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Flooding remains one of the most devastating natural disasters in the United States, claiming an average of more than 125 lives annually, according to the National Weather Service. Flash floods specifically rank as the nation’s top storm-related killer, causing billions in damages and displacing countless families. Here is a partial list of some major flooding events from the past 25 years:

• Texas Hill Country flash floods (recent) — Devastating flash floods caused by heavy rains left at least 82 people dead with many others missing, including girls from a camp near the Guadalupe River. Search and rescue operations used helicopters, boats, and drones to locate victims and rescue stranded people.

• Hurricane Helene (September 2024) — This hurricane struck Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia, causing approximately 250 deaths. Most fatalities resulted from massive inland flooding rather than high winds, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit mainland U.S. since Hurricane Katrina. North Carolina alone recorded 108 deaths, with the storm decimating remote Appalachian towns.

• Eastern Kentucky floods (July 2022) — Raging floodwaters led to 45 deaths, destroying homes, businesses, schools, roads, bridges, and water systems. The disaster left thousands of families without possessions.

• Hurricane Harvey (August 2017) — This Category 4 storm killed at least 68 people in Texas, with all but three deaths attributed to freshwater flooding. The hurricane damaged more than 300,000 structures and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage.

• Superstorm Sandy (October 2012) — This unusual combination of hurricane and other storms killed 147 people total, with 72 deaths in the eastern U.S. More than 110 deaths were attributed to drowning.

• Hurricane Ike (September 2008) — This hurricane struck southeast Texas Gulf Coast, creating storm surge up to 20 feet high in Galveston. The storm caused more than $29 billion in damage and was responsible for more than 100 deaths, many from flooding.

• Hurricane Katrina (2005) — The deadliest flood event in the past 25 years, this hurricane killed nearly 1,400 people when levees failed in New Orleans. The costliest storm in U.S. history caused an estimated $200 billion in damages.

• Tropical Storm Allison (June 2001) — This storm caused 41 deaths, mostly from flooding due to 40 inches of rain in Texas and Louisiana. The storm’s remnants lingered for days, causing major flooding in Houston.

READ MORE: Looking closer at some of the deadliest floods in the U.S. in the last 25 years

This article is written with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence based solely on Washington Times original reporting and wire services. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Ann Wog, Managing Editor for Digital, at awog@washingtontimes.com

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