What started off as a tropical storm quickly developed into something more sinister. Since Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Friday, it has pounded through the nation’s Southern region, with wind speeds that reached 80 mph. Although Harvey has since reduced to a tropical storm, the future of the Southern region is still uncertain as the storm made landfall once again near Cameron, Louisiana Wednesday morning and continues to bring more rain.
According to the National Weather Service, Tropical Storm Harvey has set a new rainfall record within the continental U.S. with about 51.88 inches of rain thus far in Cedar Bayou, Texas. This storm is considered to be the largest rainstorm in the history of the United States.
University of Houston student, Carina Pinto, explained how anxiety-inducing this disaster has been. “I’ve been through hurricanes before while I lived in Miami, but this was completely different. It’s been days of flash-flood warnings and tornado sirens.”
Thousands of people have been stranded and left homeless due to catastrophic flash floods, which have created a death toll of at least 20 people thus far.
“We constantly have had to check on our streets to see how quickly the water was rising and draining. You just have this constant fear that you’re going to go to sleep and wake up needing to evacuate,” Pinto explains.
Several students have had to evacuate from their apartment complexes due to the overflow of a nearby bayou. Thankfully, the school was able to relocate these students and provide meals from the dining hall.
Pinto explains, “It went from students playing in the rain, to them grabbing what they could.”
Harvey has left thousands of people from all walks of life stranded and homeless. Many have sought refuge in shelters while several others remain trapped waiting for rescue. According to NPR, authorities have rescued thousands of people from the city of Houston alone and expect to evacuate thousands more into shelters as the storm rises into Louisiana.
If you’re thinking of ways to help, here are a few organizations that are assisting victims:
- The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund
- Houston Food Bank is accepting donations
- Food Bank of Corpus Christi is accepting donations
- The Houston Humane Society and the San Antonio Humane Society are assisting animals affected by the storm
Cover photo: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/08/hurricane-ha…