HOUSTON—Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Sunday said damage from Hurricane Harvey would exceed that of epic hurricanes Katrina or Sandy, likely reaching $150 billion to $180 billion.
Harvey, which came ashore on Aug. 25 as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in 50 years, has killed an estimated 47 people and displaced more than 1 million after causing wreckage in an area stretching for more than 300 miles.
Abbott, who is advocating for U.S. government aid to repair his state, said the damage would exceed that of Katrina, the storm that devastated New Orleans and surrounding areas in 2005, and Sandy, which overwhelmed New York city and the U.S. Northeast in 2012.
“Katrina caused if I recall more than $120 billion but when you look at the number of homes and business affected by this I think this will cost well over $120 billion, probably $150 to $180 billion,” Abbott told Fox News, adding, “this is far larger than Hurricane Sandy.”
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has asked Congress for an initial $7.85 billion for recovery efforts, which Abbott called a “down payment.”
“This is a long road to hoe if we are going to rebuild the fourth largest city in the United States as well as the entire geographic region,” Abbott said.
For a graphic on Harvey’s energy impact, click here.
For a graphic on hurricane costs, click here.
For a graphic on storms in the North Atlantic, click here.
Houston was still struggling to recover on Sunday, when the city forced the evacuation of thousands of people on the western side of town who were affected by the release of floodwater that had built up in a reservoir.
The city cut off power to homes on Sunday morning to encourage evacuation of those who had been reluctant to leave their homes.
