The Georgia Salvation Army dispatched units to help feed people in need, and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief sent teams into Texas before Harvey even made landfall, anticipating the severity of the storm.

Photo by Boaz Guttman, taken from Flickr.Īs many natural disasters do, Hurricane Harvey attracted a plethora of humanitarian action. Under today’s climate, the chances of a Harvey-like storm occurring in the Gulf have increased one in every 1,000 years ( New York Times).Ī shelter set up after Hurricane Harvey. Historically, a storm as severe as Harvey would only occur every one in 3,000 years. Rising sea levels also allowed Harvey to grow larger than it would have in previous year s - since 1880, sea levels have risen 8.9 inches. The warmer air in the atmosphere can hold more moisture, which generally causes it to rain less. This is mainly in part due to the warming of the atmosphere caused by humanmade pollution. According to a scientific study, the precipitation brought on by Harvey was 38% higher than expected. Like Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Harvey was amplified by climate change. Additionally, a quarter of oil and gas production came to a halt in the Gulf area, affecting 5% of the national output. As a result of the flooding, 800 wastewater treatment facilities and thirteen Superfund sites were damaged, disseminating toxic chemicals and sewage throughout flooded areas of Texas. FEMA reported the 738,000 people registered for assistance, and $378 was distributed as direct assistance. Hurricane Harvey damaged over 200,000 homes, and over a million vehicles were destroyed in the Gulf area. Over 37,000 people were moved to shelters in Texas, and over 2,000 in Louisiana 14,900 people were moved to temporary housing by FEMA, and 8,000 families were places in 9,000 hotel rooms. In the days after Harvey, federal forces and the Houston Police Dive team collectively reported rescuing 13,000 people from their homes. The highest storm surge from Harvey was reported in Arkansas County at 12.5 feet. Hurricane Harvey left the city of Houston completely underwater a landmass in southeast Texas equivalent to the size of New Jersey was flooded, and 70% of Harris County, the county that Houston is in, was under 18 inches of water. Harvey dumped two feet of rainfall on Texas within the first 24 hours, 60.5 inches total in Nederland, Texas. Classified as a Category 4 storm, Harvey made landfall in Texas on August 25, 2017, killing 88 people and causing $125 billion in damages, making it the second-costliest hurricane after Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Harvey was by far the deadliest hurricane during the 2017 hurricane season.

Original caption: Hurricane Harvey: taking the pets to higher ground so they can relieve themselves.

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