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Harvey first made landfall over San Jose Island and then near Rockport, in south-central Texas, late Aug. 25 as a Category 4 hurricane, threatening millions of residents with 130-mph winds, heavy rains, and a massive storm surge that swamped coastal areas and inflicted tremendous damage across Aransas County. Harvey made landfall three times in six days. Wind gusts were observed up to 132Êmph (212Êkm/h) near Port Aransas. Nearly every structure in Port Aransas was damaged, some severely, while significant damage from storm surge also occurred. In Rockport, entire blocks were destroyed by the hurricane's violent eyewall winds. The city's courthouse was severely damaged when a cargo trailer was hurled into it, coming to a stop halfway through the structure. The gymnasium of the Rockport-Fulton High School lost multiple walls while the school itself suffered considerable damage. Many homes, apartment buildings, and businesses sustained major structural damage from the intense winds, and several were completely destroyed. Numerous boats were damaged or sunk at a marina in town, airplanes and structures were destroyed at the Aransas County Airport, and a Fairfield Inn in the city was severely damaged as well. About 20 percent of Rockport's population was displaced, and they were still unable to return to their homes a year after the hurricane. The first death associated with Harvey was in Rockport, caused by a house fire, the city was unable to rescue the victim due to the extreme weather conditions. Just north of Rockport, many structures were also severely damaged in the nearby town of Fulton. In the small community of Holiday Beach, catastrophic damage occurred as almost every home in town was severely damaged or destroyed by storm surge and violent winds. By the afternoon of AugustÊ26, more than 20Êin (510Êmm) of rain had fallen in the Corpus Christi metropolitan area. All of Victoria was left without water and most had no power. Causing about $125 billion in damage, Hurricane Harvey ranks as the second-most costly hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since 1900. Adjusting for inflation, only $160-billion Hurricane Katrina in 2005 caused more damage than Harvey.
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