Houston was hit by catastrophic flooding over the weekend due to the torrential rains caused by Tropical Storm Harvey at Texas coast. The major airports at Houston have been shut down for all commercial operations until further notice. Houston Bush Airport and Hobby Airport are inundated by the vibrant flood.
Southwest Airlines airlifted around 500 of its customers out of closed Houston Hobby Airport Sunday, according to airline and US government sources with knowledge of the operation. (CNN)
Every road to and fro from the airports was closed keeping customers stranded inside the airport. As been reported, five of the Southwest airline’s Boeing 737 stranded on the flooded airport flew to Love Field in Dallas on Sunday whereas 10 aircraft are still on the ground at Hobby Airport. The airline received clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate out of the closed airport, according to the two sources. Hobby Airport is expected to remain closed to all non-emergency air traffic until August 30 at the earliest, according to the FAA. Bush Airport is however expected to operate today.
The majority of residents of the fourth-biggest city in the US were forced to leave their homes in boats or rescue helicopter after the flood became more vibrant. The Insurance Information Institute said flood damage could match that caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when the National Flood Insurance Program paid out over $15b.
Recently, the Terai region of Nepal was highly affected by flood resulting shut down of Biratnagar Airport for more than a week. Texas is facing the similar situation now as its two major airports remain closed for unknown time with almost 1,700 US flights cancellation.
Natural calamities are ruthless and can occur at anytime, anywhere that may lead to huge destruction of human life and property. We cannot stop natural disasters but can prepare ourselves with knowledge so that many lives can be saved. It is utmost importance that we have enough disaster preparedness.
