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The stage is all set for the mega "Howdy Modi" event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address over 50,000 Indian-Americans, but the torrential rains triggered by a tropical storm have wreaked havoc in Houston, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency in several parts of the state of Texas.
Tropical Depression Imelda slammed Texas on Thursday, 19 September, causing devastating flooding, power outages and prompting urgent rescues and warnings across southeastern Texas for people to stay indoors.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency for 13 counties in southeastern Texas.
The National Weather Service said the rainfall was winding down in areas that had been hit the hardest, but some parts of Fort Bend, Harris and Galveston counties were seeing additional 2 to 3 inches of rainfall every hour.
However, the volunteers of the "Howdy Modi" event are upbeat and confident that all the attendees at the sprawling NRG stadium in Houston will have an experience they will cherish all their lives.
Leading volunteer Achalesh Amar told PTI that over 1,500 volunteers have been working round the clock to make the event a grand success.
The mammoth event reflects the growing size, power and complexity of the Indian-American community, both in the Houston area and the US, he said.
US President Donald Trump, along with a number of high-ranking US government officials - including Governors, Members of Congress and Mayors - will join Prime Minister Modi to attend the "Howdy Modi!" event on Sunday.
"This is going to be a kind of family celebration. We want to say, 'Look at our community here! We are successful. We are strong. We have done good things for Houston!' We would like Modi to know all of this," organisers said.
Swapan Dhairyawan, president of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston (IACCGH), said he has witnessed how Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner's visit to India in November 2018 enhanced the bilateral trade.
Dhairyawan said he was confident that Modi's visit to Houston and his meeting with President Trump and top CEOs will "make new inroads in furthering business opportunities in oil and gas, healthcare and Innovation – Houston's three core sectors".
Jagdip Ahluwalia, founding Secretary and Executive Director of the IACCGH, said President Trump attending the event was a sign of the "growing importance of the US-India relationship".
From 2018 to May 2019, India moved from being Houston's 9th largest trading partner to its 4th largest trading partner preceded only by Mexico, China and Brazil.
Jugal Malani, chairperson of the Texas India Forum, which is bringing together all the organisations participating in the event, said Modi's last visit to Washington and meeting with Trump led to a multi-billion dollar deal by India to buy US crude oil.
"It was followed by a multi-billion dollar deal by India to buy US LNG, a lot of which will ship from our region and we are positive Modi's visit to the home of the energy hub, NASA and Innovation and the Energy Capital of the world will lead to a new series of bilateral opportunities between our regions which IACCGH is here to help facilitate and support," Malani said.
Before Prime Minister Modi delivers the community address, he is scheduled to have a round table meeting with various energy-related top business leaders. There are also some community-related brief meetings involved during his short trip to Houston.
Meanwhile, some protests by the International Humanitarian Foundation of Houston are also being planned against Modi's visit and some pro-Pakistan and anti-Kashmir billboards have also appeared at some places in the city.
According to sources, over 10,000 people will protest the Indian government's 5 August decision to end Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
However, the Governor's Office, along with a huge pool of volunteers, is working towards the grand success of the event.
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