Effects of Hurricane Harvey in Texas

Hurricane Harvey

Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Harvey at peak intensity, shortly before making landfall in Rockport, Texas
Formed	August 25, 2017 (August 25, 2017)
Dissipated	August 29, 2017 (August 29, 2017)
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 130 mph (215 km/h) Gusts: 140 mph (225 km/h)
Lowest pressure	937 mbar (hPa); 27.67 inHg
Fatalities	68 direct, 35 indirect
Damage	$125 billion (2017 USD)
Areas affected	Texas (especially Houston
Part of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season

The effects of Hurricane Harvey in Texas caused major flooding in southern Texas for four days in August 2017. Hurricane Harvey formed on August 17, 2017 in the open Atlantic. Six days later, after degenerating back into a tropical wave and moving through the Caribbean Sea, Harvey reformed and rapidly intensified in the Gulf of Mexico. Early on August 26, Harvey made landfall in San José Island, Texas at peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130 mph and a pressure of 937 mb. A couple of hours Harvey made another landfall in Holiday Beach as a slightly weaker high-end Category 3 storm. After that, Harvey rapidly weakened and stalled for multiple days over Texas, dropping torrential rainfall. Harvey eventually moved back into the Gulf on August 28, and a day later, Harvey made a fifth and final landfall west of Cameron, Louisiana.

The large and powerful hurricane dropped heavy rainfall over parts of southern and southeastern Texas. Over four days, Harvey dropped large amounts of rainfall, peaking at 60.58 inches (1,539 mm) in Nederland, Texas, making it the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the United States. The highest gust from Harvey was recorded at 132 mph (212 km/h) in Port Aransas, where every single building was damaged by the storm. Harvey contributed to 68 direct deaths and 35 indirect deaths-a total of 103 deaths in Texas. Overall, the storm caused an estimated $125 billion in damage, tying with 2005's Katrina as the costliest tropical cyclone worldwide.

Background

See also: Meteorological history of Hurricane Harvey

A tropical wave developed into Tropical Storm Harvey on August 17. It passed through the Lesser Antilles into Eastern Caribbean, where wind shear weakened the system and degenerated back into a tropical wave late on August 19. The wave continued generally westward through Caribbean Sea before turning northwestward and beginning to reorganize as it moved over the Yucatan Peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico. At 12:00 UTC on August 26, it redeveloped into Tropical Depression Harvey, before restrengthening into a tropical storm six hours later. Harvey then began to rapidly intensify as it moved northwestward toward the Texas Gulf Coast. On August 25, at 11 PM eastern, it made landfall near Port Arsanas as a category 4. . It then moved into Houston and weakened, but stalled over the city for days dropping tremendous rainfall. On average, Houston, a city of 2.3 million, got 2 feet of rain during the storm.

Impacts

Flooding in Port Arthur, Texas on August 31.

Throughout Texas, approximately 336,000 people were left without electricity and tens of thousands required rescue. Throughout the state, 103 people died in storm-related incidents: 68 from its direct effects, including flooding, and 35 from indirect effects in the hurricane's aftermath. By August 29, 2017 approximately 13,000 people had been rescued across the state while an estimated 30,000 were displaced. The refinery industry capacity was reduced, and oil and gas production was affected in the Gulf of Mexico and inland Texas. On Monday, the closure of oil refineries ahead of Hurricane Harvey created a fuel shortage. Panicked motorists waited in long lines. Consequently, gas stations through the state were forced to close due to the rush. More than 20 percent of refining capacity was affected.

Coast Guard rescue swimmer is about to load up for rescue operations

More than 48,700 homes were affected by Harvey throughout the state, including over 1,000 that were completely destroyed and more than 17,000 that sustained major damage; approximately 32,000 sustained minor damage. Nearly 700 businesses were damaged as well. Yet the Texas Department of Public Safety stated more than 185,000 homes were damaged and 9,000 destroyed.

The hurricane also caused many people to believe that in the wild, only 10 individuals of Attwater's prairie chicken remained at most until Spring 2018, when it was discovered that there were about a dozen wild individuals left.

Landfall area

Coast Guard video during an overflight from Port Aransas to Port O'Connor, Texas, Aug. 26, 2017

Making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, Harvey inflicted tremendous damage across Aransas County. Wind gusts were observed up to 132 mph (212 km/h) near Port Aransas. Nearly every structure in Port Aransas was damaged, some severely, while significant damage from storm surge also occurred. In Rockport, entire blocks were destroyed by the hurricane's violent eyewall winds. The city's courthouse was severely damaged when a cargo trailer was hurled into it, coming to a stop halfway through the structure. The gymnasium of the Rockport-Fulton High School lost multiple walls while the school itself suffered considerable damage. Many homes, apartment buildings, and businesses sustained major structural damage from the intense winds, and several were completely destroyed. Numerous boats were damaged or sunk at a marina in town, airplanes and structures were destroyed at the Aransas County Airport, and a Fairfield Inn in the city was severely damaged as well. About 20 percent of Rockport's population was displaced, and they were still unable to return to their homes a year after the hurricane. One person died in a house fire in the city, unable to be rescued due to the extreme weather conditions. Just north of Rockport, many structures were also severely damaged in the nearby town of Fulton. In the small community of Holiday Beach, catastrophic damage occurred as almost every home in town was severely damaged or destroyed by storm surge and violent winds. By the afternoon of August 26, more than 20 in (510 mm) of rain had fallen in the Corpus Christi metropolitan area. All of Victoria was left without water and most had no power.

Houston metropolitan area flooding

Precipitation in Nederland, Texas

U.S. Navy sailors conduct a search and rescue mission above a residence in Beaumont, Texas.

Many locations in the Houston metropolitan area observed at least 30 in (760 mm) of precipitation, with a maximum of 60.58 in (1,539 mm) in Nederland. This makes Harvey the wettest tropical cyclone on record for both Texas and the United States, surpassing the previous rainfall record held by Tropical Storm Amelia. The local National Weather Service office in Houston observed all-time record daily rainfall accumulations on both August 26 and 27, measured at 14.4 in (370 mm) and 16.08 in (408 mm) respectively. Due to the amount of rain accumulated from Harvey, the National Weather Service added 2 new colors to the rain index representing around 50% of the maximum rainfall dropped by Harvey. Multiple flash flood emergencies were issued in the Houston area by the National Weather Service beginning the night of August 26. In Pearland, a suburb south of Houston, a report was made of 9.92" of rainfall in 90 minutes. The 39.11 in (993 mm) of rain in August made the month the wettest ever recorded in Houston since record keeping began in 1892, more than doubling the previous record of 19.21 in (488 mm) in June 2001. The storm surge peaked at 6 feet at Port Lavaca, reducing outflow of rainwater from land to sea.

During the storm, more than 800 Houston area flights were canceled, including 704 at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and 123 at William P. Hobby Airport. Both airports eventually closed. Several tornadoes were spawned in the area, one of which damaged or destroyed the roofs of dozens of homes in Sienna Plantation. As of August 29, 14 fatalities have been confirmed from flooding in the Houston area, including 6 from the same family who died when their van was swept off a flooded bridge. A police officer drowned while trying to escape rising waters.

Enlarged map of rainfall from the hurricane in the Houston and Beaumont metropolitan areas in southeast Texas. Areas in blue indicate accumulations in excess of 15 in (380 mm), while areas in yellow indicate accumulations in excess of 40 in (1,000 mm).

An estimated 25–30 percent of Harris County—roughly 444 mi² (1,150 km²) of land—was submerged.

Late on August 27, a mandatory evacuation was issued for all of Bay City as model projections indicated the downtown area would be inundated by 10 ft (3.0 m) of water. Flooding was anticipated to cut off access to the city around 1:00 p.m. CDT on August 28. Evacuations took place in Conroe on August 28 following release of water from the Lake Conroe dam. On the morning on August 29, a levee along Columbia Lakes in Brazoria County was breached, prompting officials to urgently request for everyone in the area to evacuate.

On August 28, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began controlled water releases from Addicks and Barker Reservoirs in the Buffalo Bayou watershed in an attempt to manage flood levels in the immediate area. According to the local Corps commander, "It's going to be better to release the water through the gates directly into Buffalo Bayou as opposed to letting it go around the end and through additional neighborhoods and ultimately into the bayou." At the time the releases started, the reservoirs had been rising at more than 6 inches (150 mm) per hour. Many people began evacuating the area, fearing a levee breach. Despite attempts to alleviate the water rise, the Addicks Reservoir reached capacity on the morning of August 29 and began spilling out. The NASA Johnson Space Center was closed to employees and visitors due to the flooding until September 5. Only the critical mission control staff remain and reside in the control rooms to monitor procedures of the International Space Station.

Deep East Texas and Beaumont to Port Arthur area

Anyone who chooses to not [evacuate] cannot expect to be rescued and should write their social security numbers in permanent marker on their arm so their bodies can be identified. The loss of life and property is certain. GET OUT OR DIE!

— Jacques Blanchette, Tyler County Emergency Management

The Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area also experienced torrential precipitation, including 32.55 in (827 mm) of rainfall in Beaumont. Rising waters of the Neches River caused the city to lose service from its main pump station, as well as its secondary water source in Hardin County, cutting water supply to the city for an unknown amount of time. Flooding to the north and east of the Houston area resulted in mandatory evacuations for portions of Liberty, Jefferson, and Tyler counties, while Jasper and Newton counties were under a voluntary evacuation. One death occurred in Beaumont when a woman exited her disabled vehicle, but was swept away. In Port Arthur, the mayor stated that the entire city was submerged by water. Hundreds of displaced residents went to the Robert A. "Bob" Bowers Civic Center for shelter, but they were evacuated again after the building began to flood. Water entered at least several hundreds of homes in Jefferson County.