Harvey continued to lash several Gulf states with heavy rain as it followed its devastating path into the southern United States five days after making landfall in Texas as the most powerful storm to hit the mainland U.S. in over a decade.
The storm’s torrential rain, devastating winds, and widespread flooding have so far cost at least 31 lives, forced more than 30,000 people from their homes in Texas and caused extensive destruction that will likely make it one of the costliest storms in U.S. history.
Here is a look at the storm’s historic devastation, by the numbers:
20 trillion gallons: That’s the total amount of rain that fell on the Houston area since the storm made landfall, a staggering deluge that represents enough water to supply New York City’s needs for over five decades.
$125 billion: Texas Gov. Greg Abbot said his state will need federal relief money “far in excess” of that total, which would surpass Hurricane Katrina as the costliest storm in U.S. history.
51.88 inches: The amount of rain recorded at Cedar Bayou on the outskirts of Houston in just under five days, marking a new record for the heaviest rainfall for a storm in the continental U.S., according to the National Weather Service.
13 million: The estimated number of people directly affected as the storm heads from Texas into Louisiana with Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky all forecast to see rain and potential flooding in the coming days.
3: The number of times Harvey has made landfall since Friday — once as a hurricane and twice more as a tropical storm.
30,000 – 40,000: The estimated number of homes destroyed by floodwaters in and around Houston, according to Harris County Judge Ed Emmett.
32,000: The number of people in shelters across Texas, according to Gov. Greg Abbott.
325,000: People who have registered for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as of Thursday, according to FEMA.
10,000: The number of people rescued by federal forces as of Thursday, FEMA said, plus countless other Good Samaritan rescues.
200,000: The estimated number of customers without power in Texas on Thursday.
900: The number of 911 calls coming in per hour at one point.
120,000: The number of residents without water in Beaumont, Texas, on Thursday.
24,000: The number of National Guard troops deployed to assist in relief efforts, including all of Texas’ members as well as some from other states. The Texas governor said these troops will be needed for months to search homes and restore the state to order.
1.3 million: The population of the Houston metropolitan area lacking health insurance, according to Census estimates.
22.5 percent: Houston population living below the poverty line, according to Census figures.
80 tractor-trailer loads: Supplies of cots, blankets, ready-to-eat meals, comfort kits, kitchen supplies and cleaning supplies that FEMA said it delivered to Texas so far.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-harvey-wreaks-historic-devastation-numbers/story?id=49529063
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