Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey brought unprecedented destruction to the Southeast Texas coast. The storm made landfall near Rockport TX as a Category-4 Hurricane. The hurricanes rain bands stretched from Corpus Christi, TX to New Orleans, LA. After moving 50 miles inland the storm stalled and slowly reversed course. For two days of almost no movement Harvey continued to deliver unrelenting rain in and around the Greater Houston Area. Eventually Harvey moved back off shore and crept down the Texas Gulf Coast making a second landfall threes days after the first, this time near Holiday Beach, TX as a Category-3 hurricane.
The devastation brought by Harvey's days of endless rain was historic. Flooding took place in areas that had never flooded before, and it directly affected the fourth largest city in the US. One Third of Houston was under water. 800 thousand homes took water damage, and estimated 1.3 million people directly effected in Houston alone. 39000 people were in shelters. 51.88 inches of rain fell in Cedar Bayou outside of Houston, every major waterway inside and around the city crested above flood stage, most at never-before-seen heights. Property damages is estimated near $200 billion, making Harvey the most expensive storm on record.
In short, the city of Houston was dealing with flooding that have never been seen before, difficult to predict, and impossible to plan for.
In short, the city of Houston was dealing with flooding that have never been seen before, difficult to predict, and impossible to plan for.