods across South Asia, officials said Monday, with monsoon rains also causing the deaths of hundreds of animals, including rhinos and a tiger.

Tropical Storm Gert surged late Monday to become the second hurricane of the Atlantic season, the National Hurricane Center said.

For now, the storm posed no risk to land as it was far from Bermuda, the NHC said at 2300 GMT in Miami.

Last year's global weather was far more extreme or record-breaking than anything approaching normal, according to a new report.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday released its annual checkup of the Earth, highlighting numerous records including hottest year, highest sea level, and lowest sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctica.

Hurricane Franklin slammed into Mexico's eastern coast early Thursday, sweeping the region with powerful winds and heavy rain capable of producing deadly flash floods.

Mexico, Belize and Guatemala braced Monday for Tropical Storm Franklin, expected to make landfall overnight on the southern Mexican coast -- possibly at hurricane strength.