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  1. #1
    Senior Member CathyA's Avatar
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    The Flood in Texas

    I feel bad for all those people whose lives are totally disrupted by this flooding.

    But I've been hearing on the news that a lot of the problem is that there has been so much building in Houston, and so much concrete covering the earth, and so much of the wetlands destroyed, that the water has no place to go.
    I heard that they have 150,000 new people there every year. Is that possible?

    At what point do people say "We just can't take anymore/build anymore, because it's counterproductive to our existence?

    This area floods on a regular basis because of it's low sea level, poor drainage, etc.
    How many times will people continue to rebuild in coastal areas when weather seems to be getting regularly worse?

    How long will insurance companies keep allowing people to have insurance who live on coastal areas?

    When will people put 2+2 together and get 4?

    More floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, fires.........When will people even begin to consider that it might just be related to how mankind lives?

  2. #2
    Williamsmith
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    Quote Originally Posted by CathyA View Post
    I feel bad for all those people whose lives are totally disrupted by this flooding.

    But I've been hearing on the news that a lot of the problem is that there has been so much building in Houston, and so much concrete covering the earth, and so much of the wetlands destroyed, that the water has no place to go.
    I heard that they have 150,000 new people there every year. Is that possible?

    At what point do people say "We just can't take anymore/build anymore, because it's counterproductive to our existence?

    This area floods on a regular basis because of it's low sea level, poor drainage, etc.
    How many times will people continue to rebuild in coastal areas when weather seems to be getting regularly worse?

    How long will insurance companies keep allowing people to have insurance who live on coastal areas?

    When will people put 2+2 together and get 4?

    More floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, fires.........When will people even begin to consider that it might just be related to how mankind lives?

    My son is currently sitting in his second floor bedroom with his wife, dog and neighbors. He is in Richmond, Tx and has two feet of water on the first floor of his house. His cars are under water, his electricity is out, no bathroom facilities, two cases of bottled water and whatever food they could scavenge and take upstairs. He moved into his house two months ago and he will likely be financially ruined because he was not required to get flood insurance. The reason he is there is because Houston and Texas in general is one of few locations in the US for a young man to get a good paying job with a future. If I had a way to get him out of there, I would. But I don't. Regretfully, I feel quite helpless.

  3. #3
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    I heard that they have 150,000 new people there every year. Is that possible?
    well Texas as a whole is the number one state Californians leave to when they leave and they are leaving (though it is not where I would go if I left, it would be very far down my list of states), but that has to have some impact.

    At what point do people say "We just can't take anymore/build anymore, because it's counterproductive to our existence?
    NOT building can be every bit as counterproductive it seems though. Not building enough housing to accommodate people when you have population growth is how you have really expensive housing eventually and that is a large part of why people are leaving California to Texas! There are jobs both places, but affordable housing not so much.

    Now this doesn't mean building on wild areas makes sense, the solution is probably density but done in a livable way (we all know it can be done in a non-livable way, but why focus on what doesn't work). I believe livable density is DOABLE. That's assuming we aren't just going to write off the whole city of Houston as being a hopeless place for people to live in it's entirety of course, and really that's probably not practical as people do live there. But try selling density to people moving to Texas for the McMansion dream, or at least a fairly big size house on some acreage, that they should instead be living in duplexes or small houses with small shared greenspace or for some condos maybe ... I wouldn't say packed like sardines into 10 story buildings, I'm not that extreme. But maybe the single family home dream on a large lot doesn't work too well either, at least in places with population growth and resources constraints.

    How long will insurance companies keep allowing people to have insurance who live on coastal areas?
    that's a problem for insurance companies or maybe the government, but for individuals not having insurance is far worse, and I've heard it's common there. It is economic devastation, people will owe mortgages on houses that aren't even livable in, in some cases. The cars that are flooded will often be ruined.
    Trees don't grow on money

  4. #4
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    WS, that has to be one of the most painful experience to feel helpless when one of your children is struggling. I am so sorry for all the families who are going through this. Been there, done that, so send heartfelt thoughts of support to all.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

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    Having spent much of my past on the Texas coast, I can attest to the crazy development of the area over the years. Not smart. The flatness is immense and much less powerful storms can still cause a lot of damage. When I was 16, I drove to visit my father who lived south of Houston and I got caught in a memorable storm where the water covered the highway and most of my car; I had to be rescued along with my dog and my car was totaled. We had considered retiring to Rockport or Galveston but decided against because of those kind of risks plus the insurance costs to cover a house there are very high. It floors me to think our new home is 6000ft above sea level and Houston is something like 80. I also wonder how Florence who posts here occasionally is faring?

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    that is a large part of why people are leaving California to Texas!
    Yep. And the affordable housing that is disappearing because of it is our reason for leaving.

  7. #7
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Rockport is charming, or was charming when I was there in 2000. My mother spent a few winters there. My brother goes there often to vacation and to stay with feiends, my cousin has a place there. I think it porbably has been built up a lot since I was there and the down home casualness may have disappeared.

  8. #8
    Yppej
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    Flood insurance is a Federal government program. You and I subsidize it with our taxes. There's no way a private insurance company would take the risk.

  9. #9
    Senior Member flowerseverywhere's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yppej View Post
    Flood insurance is a Federal government program. You and I subsidize it with our taxes. There's no way a private insurance company would take the risk.
    i have flood insurance. We live in Florida 60 feet above sea level. There is an extensive system of ponds and pumps to keep this area flood free. But we all know drains can get clogged with debris, pumps can fail. This morning I was talking to a group of my neighbors. Not one has flood insurance because it is not required. I gladly pay $450 a year extra for peace of mind. In almost 40 years of home ownership we have never had a claim. But like health insurance I am more than happy to put in my share so if something happens I will get help.
    The crazy thing is every single one of them could afford to pay it, as they frequently eat out, most drink alcohol. We are not struggling young people.

    One of of my friends was a weatherman. He said there was a similar disasterous flood in the thirties right in this area. Of course since then there has been a ton of building of course making the situation impossible. But there is no way even the best planned and built community is going to escape damage when 30-50 inches of rain comes down.

    Of interest will will be what happens when congress and the senate start to grapple with the huge assistance Texas will need in the midst of budget negotiations. I imagine things will get quite messy. But how can we not help people who did everything right, moved to get work, paid taxes and followed all advice and lost everything.

  10. #10
    Senior Member dmc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yppej View Post
    Flood insurance is a Federal government program. You and I subsidize it with our taxes. There's no way a private insurance company would take the risk.
    They will only insure up to $250,000. Above that you would have to insure from a private company.

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