Wild weather: Hurricane Harvey hits USA
Hurricane Harvey dumped a mind-boggling amount of water on Texas and caused untold destruction and death
THE view from space made it clear: Hurricane Harvey was going to be a big one. The swirling mass of menacing weather gathering momentum over the ocean barrelled towards the US mainland, striking fear across the country. It was the worst storm since Katrina in 2005, weather forecasters said, and authorities warned residents in the hurricane’s path to head for higher ground. Those who refused to evacuate were told to write their names and social security numbers on their arms so they could be identified in case they didn’t make it. Then the downpour began – a flood of biblical proportions that drowned vast swathes of Texas before it moved on to Louisiana. By the time the rain finally stopped and the waters began to recede, scores would be dead, thousands of homes would be destroyed and over a million people would be displaced.
An unprecedented deluge
Imagine a container filled with nearly 34 trillion litres of water. Then imagine it being dumped over a city in a matter of hours. That should give you some idea of how much water swamped Houston, Texas. By the time the storm passed, nearly 78 trillion litres had fallen on the Houston area, enough water to supply New York City’s needs for over five decades.
Meteorologists even had to add a new colour on rain charts to signify the concentration of water, described as a oncein-a-thousand-year flood.
At Cedar Bayou on the outskirts of Houston, 1 317mm of rain was recorded in five days, marking a new record for the heaviest rainfall for a storm in the continental USA. To put it into perspective, in a good year Cape Town receives about 788mm of rain. The drought-stricken Mother City hasn’t seen anywhere close to this amount in recent years.
Casualties and damages
More than 50 people lost their lives, including a family of six whose van was swept away in the floodwaters. The death toll was expected to rise as the water retreated.
Heartrending scenes of people saving their pets and of abandoned animals left to die peppered news broadcasts. There were also emotional scenes as people returned to what was left of their homes after floodwaters had subsided and looters had come and gone.
One evacuated man arrived home to find an enormous alligator had taken up
‘We had to escape with the water up to our neck. We saw a snake. We saw rodents. It was pretty tough’ – Houston resident Shawn Rosales
residence in his dining room. Police had to be called in to remove the 2,7m reptile.
Celebs dig deep
Many stars and businesspeople came forward to offer aid and support for the relief and rebuilding effort.
Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Sandra Bullock as well as talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres each donated $1 million (R13 million) while Texas natives Michael Dell, CEO and founder of Dell computers, and his wife, Susan, launched the Rebuild Texas fund, which they kickstarted with a $36 million (R468 million) donation. President Donald Trump, who visited Texas twice over the course of the disaster, also pledged $1 million of his own money.
Beyoncé, who comes from Houston, announced that her BeyGOOD Houston effort would team up with charity organisations Bread of Life and Greater Houston Community Foundation, working with families who’d lost their homes.