Parts of Houston are underwater as Harvey lingers over the city, bringing record rain
Residents in Houston, Texas, awoke this morning to submerged roads, power loss, tornado warnings, and widespread damage as Hurricane Harvey’s relentless rain continued to fall over the nation’s fourth most-populous and notoriously flood-prone city.
The rainfall is expected to continue through Wednesday, with totals of 50 inches (127 cm) now predicted in some areas, the highest ever recorded in the state.
Daylight reveals the extent of flooding in Houston #hurricane #harvey #Houston buffalobayoupark #flood #flooding #…… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…—
DoubleHorn Photo (@DoubleHornPhoto) August 27, 2017
At least five deaths (paywall) and more than a dozen injuries were reported by Sunday morning in what is being called the most powerful storm to hit Texas in over 50 years. More than 2,000 were reportedly saved from rising flood waters, with further rescue operations still underway.
This image and the forecast of what is still to fall…. This is surreal. #HoustonFlood #Harvey https://t.co/zK9WojsMAH—
Matthew Sitkowski (@MattSitkowski) August 27, 2017
The National Weather Service said the event was unprecedented and that the storm’s impacts are “unknown and beyond anything experienced.”
A rescue underway in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A flash flood emergency warning was extended until 1:30pm local time, which warned people in counties across Houston and Galveston to seek higher ground. “This is an extremely dangerous and threatening situation,” the alert said. “Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.”
Walking through the floodwaters in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston is home to the country’s largest refinery and petrochemical complex. As Quartz previously reported:
The federally-controlled offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico produce 17% of the US’s total crude oil output, while around half the US’s petroleum and natural gas refining capacity is situated along the gulf coast. … A direct hit from a big storm would cause enormous damage, not just economic but also environmental, since the complex stores huge quantities of dangerous chemicals.
Today, the nation’s second-largest oil refinery, run by Exxon Mobile in Baytown, Texas, was being temporarily shut down, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Journalists working at local TV station KHOU in Houston were also forced to evacuate as floodwaters entered the outlet’s offices.
The flooding got so bad in Houston that our sister station, @KHOU had to evacuate https://t.co/XQM1DhjBIo #houstonflood #harvey pic.twitter.com/MCvecr6je3
Centre for Nigeria Progress 