- Recovery continues for western NC nearly two months after Hurricane Helene
- Recovery continues for western NC nearly three months after Hurricane Helene
- Cast of Scandal reunites to show support for western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene
- Tropical Storm Sara threatens to bring flash floods and mudslides to Central America
- Hurricane-stricken Tampa Bay Rays to play 2025 season at Yankees' spring training field in Tampa
Dallas-area flooding estimated to cost up to $6 billion in damages
Damages from Dallas’ Monday flooding could make the storm one of the most costly to hit Texas in several decades.
Fire truck driving through a traffic light on a rainy day in Irving, TX. On Sunday night the Dallas-Fort Worth area saw flash flooding caused by more than nine inches of rainfall across the metro. (Photo by: HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
HUM Images/HUM Images/Universal Images GrouFlash flooding across the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area Monday cause between $4.5 billion and $6 billion in damages and economic loss, according to AccuWeather CEO Joel Myers as reported by the Dallas Morning News Wednesday.
“Our estimate largely accounts for damage to homes, businesses, roadways and vehicles as well as power outages, which resulted in food spoilage that will be expensive to replace due to recent inflation,” Myers said. “Flight and school cancellations and delays, and significant delays to shipping and supply chain within one of the country’s major economic hubs were also contributing factors to the economic toll of the storm.”
The downpour, which weather experts and meteorologists called a “one-in-a-thousand-years event,” dumped about 15 inches of rain across much of the DFW metro area in fewer than 24 hours. This deluge forced authorities to make dozens of emergency water rescues, as quickly forming floods left drivers and area residents submerged under several feet of water.
The flooding prompted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to sign a disaster declaration covering Dallas and 22 other counties across North Texas.
These damage estimates make Monday’s floods one of the most costly that Texas has seen in several decades. According to data from the Insurance Council of Texas reported by the Dallas Morning News’ Nataly Keomoungkhoun, Hurricane Harvey in 2017 caused around $19 billion in damages, while Hurricane Ike in 2008 caused an estimated $13.2 billion and Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 caused around $4.8 billion.