What began as a Category 4 Hurricane has now weakened to a tropical depression, and the region that was pounded with heavy rain for six straight days is finally beginning to survey the damage that some experts say will cost more than Katrina and Sandy combined to repair.
The remnants of the hurricane, which has killed at least 38 people, began traveling up the Mississippi Delta this morning. Although it appears the worst is over for Texas, many areas remain underwater and tens of thousands of people are still seeking refuge in overflowing shelters.
As evacuations in Houston progress and people here move into shelters, a number of health problems are likely to surface, especially from infectious and tropical diseases that may affect the entire Gulf Coast region. Why it matters: Even before Harvey, we identified the Gulf Coast as America's "soft underbelly" of disease due to a confluence of extreme poverty, urbanization, subtropical climate and climate change, and population shifts. The vulnerability is especially evident following tropical storms and hurricanes. Katrina was followed by an uptick in skin infections from Staph bacteria and "flesh-eating" Vibrio, intestinal bacterial infections, and respiratory diseases due to crowding in shelters. We might expect the same from Harvey. Also concerning are the health effects of mold or environmental contamination from industrial chemicals. Houston is the mosquito capital of the U.S. Individuals fleeing homes will be exposed to mosquitoes in the short term, although in many cases the floods will wash away their breeding sites. But the flooding may leave behind new mosquito sites, and heading into the fall and in 2018 we might expect increases in West Nile virus infection and possibly dengue, chikungunya, and Zika.
What's needed: The CDC and state and local health authorities need to implement comprehensive programs for disease detection and prevention that can be leveraged in the aftermath of natural disasters. Disease monitoring is especially urgent for flood-affected areas and our Gulf's impoverished regions that are particularly at risk need special consideration.
The bottom line: Hurricanes and tropical infections that follow them are a new normal on the Gulf but we know they are coming and how to mitigate their impact. On that front, we should be singled out for special emphasis.
Mike Pence and his wife Karen are in Texas today visiting various residents who have been affected by Harvey. They started their trip in Corpus Christi, then headed to Rockport where they surveyed the city's wreckage and held a prayer service for victims outside of a badly damaged church.
Trump will return to Texas on Saturday, Pence said. The destination will be announced later today.
The biggest concern is housing. Pence told reporters on Air Force 2 that FEMA has already manufactured 2,000 houses and has ordered 4,000 more, per Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs.
Day of prayer: Gov. Greg Abbott declared Sunday, Sept. 3, "a day of prayer in Texas."
Key quote: "President Trump sent us here to say that we are with you. The American people are with you. We are here today, we will be here tomorrow, and we will be here every day" until Texas rebuilds.
AP's David Phillip, who has lived in Houston for two decades, 17 of his photos on one page. The pictures show "rows of suburban streets turned into canals and brownish floodwaters creeping up to rooftops. ... [A] mansion's long cul-de-sac driveway resembles a drawbridge over a moat."
Accuweather projects Harvey could be "the most costly natural disaster in United States history," and estimates that its economic impact on GDP is $190 billion, which exceeds that of Katrina and Sandy combined.
"Harvey is straining the global superhighway of the energy trade," per WSJ: "More than a dozen refineries are affected — including the country's two biggest, Saudi Arabian Oil Co.'s Motiva facility in Port Arthur and Exxon Mobil Corp.'s Baytown facility — cumulatively representing more than 30% of U.S. refining capacity."
"Katrina Survivors Relive Ordeal," per WSJ: A dozen years ago, "Katrina uprooted residents to cities across the U.S., but Houston received the largest share outside Louisiana. Of the 150,000 to 200,000 evacuees who initially arrived in Houston, as many as 40,000 remain."
Houston Chronicle banner: "THREATS RISE FROM RESERVOIRS, RIVERS: As sun finally returns, a devastated region tallies the damage." (Read the digital paper free.)
Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday that donations via iTunes, combined with employee contributions, have now raised more than $1 million for Hurricane Harvey relief. That's in addition to the $2 million Apple itself donated, and the company is matching employee donations two-for-one.
"Because Texas is home to more than 8,700 of our coworkers, the storm's impact is felt by all of us," Cook said in an e-mail to employees obtained by Axios. "There's still much to do, and Apple is committed to help."
It's day six of what now is Tropical Storm Harvey. The record-breaking storm headed toward southwest Louisiana Wednesday morning, making its second landfall at 4 a.m. It has also been pounding the Beaumont-Port Arthur area of Texas, with intense overnight rain leaving the region underwater. Emergency rescuers are continuing to work overtime as heavy rain and extreme flooding continue to soak the region.
The human toll, by the numbers: Local officials in Texas have reported at least 31 people have died, while thousands are left homeless and seeking refuge in overflowing disaster relief shelters. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 32,000 people were reported staying in shelters, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Meanwhile, 14,000 national guardsmen have been deployed in Texas, and 10,000 more are on their way.
Record rain: With 51.88 inches of rain recorded near Mont Belvieu, Texas, Tropical Storm Harvey has broken the 48-inch record for rainfall in the continental U.S., and may break the record of 52 inches in Hawaii. But the danger is far from over. The National Hurricane Center warned Wednesday that "catastrophic and life-threatening flooding will continue in and around Houston eastward into southwest Louisiana for the rest of the week."
Billionaire Warren Buffett, who owns Geico and several other insurers, said on CNBC that damages from Harvey in Texas are "staggering" and that the "insured loss will be large." He noted "there will be a lot of uninsured loss, too."
He said for Geico customers, he suspects most of the losses will be total losses.
Why it matters: According to an AP investigation, "Houston's Harris County has 25,000 fewer flood-insured properties than it did in 2012," a 9% drop in coverage. That means many residents seeking refuge from Harvey will be forced to use savings, take on debt, or even sell to deal with damages.
Bonus Buffett quotes, per CNBC: "I would guess we're in a 2 percent growth economy now ... Every now and then we think it's accelerating. And every now and then that maybe there's a double dip or something. It just seems to be a couple of percent."
