The entire state of Florida was just evacuated for a cat-2 hurricane

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Houston has an elevation of 80 feet. That noise you just heard was your argument flying out the window in a Cat 5 hurricane!

Houston also has almost no drainage. It's built on clay that absorbs very little water, it's a different kind of problem than New Orleans, but still a serious problem as 3 major flood events have indicated.

I live not too far from the Ohio River. It floods every year. Should we move the cities along it back onto the high ground?

No. I think you are misunderstanding me (deliberately?) - you can't alter entire cities. But you can alter portions. If an area repeatedly suffers damaging flooding, is on a floodplain - should you continue to allow rebuilding?

Options are - relocate neighborhood.
Rebuild with the notice that should it flood again there will be no government help.
Rebuild mandating a HIGHER standard in order to withstand flooding.

I think the decision depends on the area.

What would you do?

I am taking you literally. It forces you to backpedal just like you are doing in this post.

Also, you need to look at the definition of flood plain. You don't have it quite right.

I'm not backpedaling. I've never proposed moving entire cities - it's simply not feasible.

But YOU are avoiding my question where as I've proposed some thoughts on it.

What would you do?

Why is Houston so prone to major flooding?

Houston is barely above sea level. Downtown is only about 50 feet above sea level, and there's only about a four-foot change between the highest and lowest parts of downtown. That means when rain falls, it has nowhere to go, and takes a long time to drain out.

Some of the southern suburbs are even lower...at 40 feet above sea level. The highest point in the city, in the northwest suburbs is only 128 feet above sea level.

Once the bayous flood, the freeway system functions as a de-facto secondary flood control system, even though it isn't supposed to. New freeways are built to handle 100-year floods, but we've already exceeded the conditions that define a 100-year flood at in many spots with the flooding from Harvey.

Once the water overtops the freeways, you get to the residential streets which are recessed in a bit as a final small flood control measure. As soon as the water gets above that and onto the sidewalks, homes start flooding.

Some experts also point to Houston's big building boom as a potential factor, in exacerbating the problem Development decreased the amount of wetlands in the city by almost 50 percent over the last 25 years.

All that hard, impermeable pavement means there's less land to soak up rainfall after a major storm.

Combine all that with the fact Houston is only about 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. That puts it right in the path of slow-moving storms that can generate massive amounts of rainfall.

In fact, the number of downpours measuring at least 10 inches have doubled over the last 30 years.

So, when a slow-moving storm like Hurricane Harvey hits the city, flooding can be intense — more intense than ever.

Houston's Buffalo Bayou reached a record 69-foot crest in one area Sunday.

In general, one inch of rain equals about a foot rise in river levels. With at least six inches still possible in Houston on Monday, the Buffalo Bayou could rise another six feet.​

Houston is 80 feet above sea level.

Why spend millions to correct a problem that may never occur again in our lifetime?

 

[Coyote]

Houston also has almost no drainage. It's built on clay that absorbs very little water, it's a different kind of problem than New Orleans, but still a serious problem as 3 major flood events have indicated.

I live not too far from the Ohio River. It floods every year. Should we move the cities along it back onto the high ground?

No. I think you are misunderstanding me (deliberately?) - you can't alter entire cities. But you can alter portions. If an area repeatedly suffers damaging flooding, is on a floodplain - should you continue to allow rebuilding?

Options are - relocate neighborhood.
Rebuild with the notice that should it flood again there will be no government help.
Rebuild mandating a HIGHER standard in order to withstand flooding.

I think the decision depends on the area.

What would you do?

I am taking you literally. It forces you to backpedal just like you are doing in this post.

Also, you need to look at the definition of flood plain. You don't have it quite right.

I'm not backpedaling. I've never proposed moving entire cities - it's simply not feasible.

But YOU are avoiding my question where as I've proposed some thoughts on it.

What would you do?

Why is Houston so prone to major flooding?

Houston is barely above sea level. Downtown is only about 50 feet above sea level, and there's only about a four-foot change between the highest and lowest parts of downtown. That means when rain falls, it has nowhere to go, and takes a long time to drain out.

Some of the southern suburbs are even lower...at 40 feet above sea level. The highest point in the city, in the northwest suburbs is only 128 feet above sea level.

Once the bayous flood, the freeway system functions as a de-facto secondary flood control system, even though it isn't supposed to. New freeways are built to handle 100-year floods, but we've already exceeded the conditions that define a 100-year flood at in many spots with the flooding from Harvey.

Once the water overtops the freeways, you get to the residential streets which are recessed in a bit as a final small flood control measure. As soon as the water gets above that and onto the sidewalks, homes start flooding.

Some experts also point to Houston's big building boom as a potential factor, in exacerbating the problem Development decreased the amount of wetlands in the city by almost 50 percent over the last 25 years.

All that hard, impermeable pavement means there's less land to soak up rainfall after a major storm.

Combine all that with the fact Houston is only about 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. That puts it right in the path of slow-moving storms that can generate massive amounts of rainfall.

In fact, the number of downpours measuring at least 10 inches have doubled over the last 30 years.

So, when a slow-moving storm like Hurricane Harvey hits the city, flooding can be intense — more intense than ever.

Houston's Buffalo Bayou reached a record 69-foot crest in one area Sunday.

In general, one inch of rain equals about a foot rise in river levels. With at least six inches still possible in Houston on Monday, the Buffalo Bayou could rise another six feet.​

Houston is 80 feet above sea level.

Why spend millions to correct a problem that may never occur again in our lifetime?

It doesn't seem to be. It ranges from 40 to 128 ft above sea level.

The "problem that may never occur again in our lifetime" has occurred multiple times in the past decade.

At what point should we say it "may never occur again" and at what point should we look at ways of ameliarating it for Houston's citizens? And, while where at it - saving tax payer money on the constant rebuilding?

You are still not providing ideas for how to improve it sweetie

 

[Markle]

No. I think you are misunderstanding me (deliberately?) - you can't alter entire cities. But you can alter portions. If an area repeatedly suffers damaging flooding, is on a floodplain - should you continue to allow rebuilding?

Options are - relocate neighborhood.
Rebuild with the notice that should it flood again there will be no government help.
Rebuild mandating a HIGHER standard in order to withstand flooding.

I think the decision depends on the area.

What would you do?

I'm familiar with zoning and building codes for Florida but they vary by state and county. In our area, the panhandle of Florida, if your house, on the coast and in a flood plain is damaged in a storm, if the repairs are more than 25% of the assessed value of the house, it is condemned and then you either sell the lot or rebuild to the current building codes. One particular area I love has a mobile home park built on the land dredged from the canals. That made it higher than the surrounding marshes. Finally a big enough storm came through and now if the property is damaged that amount, you have to tear down the old and build with the house on piers 13' off the ground. Many other requirements.

I agree 100% that the government should NOT replace a house more than once and the cost of insurance should be born by the owner. That's not real popular with many of my colleagues. I've been a Realtor in this area for over 45 years.

 

[Rustic]

The government really dropped the ball on this one

The only thing that was dropped was your being dropped on your head too many times as a child.

The government/mainstream media fucked up all the way around on this one… I feel sorry for the disabled and elderly people that had to evacuate in the heat and humidity and wait all day waiting for shelter unnecessarily. And then there are those that evacuated to the wrong side of Florida… One big cluster fuck

When will you get this through that cement block you carry around where most people have a head?

Evacuations were to save peoples lives. Florida has one exit in case of a hurricane and that is north.

In the Miami area they did not need to evacuate, The ones that did not evacuate did just fine....

 

[mgh80]

The government really dropped the ball on this one

The only thing that was dropped was your being dropped on your head too many times as a child.

The government/mainstream media fucked up all the way around on this one… I feel sorry for the disabled and elderly people that had to evacuate in the heat and humidity and wait all day waiting for shelter unnecessarily. And then there are those that evacuated to the wrong side of Florida… One big cluster fuck

Nobody evacuated from one side of Florida to the other, and people certainly weren't told to do so.

 

[Rustic]

The government really dropped the ball on this one

The only thing that was dropped was your being dropped on your head too many times as a child.

The government/mainstream media fucked up all the way around on this one… I feel sorry for the disabled and elderly people that had to evacuate in the heat and humidity and wait all day waiting for shelter unnecessarily. And then there are those that evacuated to the wrong side of Florida… One big cluster fuck

Nobody evacuated from one side of Florida to the other, and people certainly weren't told to do so.

A lot people left Miami on Friday and went up to the Tampa bay area only to have to go back... silly mainstream media

 

[mgh80]

The government really dropped the ball on this one

The only thing that was dropped was your being dropped on your head too many times as a child.

The government/mainstream media fucked up all the way around on this one… I feel sorry for the disabled and elderly people that had to evacuate in the heat and humidity and wait all day waiting for shelter unnecessarily. And then there are those that evacuated to the wrong side of Florida… One big cluster fuck

Nobody evacuated from one side of Florida to the other, and people certainly weren't told to do so.

A lot people left Miami on Friday and went up to the Tampa bay area only to have to go back... silly mainstream media

I live in Tampa, there was no mass influx of people from South Florida. You think you know about Tampa with Irma from what you've seen on TV...I lived through it. Stop believing what you see/hear from the media blindly (and honestly I'm not even sure where you heard this-because it certainly wasn't from Scott).

PS: the people in Miami all took 95 north (and people here took 75 north)-Tampa geographically makes no sense for people from Miami to go to because A) the storm covered all of South and Central Florida and B) Miami to Jacksonville is almost as long as Miami to Tampa.

 

[JimH52]

Obviously you enjoy being a total fucking idiot Rustic. Next time we have a Cat 4 or higher storm coming ashore, I really believe that you should stand on the beach where the eye is going to pass through, and show us all what fools the media and government are. Yessiree Bob, that'll show 'em.

Except for Miami never did see the category 4 hurricane... they essentially had tropical storm conditions… That most anybody could ride out.

Yes, because the storm went up the west coast of the state. Why do you people just continually lie and lie? Rush Limpballs said it was a climate change hoax, but the fat ass got in his plane and left the area. So the little girl ran from a "hoax?"

Now you have started lying. Is this thread simply a competition to see who can post the biggest whopper?

You mean fat ass didn't tun like a little girl?

 

[eagle1462010]

Three-quarters of the world's mega-cities are by the sea.* By 2010, 80 per cent of people will live within 60 miles of the coast.* …by 2010 some 80 percent of people will live within 62 miles of the coast, with about 40 percent living within 37 miles of a coastline.*Oct 18, 2011

They are by the sea for many reasons...............TRADE..........shipping...........and etc.......You can't make these cities stop living near the ocean............Commerce, fishing happen there because they are by the ocean.

Storms destroy..........people rebuild..........live goes on......

 

[eagle1462010]

To those who are downplaying the event...............you are doing so in hindsite.............Not before the storm..............Which is BS...............

This storm could have done much more damage..........they are unpredictable........and the evacuations were CORRECT TO DO SO.

 

[Pogo]

To those who are downplaying the event...............you are doing so in hindsite.............Not before the storm..............Which is BS...............

This storm could have done much more damage..........they are unpredictable........and the evacuations were CORRECT TO DO SO.

--- except for the bored attention whores who can't find a thread low enough to suit their intellect and no clue how hurricanes work, so they need to troll with other people's lives just so they can have something to bitch about....

Irma for the US landing was a happy ending. Not so much for the Antilles but Florida dodged a bullet. Ain't nothing negative about that (even though it is Florida... ) and there's no way to twist it into one.

Some people, you can hand 'em a million bucks and they'll whine about the color of the money.