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These Photos Of Hurricane Harvey Show How It Wreaked Havoc On Texas Homes
After making landfall just northeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, on Friday night, Hurricane Harvey has devastated Southeast Texas — and photographs circulated by journalists show just how badly. Images and videos shared on Twitter show deserted communities where vehicles have been smashed by trees, flood waters have overrun roads, and fire has destroyed property.
Nonetheless, despite the post-apocalyptic feel to many of the visuals of post-Harvey Texas, there were still small, beautiful moments: a wind chime that managed to stay attached to a porch roof, the eery calm of the eye of the hurricane, as captured by storm chasers.
And though Hurricane Harvey has weakened significantly and will continue to do so in the coming hours, elected officials warned the public that the recovery process will take many days due to continued rainfall and extensive flooding.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told Good Morning America:
This is still going to be a major rain event for the city of Houston and Harris county. This is just day one. We're anticipating a lot of rain over the next four or five days. We anticipate there will be flooding.
According to The Washington Post, Harvey had brought 15 inches of rain in some Texas communities as of 10 a.m. CST.
Hurricane Harvey Has Uprooted Trees
According to the Associated Press, Rockport, Texas, Mayor Charles Wax said that Hurricane Harvey had struck his community "right on the nose" and caused "widespread devastation."
It Ripped Roofs of Homes
Hurricane Harvey was reported to have ripped the roofs of numerous homes. In the above tweet, a local Texas reporter working for KHOU, a Houston CBS affiliate station, showed how Harvey had destroyed a family's home bought just a year ago.
Port Lavaca, Another Coastal Town, Was Also Hit Hard by Harvey
According to The Washington Post, Hurricane Harvey had caused 6-foot storm surges and much flooding in Port Lavaca, Texas.
Harvey Has Also Caused Significant Damage Further Inland
According to KHOU, Hurricane Harvey caused a tornado to touch down in Sienna Plantation, a neighborhood of Missouri City, Texas.
Sienna Plantation has also seen much flooding, according to CBS News.
Hurricane Harvey Brought Strong Winds With It
When Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Friday night, it was a Category 4 storm with winds of up to 130 mph. Though hitting land has caused the storm to weaken to a Category 1 storm with winds of 90 mph, the hurricane was still strong enough to send a corrugated tin barn careening across an empty lot in Corpus Christi.
Hurricane Harvey's Devastation Also Seemed To Have An Element of Randomness
Hurricane Harvey caused significant storm surges, ripped roofs off houses, and uprooted trees. However, it seems that some little things were able to stay put despite the hurricane's powerful gusts. According to one Houston-based news reporter, a wind chime was found still in place, still tinkling on the porch of one Texas home.
Hurricane Harvey's Flooding Caused Damage To Vehicles
According to news reports, cars were stranded and damaged by the intense flooding that Hurricane Harvey brought to the Texas gulf coast.
In Some Texas Neighborhoods, The Clean-Up Has Already Begun
Crews in Sienna Plantation, a neighborhood of a smaller city outside Houston, had already begun to collect and dispose of the trees downed by Hurricane Harvey.
Footage Shot From Inside The Hurricane's Eye Was Strangely Peaceful
The Weather Channel posted footage shot by hurricane hunters chasing Harvey. The video from inside the eye showed swirling clouds and a blue sky, a stark contrast from other images taken in Southeast Texas on Saturday.
Hurricane Harvey's Damage Sparked Fires In Southeast Texas
NBC News posted footage of a home burning to the ground on Bolivar Peninsula, Texas.
Courageous Reporters Stood In Harvey's Path, Being Battered By Its Winds For News Reports
And if the images of the empty, flooded streets and destroyed homes weren't enough to signal the extent of Harvey's havoc, at least one Fox News reporter braved Harvey's strong winds for his news report.
Scientists Used A Weather Balloon To Collect Data On The Hurricane
A Texas-based branch of the National Weather Service posted footage of its scientists launching a weather balloon to gather data on Hurricane Harvey.
Rushing Flood Waters and Destroyed Buildings Were Common Sights In Rockport, Texas
Accuweather meteorologist Reed Timmer posted a video on Saturday of the fast-moving flood waters and battered homes in the coastal community of Rockport, Texas.
Katy, Texas, Also Saw Massive Damage From Harvey
Store owners in Katy, Texas, told Houston ABC affiliate KTRK that Harvey had caused a tornado to touch down in their community.
Harvey Also Caused Flooding On Major Roads
Pasadena, Texas, saw significant flooding on major roads, according to a post by a KTRK-TV reporter.
Alligators Were Seen Walking The Streets After Harvey
According to KTRK-TV, alligators were seen walking the streets in southeast Texas after Hurricane Harvey swept through.
A Tractor-Trailer Was Overturned By Harvey
The Huffington Post posted footage of a Mack truck that had tipped over in Harvey's wake.
Images of Post-Harvey Texas Even Looked Post-Apocalyptic
Taken together, images of Harvey's devastation made southeast Texas look like a scene from a dystopic climate thriller.
Harvey Downed Power Lines And Street Signals
According to CNN, hundreds of thousands of people in southeast Texas have lost electricity due power lines being downed by Hurricane Harvey. The storm also caused damage to street signals.
Though Harvey Is Weakening, Texans Will Still Have To Deal With Massive Flooding
Hurricane Harvey is expected to weaken significantly by Saturday afternoon; however, the floods that the storm has caused will have to be dealt with for many days to come.
