Hurricane Harvey floodwater ‘flexed Earth’s crust’

Hurricane Harvey floodwater was so heavy that it sank Houston by two centimeters, according to a geophysicist.  

Chris Milliner of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology said the water flexed Earth’s crust.

But he said the crust will gradually return to its normal position as the waters recede.     

‘GPS data show the flood was so large it flexed Earth’s crust, pushing Houston down,’ Milliner told the Houston Chronicle. One cubic metre of water weighs a ton.

It comes after the Senate overwhelmingly backed a $15.3 billion aid package for victims of Harvey, nearly doubling President Donald Trump’s emergency request. 

The 80-17 vote sends the package to the House for a vote on Friday.

With emergency accounts running out of money and Hurricane Irma barreling toward the East Coast, the measure appears set to easily pass.

The legislation would also provide money to government agencies through to December 8, eliminating the threat of a government shutdown when the new fiscal year starts next month.

Thursday’s vote came a day after Trump stunned GOP leaders by siding with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, by backing a short-term extension to the debt limit increase and the spending bill.

Chris Milliner of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology said the water flexed the earth’s crust

The need to raise the debt limit to ease a looming cash crunch that is worsening because of unanticipated Harvey spending was a major headache for GOP leaders like House Speaker Paul Ryan, who had urged a longer extension to spare Republicans multiple votes ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

GOP leaders are fuming, but Ryan backed the idea on Thursday, telling reporters that the president didn’t want to have ‘some partisan fight in the middle of the response.’