Harvey Costliest Natural Disaster in US History, Toll Climbs to 44

A vehicle caught in the Hurricane Harvey.

(Photo: Reuters)

Hurricane Harvey, the costliest natural disaster in US history, may cost a whopping $160 billion in economic damages in Texas, killing 44 people and left tens of thousands homeless.

Harvey, now a tropical depression, made the second landfall on Wednesday, slamming into the Louisiana coast near the Texas border hitting the region with record-breaking rainfall and devastating floods.

Harvey has brought the heaviest rainfall in US history, soaking Texas with more than 52 inches since it first made landfall last Friday.

At least 44 people have been killed as a result of the devastating floods and that number was climbing as water receded, revealing the storm's awful toll, officials were quoted as saying by the New York Times.

Twenty people still remained missing in the city, according to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo.

The flooding in Houston, the fourth largest US city, is slowly receding in some areas for the first time since the weekend, authorities said.

Taking advantage of a less rainfall in Houston, Harris County authorities finally located a van, containing six members of the same family, that had been washed off the road days earlier.

All six were dead in what police say is the single deadliest incident stemming from Harvey, with victims ranging in ages from six to 84.

More than 32,000 people were in shelters in Texas, and 30,000 shelter beds were available, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.

Accuweather estimated Harvey's cost at $160 billion, making it the costliest natural disaster in US history.

AccuWeather president Joel Myers called Harvey a "1000 year Storm" and said parts of Houston will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.

More than 30,000 people took refuge 200 shelters, about 1,800 evacuees have been moved to hotels and other longer-term housing options, said Brock Long, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

In Houston, authorities opened two more megashelters after the convention center quickly became packed with almost 9,000 evacuees.

The National Hurricane Center warns of continuing flooding in parts of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.

Nearly all of the reported Harvey-related deaths resulted from people drowning in their flooded vehicles.

One Indian student died yesterday after he nearly drowned in a swollen lake in Texas. More than 100,000 Indian-Americans living in and around Houston have also been badly hit by the monstrous hurricane.

The Indian-American community has rallied themselves around to help people in distress. Indian businesses and places of worship were providing shelters to the displaced.

Sunil Thakkar, a radio jockey by profession, was using his station to provide directions to people to safer places.

"This unprecedented disaster had many volunteers working till three o'clock in the night, monitoring requests, assessing the situation and coordinating assistance," said Achalesh Amar, a community leader.