The destruction that Hurricane Harvey has inflicted on the Texas Gulf Coast has been unprecedented.
Despite being referred to as the most powerful storm to hit the mainland U.S in 12 years, the scale of the damage that Harvey wrecked upon the southern states of Texas and Houston has surpassed all expectations.
The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long has asserted that the aftermath of the hurricane will force over 30,000 Texans into temporary shelters. He added that around 450,000 people have been directly affected by the storm and are expected to file as disaster victims.
Whilst the death toll is expected to rise, as of yet there have been two confirmed fatalities. The first was a result of a house fire in Texas and the second occurred on Saturday night when flooding in Houston reached shocking heights.
In Houston alone, there has been 30 inches of rainfall in the last 24 hours. Fox news anchor, Kerry Charles reported that Harvey has dumped 11 trillion gallons of water on the metro area of Houston, and officials are now expecting some parts of the area to receive as much as 50 inches (127cm) of rainfall.
The city of Houston, which is the fourth largest city in America, boasting a population of 6.6 million, only ordered its citizens to evacuate on Monday morning - four days after it was apparent that the southern city would sustain serious destruction. Since Sunday morning, residents of Houston have found themselves trapped in their homes and on their rooftops, with images surfacing of them leaving their homes, wading through high waters with children on their shoulders.
The efforts of first responders involved in leading the rescue operation, however, are entirely commendable. First responders spent Sunday and Monday morning inundated with over 2,000 calls for aid. Reports state that around 1,000 residents needed rescuing overnight.
