【elegant eroticism】

The elegant eroticismterms"catastrophic" and "unprecedented" have taken on a new, grim meaning for residents of Texas and Louisiana.

Tropical Storm Harvey, which came ashore between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, Texas, on August 25 as a hurricane, dumped so much rain on the Houston area that it is now considered the most extreme rainstorm on record to strike any U.S. city, dropping 50-inch-plus rainfall totals in some parts of the state.

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SEE ALSO: Tropical Storm Harvey by the numbers: The 'mind-blowing' superlatives are justified

The rain overwhelmed the Houston metro area as well as Beaumont and Port Arthur, sending most rivers to record heights and trapping people in their homes. 

These images show the scale and impact of the flooding throughout the state.

Left:Mercury Drive in Houston, Texas on Aug 27, 2017. Credit: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images Right:Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Left:Homes and businesses near the Addicks Reservoir  in Houston, Texas on Aug. 29, 2017. Credit: AP/REX/Shutterstock Right:Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Left:Post Oak Lane in Houston, Texas on Aug. 27, 2017. Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images Right:Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Left:I-45 in Spring, Texas on Aug. 28, 2017. Credit: AP/REX/Shutterstock Right:Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Left:Beamer Road in Houston, Texas on Aug 27, 2017. Credit: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images Right:Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable South Loop West in Houston, TX on August 27, 2017. Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

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Valley Rock Road in Houston, TX on August 28, 2017. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

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