I believe there was a previous storm event that placed 100 inches of rain in Cuba in a single storm. I believe the Cuban event is the old world record, not Harvey. The problem is that people and governments build cities were they are prone to flooding due to rain and storm surges. If you choose to live in these areas, you will have to deal with consequences. I have family in the affected areas and they used common sense and evacuated. They have now come back to destroyed homes but they are fine. Stuff one can always replace. As an excersice, take a map of the world and see how much of the coastal land would be flooded with a 15 foot storm surge.