The destructive path of Hurricane Harvey began to take shape on Sunday, with a striking collection of aerial photographs laying bare its damage for the first time.
Entire streets lay submerged in water where abandoned cars bobbed alongside rescue boats taking residents to safety.
Five people are feared dead and dozens are injured after 130mph winds and unprecedented floods swept through the southeast pocket of the state on Friday and Saturday.
There is more rain on the way - another 50 inches - and emergency response teams have been stretched to their limit.
On Sunday, as thousands fled their homes in kayaks and swam through the watery streets, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, revealed it would take the area years to recover from the storm which is the worst this decade.
Harvey has been downgraded from a Category 4 hurricane to a tropical storm but its threat is still imminent. Authorities are now fearing its second deadly phase - the floods.
An aerial photograph reveals the huge swathes of flooded land in Rockport, Texas, on Sunday, one of the worst hit coastal towns. Hurricane Harvey blustered through the town on Friday and Saturday, bringing with it unprecedented downpour and triggering life-threatening floods
Houston's sky scrapers were among the only buildings that were safe from the flooding on Sunday
An aerial view of Cove Harbor Marina in Rockport, Texas, on Sunday morning after the storm had passed
Residents in Houston abandoned their cars after becoming stuck in flood waters on Telephone Road on Sunday afternoon
A knocked over soda machine lies in front of a damaged car and ravaged main street in Port Aransas, one of the worst hit areas
An abandoned hummer sinks in floodwater on another section of the busy Interstate 610 in Houston on Sunday
Courtesy of Weather Channel weather producer, Matthew Sitkowski, here is a photo of what Houston's East Loop at Market Street on the I-610 looks like right now. As Sitkowski says, "this image and the forecast of what is still to fall.... This is surreal." He is right: we added a photo of the same location from February 2016 to show the "before and after." Here is the result:
Unfortunately, there is no relief in sight, as over 20 inches of rain have already fallen on the Lone Star State. With streets flooded and strewn with power lines and debris, authorities warned the storm's most destructive powers were just beginning. Rainfall that will continue for days could dump more than five feet of water and inundate many communities, including dangerously flood-prone Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city. The latest summary of rainfall in the past 24 hours can be found here. Another 20 to 30 inches of rain is expected through to Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a just issued bulletin from the NWS Houston warns that "rivers are on the rise and MAJOR to RECORD flooding is forecast."
By the time the storm ends, 40 inches of rain (a number which now appears conservative) is expected to fall and an estimated $40 billion worth of damage left behind. Putting the number in context, Hurricane Katrina cost $108 billion, mostly as a result of flooding to New Orleans.
For locals trapped in their house as floodwaters rise, the NWS Houston had some words of advice: "EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HAS REQUESTED: IF HIGHEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME BECOMES DANGEROUS...GET ON THE ROOF."
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HAS REQUESTED: IF HIGHEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME BECOMES DANGEROUS...GET ON THE ROOF. #houwx #glswx #txwx #Harvey pic.twitter.com/rG3dsdQUxu— NWS Houston (@NWSHouston) August 27, 2017
It's not just Houston: the following stunning video of Dickinson, TX, shows numerous boats maneuvering around stranded vehicles on flooded street.
Astounding video shows numerous boats maneuvering around stranded vehicles on flooded street in Dickinson, Texas. https://t.co/YGP3fEVW8t pic.twitter.com/LHM5SbVftF— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) August 27, 2017
Finally, here is a clip from the US Coast Guard shows showing the devastation around the coastline:
#USCG Video: Coast Guard assess the aftermath of damage caused by #HurricaneHarvey during their search and rescue operations. pic.twitter.com/23eSED1ka5— USCG Heartland (@USCGHeartland) August 27, 2017
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