Hurricane HarveyThis is already Houston’s "worst flood." It’s only going to get worse.
As swamped officials struggled to respond to a deadly crisis Sunday, southeast Texans were bracing for their troubles to multiply over the coming week. Harvey is on track to produce even more devastating floods. “The economic impact should be greater than any other flood event we’ve ever experienced,” says one expert. “And it’s going to take years for these residential communities to recover.” Some parts of Texas could receive up to 50 inches of rain in the coming days, an amount that would exceed state records. Two federally-owned reservoirs west of Houston meant to protect the city from catastrophic flooding were already reaching historic levels as of Sunday evening.
As the sun set Sunday on a flood-ravaged Houston, a nagging uncertainty surrounding Tropical Storm Harvey’s next move persisted.
Even 24 hours earlier, no one knew exactly how much rain the storm would bring to the sprawling metropolitan area. But meteorologists’ worst case scenario ended up coming true: Harvey strengthened and dumped as much as 22 inches of rain in certain areas throughout the night and into Sunday evening, flooding countless homes, stranding families on rooftops and killing at least five people.
Scientists say the storm is likely to be the most devastating flood the Houston region has ever seen — even more so than Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, which was the worst rainstorm to ever befall an American city in modern history.
“The economic impact should be greater than any other flood event we’ve ever experienced,” said Sam Brody, a scientist at a Texas A&M University at Galveston who specializes in natural hazards mitigation. “And it’s going to take years for these residential communities to recover.”
Late Sunday, the rainfall had let up in some areas, allowing floodwaters to drain. But it persisted in already waterlogged parts of northwest Houston and was expected to continue — if less doggedly — throughout the night and into Monday.
“It’s a massive flood and we’re not out of the woods yet — this thing is going to sit here and potentially drop 10 to 15 more inches of rain,” said Phil Bedient, a Rice University scientist who studies hydrology and flood prediction systems. “It is a very, very depressing situation that we find ourselves in.”
A chaotic weekend
Some parts of Texas could receive up to 50 inches of rain in the coming days, an amount that would exceed state records. Two federally-owned reservoirs west of Houston meant to protect the city from catastrophic flooding were already reaching historic levels as of Sunday evening. The situation will require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release water down an already swollen Buffalo Bayou to protect the homes and businesses that surround the reservoirs that will certainly flood.
But just the flooding as of Sunday made for a chaotic weekend. As images posted to social media showed roads inundated with water – submerging cars and covering street signs – officials in Houston and Galveston asked residents with high-water vehicles or boats to assist in rescue efforts.
