Tropical Storm Imelda Hits Texas

Written By: Nevaeh Hernandez

Heavy rainfall in Texas made travel a nightmare.

The tropical storm Imelda was bringing heavy rainfall and very dangerous floods to parts of Texas in September 2019. It became one of the wettest storms in United States history. Many people were surprised with the rapid formation but slow movements the storm had.

Tropical Storm Imelda formed quickly in the Gulf of Mexico on September 17th, 2019, and made landfall near Texas the very same day. It weakened very soon after it came to land but because it was moving so slow it caused more rainfall, dropping more than 40 inches of rain. Multiple cities experienced floods and damaged homes and roads. Most emergency crews performed multiple water rescues, and hundreds of people were displaced. The storm caused an estimate of $5 billion in damages, and there were only 5 confirmed deaths, but it was also named the 7th wettest tropical storm in U.S. history.

After the storm, the cleaning and recovery took months, and the storm served as a reminder how quickly hurricanes can strengthen. Especially tropical ones and how Texas remained vulnerable to the floods and damages they had to endure during the storm.

Many people say that storms can impact houses in many ways, like destroying the house or just cutting out power. The majority of people also say that the best thing to do to cope with a flood and power outage is to make sure people are safe and away from danger. Some may also say the best way to survive a flood is to get in as high of a place as possible and find help at any opportunity.