Hurricane Harvey could be on par with 2005's Hurricane Katrina in terms of economic impact, according to University of Miami senior hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy.
"The Houston area and Corpus Christi are going to be a mess for a long time," he said Friday.
Here are some of the most damaging hurricanes to hit the US since 2000.
* KATRINA
Katrina crossed the tip of Florida and then swept into the Gulf of Mexico and over Louisiana and Mississippi, causing more than 1800 deaths and an estimated $US108 billion ($A136 billion) in damage - the costliest hurricane in US history.
Most of the fatalities occurred in Louisiana, where thousands of homes and businesses in New Orleans were destroyed by strong winds and flooding. Mississippi, Florida, Georgia and Alabama also reported deaths, with about three million people without power.
* SANDY
The pounding winds and storm surges of Sandy, dubbed a "superstorm" since it was extratropical by the time it made landfall, devastated the coastlines of New York and New Jersey in late October 2012, damaging at least 650,000 homes and causing about 8.5 million power outages.
US officials preliminarily tallied at least $US50 billion ($A63 billion) in damage, though some sources cite around $US75 billion ($A94 billion). There were at least 147 deaths directly tied to storm conditions, as well as a number of indirect fatalities linked to hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning and falling trees during the cleanup effort.
* IKE
Ike's storm surges raised water levels across nearly the entire US Gulf Coast when it hit in 2008, causing almost $US30 billion ($A38 billion) in damage, mostly in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. At least 20 people were killed.
* WILMA
Coming near the end of 2005's extraordinary hurricane season, Wilma caused 98 per cent of South Florida to lose electricity. Trees were downed, windows shattered, roofs torn up and crops lost. All told, the US reported more than $US21 billion ($A26 billion) in damage, as well as five deaths.
* IVAN
Ivan's storm surge in 2004 caused as much of an interstate bridge to collapse in Florida, which along with Alabama was among the hardest-hit states.
Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. Debris piled up after the storm stretched for more than a kilometre and was as tall as seven stories. Almost two million people experienced power outages. Ivan killed 25 people and caused more than $US18 billion ($A23 billion) in damage.
* RITA
Rita, one of the strongest hurricanes of the record-breaking 2005 season, prompted one of the largest-scale evacuations in US history, with more than two million people estimated to have fled the Texas coast.
Coming just weeks after Katrina, Rita's wind and rain caused $US12 billion ($A15 billion) in damage and killed 62 people. Nearly every structure in some coastal areas of southwestern Louisiana was destroyed, some entirely swept away.
