The death toll from Hurricane Harvey rises to at least 60

Desdemona Despair

DALLAS, 4 September 2017 (Associated Press) – Officials now blame at least 60 deaths on Harvey, after the storm dumped many feet of rain on several counties in a matter of days.

Many of those deaths confirmed in 11 counties across south Texas happened when people were caught in quickly rising floodwaters or lost control on water-logged roads, emergency management officials said. Of those counties, Harris County, which is home to Houston and saw the worst flooding during the storm, still has the highest death toll with 30 confirmed Harvey-related deaths as of about 5 p.m. Monday.

But county emergency management departments tell The Associated Press they are including people in their storm-related death totals who died from indirect complications of Harvey.

The huge dump of water loosened the ground around trees that have fallen into at least two homes in Montgomery County, causing two deaths said Cynthia Jamieson. And the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that a couple had died while driving outside of Jasper, Texas, when a tree landed on their vehicle.

Power outages from the storm have also accounted for some of the indirect deaths. Several elderly people in a handful of counties were reported as Harvey-related deaths when medical equipment such as oxygen tanks lost power. [more]

The death toll from Harvey rises to at least 60