In terms of overall damage, Hurricane Harvey could rank among the costliest storms to hit the country. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 cost $118 billion, and Sandy in 2012 cost $73 billion.
Last month, Moody's
- and essential component of the global capital markets, providing credit ratings and research - said total losses from Hurricane Harvey will come in between $45 billion and $65 billion, with overall U.S. economic losses between $6 billion and $10 billion.
Some of that damage belongs to Texas811 members - and we're counting on you to lead the way to a safe recovery.
A call to 811 prior to excavation-related recovery work will greatly reduce the risk of damage to critical infrastructure and ensure the safety of those working to rebuild. Our center is equipped to handle emergency locate requests, which in many cases will expedite the process.
We have received reports of major transmission lines being cut by well meaning response teams hoping to help the recovery effort - but they didn't call 811 first.
We depend on you, our members in the field, to help spread the 811 message. Please make sure your contractors and subcontractors know and understand the use of 811 before digging and follow safe practices to help prevent injuries, property damage and inconvenient outages. Remind them that the number one cause of pipeline accidents in Texas is failure to call 811 so that underground facilities can be marked before digging or excavating - and it's not just backhoes. Nearly 25 percent of pipeline damage is due to digging with hand tools, picks, or shovels.
In a nutshell, don't cause damage to repair damage!