At least 5 killed during severe Houston flooding

Flooding in Houston. — (Image credit: Twitter.com/ABCNews)

In less than 24 hours, some parts of the Houston area have received 17 inches of rain, causing widespread flooding across nine different counties.

At least five people have been killed, and the Harris County Emergency Management Office said most of the flooding is being blamed on overflow from creeks and bayous. More than 900 emergency rescues have been carried out, with crews assisting drivers trapped in their vehicles and residents inside their homes, ABC News reports. Tens of thousands of homes were without power during the day, and Houston schools were closed.

The National Weather Service is calling the event "historic" and "severe," and more rain is expected tonight. This morning, more than four inches of rain fell every hour at Houston Intercontinental Airport, helping make this April the wettest on record in Houston.

Article continues below

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.