Catastrophic flooding paralyses USA's fourth biggest city with parts getting a year's worth of rain
A flooded graveyard in Pearland, Texas. Pic/AFP
Tropical storm Harvey was set to dump more rain on Houston on Monday, worsening flooding that has paralysed the country's fourth biggest city, forcing thousands to flee surrounding counties with rivers swelling to levels not seen in centuries.
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Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years, first hit land late on Friday and has killed at least two people. It has since stayed around Texas' Gulf of Mexico Coast, where it is forecast to remain for several more days, drenching parts with a year's worth of rain in the span of a week. Schools, airports and office buildings in Houston, home to about 2.3 million people, were ordered shut on Monday as scores of roads turned into rivers and chest-high water filled neighbourhoods in the low-lying city.
Torrential rain also hit areas more than 240 km away, swelling rivers upstream and causing a surge that was heading toward the Houston area.
Authorities ordered more than 50,000 people to leave parts of Fort Bend County, about 55 km southwest of Houston, as the Brazos River was set to crest at a record high of 59 feet this week, 14 feet above its flood stage.
The National Weather Service has issued flood watches and warnings from near San Antonio to New Orleans, an area home to more than 13 million people. Federal authorities predicted it would take years to repair the damage caused by Harvey.
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