Tropical Storm Allison wasn't a hurricane, but it caused widespread devastation
This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.
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Tropical Storm Allison was a major event of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. Allison kept either tropical or subtropical status for 16 days in June, which is unusually long for the time of year.
On Monday, June 4, 2001, a tropical wave developed in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The storm gained intensity before hitting the upper Texas coast, reaching its peak on June 5.
"Tropical Storm Allison at peak intensity on June 5 at 1715 UTC." Courtesy of Wikipedia
Allison affected many areas, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Florida, and the Carolinas, but Texas was hit the hardest.
The storm brought heavy rain, exceeding 1,000 mm in Texas. In Houston, Allison flooded more than 70,000 houses and destroyed 2,744. Because of the widespread flooding, approximately 30,000 people became homeless.
The downtown area of Houston was also severely flooded. Businesses and hospitals were severely damaged. The flooding caused $2 billion worth of damage to the Texas Medical Center.
In Texas, 23 people died from various storm-related incidents like poor driving and electrocution.
Other areas were badly hit, as well. The storm killed eight people in Florida, seven in Pennsylvania, and three people in other states for a total of 41 deaths.
"The Southwest Freeway, near downtown Houston, lies under water due to flooding from Tropical Storm Allison." Courtesy of Wikipedia
President George W. Bush declared many places in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Pennsylvania as disaster areas. That declaration mobilized aid for those impacted by Allison. People received temporary housing, home repairs, and other services.
To learn more about Tropical Storm Allison, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."
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Thumbnail: Flooding in Chackbay, Louisiana. Courtesy of Wikipedia
