HOUSTON, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The cleanup and rebuilding period following Hurricane Harvey could be longer than Hurricane Katrina, with recovery lasting upwards of 20 months, a report shows Monday.
BuildFax, an Austin-based data analytics firm for the residential and commercial real estate industry, said it could take three months to clean up all the debris related to Harvey and 20 months recover and remodel damaged properties.
"With recovery from Hurricane Harvey estimated to cost up to 180 billion U.S. dollars and Hurricane Irma expected to cost about 100 billion U.S. dollars, the primary recovery periods for these two storms could be well above the average for the three costliest storms in recent U.S. history," the report said.
BuildFax analyzed Hurricanes Ike in 2008, Katrina in 2005 and Sandy in 2012 to determine the average cleanup and recovery times following the costliest natural disasters in recent U.S. history.
Harvey blew ashore on Aug. 25 as the most powerful hurricane hitting Texas in more than 50 years, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and damaging some 200,000 homes in a path of destruction that stretches for more than 500 km. The Houston area has been devastated by severe flooding, after receiving 1.4 meters of rain.
According to local government officials, at least 82 people died as a result of Hurricane Harvey.
