Advisors had a digital leg up in weathering one of the worst storms in modern history.

Over the past five days, Hurricane Harvey has caused at least 30 deaths, billions of dollars of damage and disruptions to business and industry in the Gulf Coast region.

But advisors in Harvey’s path are displaying resilience, courage and generosity as the true extent of the destruction becomes clear.

“The situation here is fluid [in many ways] and still developing,” says Larry Maddox, president and founder of Houston-based Horizon Advisors. “Runoff from the unprecedented rains is still swelling our local rivers and bayous, and I’m not sure that anyone in the city has breathed a sigh of relief just yet."

Harvey, now a tropical storm, first made landfall Friday as a major hurricane near the city of Rockport, Tex., bringing winds of more than 130 miles per hour, significant storm surge flooding and heavy rains. As the storm stalled near the Houston metropolitan area, it dropped up to 50 inches of rain on some locations, causing catastrophic flooding and at least 30 fatalities, according to the latest reports.

Many advisors in areas affected by the storm have found themselves unable to reach their offices.

In many cases advisors themselves have been displaced, says Matt Hall, co-founder and president of Hill Investment Group, an advisory firm headquartered in St. Louis with offices in Houston.

One of Hall’s colleagues, originally evacuated from Houston, found herself the subject of a rescue as heavy rains flooded the area she had taken shelter in.

“She had already moved an hour west from Houston in a town that should, theoretically, have been very safe,” says Hall. “We received a message on our internal chat application that she had been boated out of that location.”

With the surge and rain flooding caused by Harvey, today’s technologically driven practices are both a blessing and a curse, advisors say. The technology is wonderful for staying in touch with clients and staying informed, they say, but protecting equipment from the storm is a major undertaking.

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