Mortgages 
Insurance 
Credit Cards
Resources 
 |
|
Memorial Day was certainly memorable for people in Texas and Oklahoma, though not for the best of reasons. Unprecedented levels of rainfall hammered neighborhoods across both states that left dozens of people dead and thousands without power in what meteorologists called an “extremely dangerous and potentially life threatening flood situation.”
The storms brought flooding, hail, tornadoes and other weather phenomenon to the regions. Over 30 million Americans were warned to brace for severe weather in the days ahead as the storms expand from central Texas to surrounding areas.
The city of Houston was one of the hardest hit regions on Memorial Day weekend. Over 80,000 people were left without power, while interstate highways and major city roads were left closed due to extensive flooding across the region.
Disaster reports from NBC News highlighted some of the most dangerous consequences of the storm. The reports identified at least 19 tornadoes across Texas and surrounding areas, and meteorologists also confirmed at least one tornado near the Mexican border.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott formally declared a state of emergency on Monday. Officials said the storm was equally as intense as Hurricane Ike that devastated the region in 2008.
However, flood levels from this storm reached unprecedented highs in concentrated areas. Houston Intercontinental Airport tracked accumulated rainfall as high as 4.34 inches on Monday, the highest rate of rainfall on record for the region.
Weather Channel Meteorologist Kevin Roth said Texas should brace for more intense weather today, but expects the fresh batch of storms will accumulate less rainfall than over the weekend – a relief for homeowners preparing to submit insurance claims due to the disaster. However, Roth did warn that the big storm is moving north towards the Great Lake states, and that the water could cause the storm to turn severe again.
Image Courtesy of ©iStock.com