PREPARING FOR CATASTROPHE - Houston-area EMS agencies put to the test responding to Hurricane Harvey's epic flooding

摘要

Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Friday, August 25, at 11p.m., between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, Texas. A Category 4 hurricane, it was the strongest to hit Texas since 1961. Estimated economic losses from the devastation caused by Harvey will be in the $150-200 billion range, making it the costliest hurricane in history. (The previous record was held by Katrina in 2005 with estimated $120 billion in losses.) After a devastating landfall, Harvey quickly weakened to a tropical storm and stalled over the Southeast Texas region for the next five days, causing catastrophic flooding. The destruction caused by this epic storm prompted disaster declarations in 50 Texas counties and stressed EMS systems and first responders in a manner not previously experienced since Katrina.