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Thread: The Flood in Texas

  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
    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.”

  4. #4
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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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    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

  6. #6
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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 CathyA's Avatar
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    Williamsmith..........I hope your son and his family are okay. It must be so very traumatic for them, and for you not being able to help. Let us know how he's doing.

  10. #10
    Williamsmith
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    CathyA....your spirit of caring is appreciated and I can tell genuine.

    My son, his wife and their dog were plucked from their home by volunteer rescuers who left the safety of their homes to save perfect strangers. They road in a boat to a grocery store where the National Guard has dump trucks staged. They rode in a dump truck to the nearest shelter. His wife's employer took them in until they can travel safely to be with the sister in law.

    When the water recedes and Harvey is satisfied with its destruction, they will go back, demolition the house and pray for resources enough to repair the bones of their home. I saw video of them being rescued. They looked like drowned rats but I could see that there was a spark in their eye that will be used to ignite a new chapter in their lives. They are newlyweds. The dog they have they rescued themselves. It will be difficult and I have pledged them all my resources which includes all my savings. Such a disaster.

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