Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast on August 25, 2017. According to ABC News, this was only the start of a massive storm that would continue to last for days. This tropical storm was the most powerful storm to hit the U.S in over a decade. Winds of this hurricane reached over 130 miles per hour.
During the span of this storm, twenty trillion gallons of rain fell across Texas and Louisiana. Rainfall was recorded at 51.88 inches outside of Houston, making this the heaviest rainfall to occur from a storm in the United States. Eighty percent of people living in Texas do not have flood insurance. Texas will need up to $97 billion dollars in federal relief to cover destruction and has suffered a loss of output in the amount of $108 billion.
As reported by CNN, at least 13 toxic waste sites have been flooded as a result of Hurricane Harvey. These sites contain dangerous wastes and pose a potential risk to the surrounding people and environment. A flooded chemical plant in Houston, Texas, caused an outbreak of fires that lasted for two days.
“Anything our community can do to help the people in Texas is something,” Morgan Horaney, a Pleasant Valley student working at Hy-Vee, said. “Hy-Vee has donation cans set up by the cash registers so that people can contribute to the cause.”
Over one million people have been forced to evacuate their homes. There are 185,149 homes that have been damaged by this storm. Over 40 thousand people are living in shelters in the surrounding area. The death toll has reached seventy.
United Way is a charitable organization that fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community. Jen Dobrunz, Vice President of Resource Development for United Way of the Quad Cities said, “United Way has set up a long term Harvey relief fund.” Celebrities and people all throughout the country have started to donate to this fund. Dobrunz said, “Locally, we are sending money donations pledged to the Harvey relief fund. We also have United Way Charter Women who are sending diapers and hygiene items to those affected in Texas.”
Hurricane Harvey caused great devastation in Texas. The Quad Cities community wants to reach out in any way possible to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
