Hurricane Harvey What Happened and What’s Next

Hurricane Harvey What Happened and What’s Next



Overwhelmed by the news from Texas since Hurricane Harvey made landfall? Here is an overview of coverage by The New York Times that will be updated as events continue.



The latest can be found in Tuesday’s live storm briefing.



What’s happening on the ground



At least 13 people are dead, with many more injured, as parts of the Houston area were inundated with more than 40 inches of rain, according to forecasters. They say totals could reach 50 inches as rainfall continues through Wednesday.



Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, calling the storm “one of the largest disasters America has ever faced,” said the region would not recover anytime soon.



Some residents struggled with whether to stay in their homes, after Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner made the difficult decision not to issue a mandatory evacuation order.



Houston’s hospitals struggled to treat victims and the upheaval closed schools across Texas. The brutal storm also put the brakes on the area’s recent economic upswing.



Here is a map showing how long it took for 50 inches of rain to fall in your area and here are some of the most powerful photos of the devastation. If you can do so safely, please share your own photos and videos here, or leave us a voicemail message. Listen to Tuesday’s episode of “The Daily” podcast to hear from some people who fled the storm.



Who is responding and how?



Emergency dispatchers were overwhelmed as dramatic rescues unfolded across the state. Many people shared an image of nursing home residents in waist-high waters before they were rescued. Clifford Krauss, a Times reporter, filed a dispatch from his own flooded house. And some people went to great lengths to take their pets with them to safety.



President Trump left the White House for Texas on Tuesday morning, even as the storm continued to bear down on parts of the state. He had signed a federal disaster proclamation over the weekend.



Houston opened its convention center as a mass shelter, and Dallas planned to do the same. Tens of thousands of people spent the weekend in shelters. In San Antonio and in Houston, some of them talked to Times reporters about their fears for what awaited them back home.



In comments on our storm coverage, Times readers shared their shock, sympathy and encouragement for those awaiting rescue.



What made Harvey so powerful?



What set Harvey apart was its rain. Once the storm made landfall, it essentially stalled, turning roads in Houston and elsewhere into raging rivers.



Scientists say the hurricane was fueled by a deadly combination of environmental factors, which might otherwise have guided the storm away from land.



“This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced,” the National Weather Service tweeted Sunday morning.



Harvey has been called a “500-year flood,” but that term may be misleading.



For many people, the images of inundated streets and victims plucked from rooftops evoked comparisons to Hurricane Katrina.



How the storm developed



Tropical Storm Harvey strengthened into a hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico last week and made landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas, on Friday night before moving offshore and making landfall again.



The affected area includes some of Texas’ most populous cities, stretching along the state’s Gulf Coast from Corpus Christi to Houston, and inland to Austin and San Antonio. Parts of Louisiana are also expecting heavy rain.



Here are maps of Harvey’s path.



How you can help



Many organizations are helping victims on the ground. Here are a few of them; a more complete list can be found here.



• The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund was established by Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston and is administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.