Residents handle aftermath of hurricane with resilience, humor and spirit. Jaylyn Rosario stands on makeshift barrier to prevent flooding of her home on Avenida Esteves, piled high with sand and debris washed in from a creek. Carol Guzy for NPR hide caption

Flooding in Immokalee, Fla., after Hurricane Irma hit was still present days afterward. Public health officials say that even after waters recede, issues such as mold and mosquitos can remain. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

Whitlee Hurd, the mother of five children, walks through her damaged home in northeast Houston. "This is my child's room but I can't have them sleep here now because the window is open," she says. "We told the maintenance man but he won't help us." Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

Kelli Walker wasn't able to get into her family's home, on the other side of the brick wall, because of the depth of the rising floodwater in Houston on Tuesday. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

Rescue workers look for survivors in the debris of a collapsed building in Mumbai, India, on Thursday. Punit Paranjpe/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Christine Garcia relaxes with her 8-year-old daughter Mia in the Channelview High School gym. It's been turned into an evacuation shelter for victims of flooding from Harvey. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

Parts of Houston remain flooded, but most hospitals are up and running, according to Darrell Pile, CEO of the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, which manages the catastrophic medical operations center in Houston. Marcus Yam/LA Times/Getty Images hide caption

Dwayne Boudreaux Jr., owner of the Circle Food Store in New Orleans, dumps out dirty water that was vacuumed up from the store on Monday, after severe flooding over the weekend. The city's pumps were not fully functional, officials now acknowledge. Boudreaux told a local news station that the last time he saw waters rise so high was during Hurricane Katrina. Gerald Herbert/AP hide caption

This image of flooded homes in Hope Mills, N.C., prompted a dramatic rescue. Courtesy of Quavas Hart hide caption

Daniel Stover, 17, moves a boat of personal belongings from a friend's flooded home in Sorrento, La., on Saturday. Max Becherer/AP hide caption

Louisiana resident David Key rides away after reviewing the damage to his home. Federal officials have expanded a disaster declaration after flooding in the state damaged tens of thousands of homes and left nine people dead. Max Becherer/AP hide caption

Louis Fernandez walks along a flooded Collins Avenue in Miami Beach in September 2015. The city is tackling sea-level rise by rebuilding roads and installing new storm sewers and pumps. Lynne Sladky/AP hide caption

Bo Sailor watches Thursday as high surf crashes into the seawall before spilling onto Channel Drive in Montecito, Calif. An ocean-water-quality advisory was issued for the area after a number of December and early-January storms pummeled Southern California with heavy rainfall. Mike Eliason/AP hide caption

Two cars are submerged in floodwaters in a park in Kimmswick, Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency because of widespread flooding around the state, which has closed many roads. Jeff Roberson/AP hide caption