In my book, Storm: Nature
and Culture (Reaktion), I discuss a number of ways in which a tropical
storm can cause catastrophic damage.
The one usually focused on is the power of the winds, but in
addition there is the way sea levels rise because of low air pressure, making
flooding more devastating. And then there is heavy rainfall. This has been the
biggest problem with Hurricane Harvey, which has been drenching Texas and
Louisiana.
During the course of 4 days, some areas suffered more than 40
inches of rain, making Harvey the wettest tropical storm on record to hit the
continental United States. At least 47 people have been killed, and 43,000 have
had to be housed in temporary shelters. The storm has also been blamed for one
death in Guyana.
Brock Long, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
has described it as the worst disaster in the history of Texas, with damage
being estimated at anything up to $190 billion.
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