Emergency crews in Houston responded to thousands of distress calls on Sunday as Hurricane Harvey dumped massive amounts of rain, causing catastrophic flooding across the city and southeast Texas.
The National Weather Service called the situation unprecedented, saying the impact was beyond anything ever seen. Heavy rain kept falling through the day, leaving parts of downtown Houston knee-deep in water and flooding major highways with up to 10 feet of water.
Officials confirmed at least one death in Houston and two overall from the storm. Police said more than 1,200 people had already been rescued, with many more still waiting for help. Authorities urged people trapped by rising water to move to their rooftops instead of attics to avoid being trapped. In Dickinson, Texas, police even asked residents with boats to help rescue efforts.
Meteorologists warned that the situation was extremely dangerous. In south Houston, abandoned vehicles and overflowing manholes showed how quickly the water had risen. Although the rain slowed later in the day, roads were still blocked by stalled cars.
Some areas around Houston could get up to 50 inches of rain, breaking the state record, according to the National Weather Service. The agency said this level of rainfall would surpass anything Texas has ever recorded. Earlier Sunday, more than 24 inches had already fallen in parts of the Houston–Galveston region within 24 hours.
Officials noted that the rainfall had already exceeded the totals from Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 in half the time. Allison caused 41 deaths and about $5 billion in damage, with 23 of the fatalities in Texas.
