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Hurricane Harvey: What Happened and What’s Next Hurricane Harvey: The Devastation and What Comes Next
(about 2 hours later)
Overwhelmed by the news from Texas and Louisiana since Hurricane Harvey made landfall? Here is an overview of coverage by The New York Times that will be updated as events continue. Overwhelmed by the news since Harvey made landfall? Here is an overview of coverage by The New York Times.
The latest can be found in Thursday’s live storm briefing.The latest can be found in Thursday’s live storm briefing.
Local officials blame at least 38 deaths and many more injuries on the storm. Among the dead is a mother who was swept into a canal while her child survived by clinging to her body. Here are details on some of the others who have died. With rainfall topping 47 inches in some areas, Harvey devastated a swath of Texas stretching east from Houston. “Our whole city is underwater,” Derrick Freeman, the mayor of Port Arthur, Texas, said on Wednesday.
The storm has inundated parts of the Houston area with more than three feet of rain. In some places, totals surpassed 50 inches, setting a record for the continental United States. And, in Harris County, which includes Houston, up to 30 percent of the land had flooded, according to Jeffrey Lindner, a meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District. A Times reporter shared his account of returning home to nearby Beaumont.
While the storm began to release Houston from its grip on Wednesday, it continued to wreak havoc east of the city: “Our whole city is underwater,” Derrick Freeman, the mayor of Port Arthur, Texas, said on Facebook early Wednesday. But even as the rain and wind moved on, the region continued to suffer the consequences of the storm. Explosions rocked a chemical plant early Thursday, and many hazards still lurk beneath the floodwaters that soaked the region.
Harvey has hit Louisiana, too, where flash flood warnings and watches are in effect. Here are some maps of its path and destruction. Harvey was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday night. As the sun returned on Wednesday, residents emerged to assess the damage.
Officials sought to reassure undocumented immigrants that immigration enforcement would not be conducted at shelters and Houston’s hospitals struggled to treat victims. The brutal storm also put the brakes on the area’s recent economic upswing and revealed vulnerabilities for the oil and gas industries. Even getting aid out to those in need proved a challenge. And in the days to come, those who have lost homes are likely to need substantial help as they rebuild — which may require them to take on debt they cannot afford to repay. Here are some of the most powerful photos of the devastation and a before-and-after look at the storm’s impact.
Here are some of the most powerful photos of the devastation and a before-and-after look at the storm’s impact. If you can do so safely, please share your own photos and videos here, or leave us a voice mail message. And listen to Tuesday’s episode of “The Daily” podcast to hear from some people who fled the storm. If you can do so safely, please share your own photos and videos here, or leave us a voice mail message. And listen to Thursday’s episode of “The Daily” to learn about how Houston was built to flood.
Overwhelmed emergency responders were aided by a massive volunteer rescue effort that operated with little official direction. In some cases, state troopers even referred some requests for help to civilians. At least 38 people have died so far, including a Houston police officer, a family whose van was trapped beneath surging floodwater, and a mother whose shivering 3-year-old was found clinging to her unresponsive body.
President Trump visited Corpus Christi on Tuesday to survey some of the damage and demonstrate a commitment to the recovery effort in the state. Vice President Mike Pence is expected to visit four locations around Corpus Christi, Tex., on Thursday, to meet with storm survivors. The survivors face hurdles of their own and aid may be slow in coming. The difficulty of distributing aid was on display this week as many supply trucks arrived at a hub near San Antonio, but few went out.
The Toyota Center, an 18,000-seat indoor arena in Houston, and the NRG Center, a conference hall in the city, have been opened to relieve the pressure on the city’s convention center, which stopped accepting evacuees. Tens of thousands of people were in shelters. In San Antonio and in Houston, some of them spoke to Times reporters about their fears for what awaited them back home. Tens of thousands of people filled overcrowded shelters, the management of which remains “the biggest battle that we have right now,” Brock Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said on Thursday.
Times readers shared their shock, sympathy and encouragement for those awaiting rescue. Vice President Mike Pence and other cabinet officials were expected to meet with storm survivors around Corpus Christi on Thursday, two days after President Trump himself visited the area.
What set Harvey apart was its rain. Once the storm made landfall, it essentially stalled, turning roads in Houston and elsewhere into raging rivers. Scientists say it was fueled by a deadly combination of environmental factors. Here’s a look at how victims sought out help online.
Harvey has been called a “500-year flood,” but that term may be misleading. What set Harvey apart was its rain. Once it made landfall, the storm essentially stalled, turning roads into raging rivers. Scientists say it was fueled by a deadly combination of environmental factors.
For many people, the images of inundated streets and victims plucked from rooftops evoked comparisons to Hurricane Katrina. In New Orleans, survivors of Katrina saw themselves in the scenes from Houston. And while it has been called a “500-year flood,” that term may be misleading: a similar storm may not be as far off as you might think.
For many people, the images of inundated streets and victims on rooftops evoked comparisons to Hurricane Katrina. In New Orleans, survivors of Katrina saw themselves in the scenes from Houston.
These maps track Harvey’s path through Texas and Louisiana. And here’s how experts prepared for the storm and worked to warn the public.
Many organizations are helping victims on the ground. Here are a few of them; a fuller list can be found here.Many organizations are helping victims on the ground. Here are a few of them; a fuller list can be found here.
• The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund was established by Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston and is administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.• The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund was established by Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston and is administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.
• The Houston Food Bank, the Galveston County Food Bank and the Food Bank of Corpus Christi are accepting online donations.• The Houston Food Bank, the Galveston County Food Bank and the Food Bank of Corpus Christi are accepting online donations.
• The Houston Humane Society and the San Antonio Humane Society are helping animals affected by the storm.• The Houston Humane Society and the San Antonio Humane Society are helping animals affected by the storm.
• Save the Children is accepting donations.• Save the Children is accepting donations.
Some scams are circulating online. Here are a few things to watch out for.Some scams are circulating online. Here are a few things to watch out for.