HOUSTON – Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Texas coast from Corpus Christi to Beaumont when it made landfall in August, becoming one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.
Now, a new report released by the Episcopal Health Foundation (EHF) highlights the areas hardest hit areas across Texas.
The report analyzed 880,000 FEMA assistance applications across 41 counties throughout the state affected by the storm, including Calhoun, Harris, Jefferson and Orange. Among the areas with the most damage and need based off FEMA applications are:
- Port Arthur (77642);
- Addicks/Bear Creek (77084), which is partially located in the Addicks Reservoir in west Harris County;
- Rockport (77382), which took the brunt of Harvey as it made landfall;
- Dickinson (77539), which saw nearly 42 inches of rain fall in a matter of days
- Victoria (77901)
In spotlighting the areas with the most need, EHF President and CEO Elena Marks said, “We want to make sure that government and philanthropic recovery efforts use this type of information to make good decisions on where investments can really benefit the people who need the most help.”
Hurricane Harvey made landfall Aug. 25 in Rockport as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds. Harvey then stalled over Texas and dropped more than a trillion gallons of water in Harris County alone, according to the Harris County Flood Control District. The storm then moved east and brought catastrophic flooding across Jefferson and Orange counties.
In the Port Arthur area in Jefferson County, there have been over 13,500 applications for FEMA assistance.
In the Addicks/Bear Creek area in west Harris County, there have been nearly 13,000 assistance applications.
In Aransas County, which includes Rockport, there have been more than 11,300 applications.
“We’re concerned that the voices of the most vulnerable may not be represented during decisions on how to invest Harvey recovery funds,” Marks said.
