Photos: Houston suffers devastating flooding from Harvey

Updated: August 28, 2017 Published: August 27, 2017

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Vi Tran uses a blanket to shield her daughters Olivia, 4, and Eva, 2, from the rain after being evacuated from Houston’s Meyerland area, Aug. 27, 2017. On Sunday, Harvey, now a tropical storm, pounded the region with torrential rains, and the National Weather Service forecasts rainfall of 15 to 25 inches through Friday, with as much as 50 inches in a few areas. (Alyssa Schukar/The New York Times)

Catastrophic flooding triggered by Tropical Storm Harvey inundated Houston on Sunday, forcing residents of the fourth most populous U.S. city to flee their homes in boats or hunker down in anticipation of more days of "unprecedented" rainfall.

Harvey came ashore late on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years and has killed at least two people. The death toll is expected to rise as the storm triggers additional tidal surges and tornadoes, with parts of the region expected to see a year's worth of rainfall in the space of a week.

The storm caused chest-deep flooding on some streets in Houston as rivers and channels overflowed their banks. More than 30 inches (76 cm) of rain had fallen in parts of Houston in the past 48 hours, the National Weather Service said on Sunday, adding that more was on the way.

“What we’re seeing is the most devastating flood event in Houston’s recorded history. We’re seeing levels of rainfall that are unprecedented,” said Steve Bowen, chief meteorologist at reinsurance firm Aon Benfield.

— Reuters