The National Hurricane Centre is warning that ongoing catastrophic and life threatening flooding will continue across south eastern Texas and situation could continue to worsen - the worst of floods are expected on Wednesday and Thursday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
According to officials, at least 8 people have died in Houston - the USA’s fourth most populated city – as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Additional rainfall of 10 to 20 inches is now expected across the upper Texas coast where rainfall could reach 50“ in some places.
Louisiana lies next in the path of the heavy rain and the flood threat is spreading further west - additional rainfall amounts of 10 to 20 inches are expected in the South West of the state.
The extreme nature of the ongoing weather has led US Army Corps of Engineers officials to decide to release intermittent amounts of water from both the Addicks and Barker reservoirs to reduce the risk to the Houston metropolitan area. The dams were constructed more than a half century ago in response to devastating floods that occurred in Houston in 1929 and 1935.
The Addicks and Barker reservoirs provide flood damage reduction along Buffalo Bayou downstream of the dams and through the centre of the City of Houston.
Col. Lars Zetterstrom, Galveston District commander explained that all roads within the Addicks and Barker area will be flooded and closed for an extended period of time until the Corps can release sufficient quantities of water and make them passible.
The Corps expects to have to retain water for approximately one to three months after the rains subside. Homes upstream will also continue to be impacted for an extended period of time while water is released from the reservoirs.
The question is now being raised in a number of quarters of why Houston didn't evacuate given that the city knew it was at risk of flooding.
A report on CNN News said :
“Houston, which is known for its susceptibility for flooding because of its flatness, was never put under an evacuation order, voluntary or mandatory, even as then-Hurricane Harvey was threatening southeast Texas.”
President Trump, who is due to visit the Harvey-hit region today, has approved for disaster assistance to be made available to the state of Texas from the Federal Emergency Management Administration's (FEMA) disaster relief fund for 2017 expenses. The President has also separately approved an emergency declaration for neighbouring Louisiana.
However, there is currently only about $3 billion left out of the roughly $7 billion budget and the final bill for the flood damage is expected to run into tens of billions of dollars.
Comparisons are already being drawn with the impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 which caused $108bn of losses (including $80bn of insured losses).
Officials have estimated that half a million people will require disaster assistance in Texas.
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