An aerial photograph reveals the huge swathes of flooded land in Houston, Texas on Sunday. Hurricane Harvey blustered through the town on Friday and Saturday, bringing with it unprecedented downpour and triggering life-threatening floods.
The flood of a lifetime has hit Texas after the violent winds of Hurricane Harvey began to die down, with the state expecting another 50 inches to pour down upon the region in record-setting precipitation.
The destructive path of the hurricane began to take shape on Sunday, with a striking collection of aerial photographs laying bare its damage for the first time.
Highways lay submerged in water where abandoned cars bobbed alongside rescue boats taking residents to safety, as Galveston County estimates up to 1,200 people had to be rescued from the 'life-threatening' waters.
At least five people are dead and dozens are injured after 130mph winds and unprecedented floods swept through the southeast pocket of the state on Friday and Saturday.
There is even more rain on the way - a record-setting 50 inches - and emergency response teams have been stretched to their limit as the state was hit with 11 trillion gallons of water, according to reports.
Comment: See also this report from last week: Irregular waterspout spotted on Black Sea near Sochi, Russia
From August of last year: Multiple waterspouts form off coast near Russian resort city Sochi where tornadoes are very rare occurrence (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)