The increasing trend of extreme weather has hit the Houston, Texas area with full force. The city is currently in the midst of flooding so intense that it’s being compared to the devastation of Hurricane Harvey back in 2017.
According to @nypost, the flooding in Houston is so severe that flights at Houston largest airport have been grounded and several major roads throughout the southeast region of Texas have been shut down. The heavy rainfall and flooding are due to Tropical Storm Imelda, which officially made landfall earlier this week about 65 miles southeast of Houston. So far, the storm has dropped 40 inches of rain in the city, including 25 inches over a 12-hour period.
Jeff Evans, head meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Houston, stated that the Houston-area suburbs could see more accumulation than when Harvey touched down 2 years ago. However, the center of the city, won’t likely see those same levels.
Additionally, Dan Kottlowski, senior meteorologist and lead hurricane expert for AccuWeather, had this to say about the seriousness of the current Houston flooding:
“Houston could be looking at 6 to 12 inches of rain. This is about a third of that amount (from Harvey) right now, but this is the worst flooding they’ve seen since Harvey.”
The Jefferson County sheriff’s office reported on its Facebook page that the Green Pond Gulley Levy, which holds up to 5,600 acres of water, was “deteriorating and could break at any moment.” Meanwhile, the Beaumont Police Department has urged residents to seek high ground as rising floodwaters began to impact homes and shut down major roadways, including sections of Interstate 10 and Highway 69.
AccuWeather has reported that the Houston area could end up with at least 55 inches of rainfall in some suburbs and up to a foot in the central city before the storm is over.
We want to continue to put the residents of Houston in our prayers.
Roommates, what are your thoughts on this?
