A new storm season is here. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria — the trio of storms that devastated the Gulf Coast and much of the Caribbean last year — have come and gone. And yet, their impact — an estimated $265 billion in damage — will be felt by the people of Southeastern Texas and Florida for years, if not decades, to come.
The weather results are in and wind speeds exceeded sustained levels of greater than 135 miles per hour. Then the rains came and stalled over Texas to unleash record levels of more than 50 inches of rain in some areas before it slowly made its way on a northeasterly path. Dumping “just” 10 inches of rain on nearby counties in its path with winds of “only” 45 miles per hour. The Florida hurricanes were characterized by violent winds.