Parts of the Houston district have been pounded by more than 50in of precipitation since Hurricane Harvey made landfall, setting new records for the US. Yet, why has the city turned into America's surge capital?
In April 2016 "noteworthy" flooding hit Houston, with 17.6in (44.7cm) of rain dumped on the city in a solitary day.
The surge came just 11 months after another enormous tempest struck the city, dropping over a foot of rain.
Together, these two occasions caused 16 passings and more than $1bn (£777m) in harms.
Both could not hope to compare to Hurricane Harvey, the effect of which has secured Houston's unenviable notoriety as the US city most extremely influenced by surges.
Understanding why the hazard to life and property is rising is vital not exclusively to the eventual fate of America's fourth-biggest city, yet to others around the globe which share a significant number of its issues.
Urban sprawl
Houston's unbridled, quick development is an essential factor.
The number of inhabitants in its metropolitan zone is near 6.8 million individuals and, with expectations of a portion of the nation's quickest development for the coming years, it is required to top 10 million by 2040.
Development itself is not an issue, as it can make monetary, social and natural advantages for urban communities.
However, ill-conceived development which neglects to precisely oversee arrive utilize - for lodging, organizations and the framework like streets, parks and sewers that urban areas require - can make issues and even prompt debacles.
Houston has since quite a while ago supported light touch controls, which has prompted indiscriminate improvement.
The city now covers a gigantic region of more than 1,500 sq km.
It is the model of urban sprawl, where arrive is made promptly open for land advancement on the city's consistently extending fringe.
This spontaneous development has prompted numerous issues.
One is that tremendous sections of land of wetlands and prairie arrive - which drench up a lot of precipitation - have been cleared over.
In the vicinity of 1992 and 2010, for instance, White Oak Bayou in north-west Houston lost around 70% of its unique wetlands.
Amid substantial rain the city's developing fields of cement produce spillover that stops up and at times overpowers its mind boggling system of conduits. This incorporates rivulets and sounds, and additionally surge controls like levees and detainment bowls.
Fruitful wetland and prairie arrive security would not itself have a noteworthy impact in decreasing flooding caused by extraordinary precipitation like that conveyed by Harvey.
However, securing and reestablishing the common territories gives an imperative commitment to making Houston less defenseless against more direct tempests.
They likewise bring ecological advantages - giving fish and untamed life environments, and cleaning contaminated spillover that can here and there enter from the city.
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