2017 Hurricane Harvey by Hayden Austin

Hurricane Harvey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Texas in August 2017.

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This hurricane was the first major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) to strike the United States since Wilma in 2005.

What happened?

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Hurricane Harvey is a hurricane that broke a record for being the wettest storm to ever hit the U.S and record breaking rainfall and destruction. It was one of the costliest storms to ever hit the U.S.

How many people did it impact?

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This storm impacted pretty much the entirety of Texas, leaving damage that costed 125 billion dollars to replace everything. The storm caused catastrophic flooding, displacing more than 30,000 people, damaging or destroying more than 200,000 homes and businesses, and necessitating 17,000 rescues. The storm also led to 89 direct deaths and 107 total deaths, including indirect deaths.

How did it impact economics (profit)?

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The damage from Harvey, estimated at over $125 billion, ranks it among the most expensive natural disasters in the U.S. Hurricane Harvey's impact on the Texas economy, while devastating in the short term, had a mixed long-term effect, with both losses and gains. While the storm caused billions of dollars in damage and temporarily slowed economic growth and the constant rebuilding and recovery efforts helped the economic growth. The storm caused only temporary slowdown in Texas's third-quarter GDP, with some estimates leading to a 1.4% decline.

How did it impact the environment?

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The storm caused one of the worst floods Texas has ever seen. The deepest flood on record was 60.85 inches of rainfall in one designated area. It caused billions in damage to replace all the homes, small businesses, and infrastructure all around Texas. It caused widespread flooding, chemical spills, and disruption to eco-systems.

How did we address this issue? What value system does this reflect?

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When the storm had left the unimaginable damages behind leaving people in disbelief and heartache, the state and local emergency agencies, along with organizations like the American Red Cross, Direct Relief, and Americares, were quick to act to provide rescue, shelter, medical aid, and essential supplies to those impacted. Many residents also relied on their social networks to find information, and local rescues, and help with cleanup.

Description of why this event was important in history.

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this event is important in history because of all the damage caused to everyone's homes and it's also important to take in to fact that half of the people went into debt after the hurricane, while others were covered by insurance. The reason for that is because most insurance companies require separate flood plans that are not included with the hurricane/homeowners insurance.

How this event changed the way humans view the environment or shift our responsibilities to the environment?

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Hurricane Harvey, which devastated the Texas Gulf Coast in 2017, significantly impacted human perspectives on the environment and our collective responsibilities. Here's how, scientists are saying that climate change made the disaster 10x worse and more impactful than it should've been.

Description of how we solved this problem (or why we are not solving it).

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This event is an a mixture of Ecocentric, Anthropocentric, and Technocentric and here's why, we had laws passed to ensure the safety of people by not allowing them to build to a certain area near sea level. We also had a huge impact on the environment. Technological Advancement: We improved the weather forecasting channels to better prepare everyone affected where to evacuate and how to efficiently protect their families/loved ones. Anthro-centric, Focus on Human Well-being and Recovery: We saw very quick results when it came to people needed the support from the financial side of tings like housing, food, clothing and just he necessities. There was so much support for people to get back on their feet from local organizations funding costs for people in desperate need. They passed laws to limit people can live to enhance the safety of others Eco-centric, Understanding Climate Change Impacts: There is a theory that warmer ocean temperatures contribute to stronger storms and heavier rainfall, emphasizing the need for actions that address climate change. They believe each individual were to contribute to a little change it would cause big change everywhere.

Interesting facts about hurricane Harvey:

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Harvey was a prolific tornado producer, spawning at least 57 tornadoes across six states.
Floodwaters in the Houston Ship Channel area became contaminated with toxic chemicals, including benzene and other industrial wastewater, creating a lot of potential health risks.
More than 17,000 people were rescued from floodwaters, with some rescues being high-water rescues from flooded communities.
The hurricane's aftermath left a linger of mold, damaged homes, and contaminated water for many survivors.

Map of specific event location:

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How this relates to another cause of event:

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Hurricane's Harvey and Irma were the first two hurricane's that got to category 4 to make landfall in the United States in the same year. Harvey primarily caused massive flooding and damage in Texas, while Irma caused widespread destruction across the Caribbean and Florida, including significant infrastructure damage and economic disruption. Both storms were costly, with Irma causing a broad but less intense impact across Florida, and Harvey delivering an unexpected amount of rain to Texas.

Hurricane Harvey

This happened on the Texas Gulf Coast, it caused catastrophic flooding, with some areas receiving over 50 inches of rain, a lot of economic damage. This caused more government damage than any other hurricane since the 2005 Wilma hurricane that hit.

Hurricane Irma
This happened in the Caribbean and in Florida, the Storm caused, heavy winds, and some flooding, but less rain than Harvey. The storm caused widespread damage in Florida, even though it spared some major metropolitan areas from the worst-case scenario. Major disruption to the Florida tourism industry, increased unemployment, and caused a lot of property and industry damage.