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L'ouragan a inondé la ville au point de détruire les maisons.

L'ouragan a inondé la ville au point de détruire les maisons.
The hurricane flooded the city to the point of destroying the houses.
From Lesson 462:Extreme consequence (au point de)·French

Questions & Answers about L'ouragan a inondé la ville au point de détruire les maisons.

Why do we use the infinitive détruire here instead of a conjugated verb?
Because we are using the phrase au point de. When the subject causing the consequence is the same as the one doing the main action (the hurricane flooded and the hurricane destroyed), you use au point de followed by an infinitive. If a different subject were introduced, you would use au point que followed by a conjugated verb.
Could I use à tel point de in this sentence instead?
Yes, au point de and à tel point de are interchangeable when followed by an infinitive. Using à tel point de détruire just adds a bit more dramatic emphasis, meaning 'to such a point of destroying'.
Why is the passé composé a inondé used here rather than the imparfait, since flooding takes time?
The passé composé is used because the sentence presents the flooding as a single, completed event with a clear, factual consequence (the destroyed houses). If you were describing the background scene in a story while something else interrupted, you would use the imparfait.
Is ouragan the only word for a severe storm?
Un ouragan specifically means a hurricane. If you just wanted to say 'storm' in a more general sense, you would use une tempête. For a tornado, you would say une tornade.

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