Tropical Storm Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into US’s fourth-largest city – Houston – Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help. At least five people have died in the catastrophe.
The incessant rain covered much of Houston in turbid, gray-green water and turned streets into wide channels navigable only by boat. In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buzzed across inundated neighborhoods and high-wheel vehicles plowed through water-logged intersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam.
Volunteers joined emergency teams to pull people from their homes or from the water, which was high enough in some places to gush into second floors.
The flooding was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas. They urged people to get on top of their homes to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location.
As the water rose, the National Weather Service offered another ominous forecast: Before the storm passes, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could receive as much as 50 inches of rain. That would be the highest amount ever recorded in Texas.
The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before.National Weather Service
Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said.
The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said the government expected to conduct a "mass care mission" and predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require FEMA's involvement for years.
This disaster’s going to be a landmark event.
Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves. The city's main convention center was quickly opened as a shelter.
(With inputs from IANS)