The overwhelming devastation that recently happened in Texas from Hurricane Harvey is uprooting many lives. Worry and fear struck Texas as Hurricane Harvey gained its strength from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico according to the National Hurricane Center. On Monday, August 28 around 4 o’clock in the afternoon tropical storm Harvey made landfall in Texas.
Water levels were on the rise in East Texas leaving everyone in a panic. People were getting rescued by boat because of the flooding. Some families in flooded areas didn’t have a way out of their homes to safety. Others families got split up and had nowhere to go while supplies were dwindling. Some are claiming that this could go down as the worst flood in history with more than 20 inches of rainfall in some areas.
Harvey started off as a tropical storm and it began gaining its strength in the Gulf of Mexico. Winds reached 130 miles per hour making Harvey a category 4 hurricane. Houston, Texas was not required to evacuate before Hurricane Harvey struck land, and there were many residents that became trapped in their homes from the flooding. Many people went up a few flights of stairs to seek safety, but if they only had a one-story house most fled to the roof before being rescued.
Harvey was not like any other storm in history to strike the United States. What set it apart from other storms in history was the amount of rain. The rain was continuous and powerful turning roads into raging rivers. The rain continued for days and in some areas, they saw more than 50 inches! Water damaged personal property such as clothing, pictures, books, and electronics (which made it dangerous to be inside of any flooded homes).
A researcher named Kenneth Kunkel at the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies claimed that because the oceans are warmest during this time of the year this is one of the causes of Harvey. In disastrous times such as this, many amazing people both from Texas and from out of state have pulled together to help rescue Texans who were stranded in the flood inside of vehicles. There have been countless water rescues, but saving lives has been the number one concern.
During devastating times it is always better to be safe than sorry. By adding hurricane panels to your Melbourne, Florida home, you can protect your house from strong hurricane force winds and heavy rains. Make sure your family and your home are always prepared no matter what time of the year it is. At Brevard Shutters, we have quality products and we will get the job done right before the storm strikes.
