Houston Flood

The problem was there wasn't much more of a lead on this storm. It didn't become a thing until mid-week, and even then for Houston all that was expected was feeder band rain that was somewhat less than what was ultimately delivered. This storm really blew up at the last possible minutes.

― to fly across the city and find Aerosmith's car (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, August 27, 2017 3:54 PM (four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this does not at all square with a lot of predictions i was seeing

also mid week is many days ago

i mean how long do you need 24 hours 48 hours do they have a plan even

people just going along with this helpless schtick from a government that has done everything it can to make flooding more dangerous seems pretty dumb

their argument will be that nothing couldve been done and people seem pretty primed to accept that

I think the right question is what is the president going to do to keep the hurricane safe from Texas. Texas don’t play. https://t.co/uNuFmk4xaE

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) August 25, 2017

hell yes erick² texas don't need no gubmint

ive brandished my sidearm at the storm everything is taken care of

Erick E. is safe in Georgia. I think he may be misjudging the mood among east Texans.

ive brandished my sidearm at the storm everything is taken care of

― lag∞n, Sunday, August 27, 2017 3:55 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

http://i.imgur.com/0ZmSoFC.png

"come into my backyard..."

it's already horrifying and unbelievable and i can't believe it's going to continue raining torrentially for another 4-5 days. those photos of highways turned into rivers and lakes look like The Day After Tomorrow. so many people are going to die, even more are going to lose their homes & all material possessions, and the city will be completely devastated. i remember the clusterfuck of the Rita evacuation & it seems like a damned if you do/damned if you don't situation - it really is picking one disaster over another.

its a good thing this isnt releasing for a month and a half or so

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostorm

wow i'd never heard of that movie until now, comes out in less than 2 months & i think this storm is going to leave Houston and a lot of Texas fucked up for a long time so I wouldn't be surprised if it gets pulled like a lot of movies did in the fall/winter of 2001 (also lol looks like it's already been delayed for nearly 2 years).

really hoping the roof rescues are able to get a significant number of people out (something like 1,200 already?). fear that they're going to be too overwhelmed.

NBC news just showed people setting up tents on roofs in Dickinson with National Guard copters flying above.

Might need to evacuate some of those Houston folks to New Orleans.

i remember the clusterfuck of the Rita evacuation & it seems like a damned if you do/damned if you don't situation - it really is picking one disaster over another.

― flappy bird, Sunday, August 27, 2017 6:01 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the great sigh of limited government

maybe after this is all settled down we can have a week where we just talk about infrastructure

Bush during Rita:

[Removed Illegal Image]

My friend's aunt just got rescued by relatives who inflated a raft to get across the entrance to her house

really gonna put a damper on Astros playoff run

(sorry, gallows humor)

A couple of reservoir are getting released slowly tomorrow...Mandatory evacuations and estimed two months of water going into neighboring homes.

http://m.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Harvey-flooding-forces-release-from-Addicks-and-12035928.php?cmpid=fb-desktop

VITAL LINE OF DEFENSE: Addicks and Barker were built to protect the heart of the city by controlling the flow of water along Buffalo Bayou. Things haven't gone as planned. What's at stake is the safety of the nation's fourth-largest city. If the dams failed, half of Houston would be underwater. Under the worst scenario at Addicks, property damages could reach $22.7 billion and 6,928 people could die.

Trash pandas know the drill:

https://i.redditmedia.com/JY_h8axeL_Tndw4VJjodd59saUsX0m-Q1ddBvQOtpgE.jpg

https://i.redd.it/e1ju7ioylciz.jpg

The Barker Dam used to be right outside the city limits on the west side, we went there to buy fireworks from the stands on Highway 6 and set them off on top of the dam. Need to talk to my dad and see if he'll need to evacuate before they release water from it and the bayou floods. Was expecting it with this kind of rainfall.

The dams seem safe. The Corps of Engineers has done a lot in the past decade to stabilize the levees and culverts.

The problem is well downstream. The Addicks and Barker Dams did their job in delaying watershed rainfall from flowing downstream, but they're nearly full. Addicks water levels, Barker water levels. They must release tonight to ensure they have some reserve capacity for projected rainfall. This means an increment to tonight's rainfall driven flooding downstream, but its more a matter of elevation than proximity to the dams.

On those links: seems Harris County Flood Control District's website has gone down, for the moment at least.

if yall havent donated yet:

http://www.portlight.org/home.html

Portlight works with people with disabilities and the elderly during disasters

Off shift to camp at office but as you see the fire hose is back on. Easily 2-4" an hour rain rates setting up. Stay put stay safe Houston. pic.twitter.com/CZMCUi74xC

— Scott Overpeck (@scottao11) August 28, 2017

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/326112492608815105/351548878593589258/unknown.png

This is what concerns me... my father's house is in that dark orange area just south of Buffalo Bayou.

Big bunch of dry air is eating up some of the feeders heading up into Houston.

Had no idea until reading this that Houston freeways are designed to flood and become temporary rivers during heavy rains, to save homes.

A Houston floodsplainer:
(caveat, I'm not a pro, just someone interested in how my city works. If a real pro finds an error, please LMK)

— Matt Corbett (@CorbettMatt) August 28, 2017

Would make late evacuations more difficult.

Loads of suburban evac orders (both mandatory and voluntary) coming down today.

The Corps of Engineers has done a lot in the past decade to stabilize the levees and culverts.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/27/hurricane-harvey-katrina-lessons-louisiana-215543

The Army Corps has a study of the problem underway, including a controversial proposal to build a 55-mile-long “coastal spine” of dune barriers and gates at the mouth of the Houston shipping channel. The soonest construction could possibly begin, according to the Corps: 2024

2015 article -- http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/the-problems-with-100-year-floods/

Since 2001, the region has been working fitfully on large-scale flood control projects, but those are now running seven years behind schedule

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/08/houston-needs-you-social-media-rains-scorn-on-joel-osteen-for-closing-megachurch-after-hurricane/#.WaREAIKY8Io.facebook

Joel Olsteen and his ilk preaching "prosperity gospel" are one of the reasons evangelicals supported Trump. "If you're rich, you must be virtuous". Though I'm undecided whether he or his congregation deserves more contempt.

well he does obv. might be a smart conman but he's still taking advantage of vulnerable/stupid people

Meantime, Joel Osteen has been hammered for the past two days for not opening his megachurch as a shelter. So of course he posts this instead.

Our hearts break as we see the damage and destruction in our city. Please join us in helping Houston recover. Visit https://t.co/jXMX5VB3qS pic.twitter.com/00HtzOmeQL

— Joel Osteen (@JoelOsteen) August 28, 2017

Crisp colors!

Joel's Ark

My friend and his wife who live in the Heights still have power (and will likely not lose it at this point unless the power station floods) and the rains are blinding but not terrible -- no major flooding. I'm amazied. Maybe Osteen's prayers are working!

one of my residents is from houston and says her family (who live "in the suburbs") is doing fine

have a handful of co-workers and friends there, so far all accounted for. one of them took live video of water from a creek that was located nowhere near them and made it into their neighborhood (fortunately their home is very high up).

interestingly the FB "mark as safe" app also allows you now to either offer help or request help, so you have people offering to take their boats out and find people and people asking to be rescued out there.

Useful thread

Houston prosperity gospel preacher Joel Osteen is under fire today for staying closed during Hurricane Harvey. https://t.co/ohuPLPiyEE

— Ruth Graham (@publicroad) August 28, 2017

fuck that guy for desecrating a venue the Cure played at once by turning it into a church

pretty impressive the efforts he's made, by basically doing the same thing as a kid putting a donate button on FB.

Added context; Beryl entered the Gulf late last week and was initially forecast to head into northern Mexico (this after buzzsawing across the Yucatan peninsula), then that changed to the border at Brownsville and the Rio Grande, then further up the coast to Corpus Christi, and then finally on Saturday (we thought) to Matagorda Bay. It came in Sunday night <EAST> of Matagorda.

Houston went from being told it wouldn't affect us, to we'll get the edge of the 'Dirty Side,' to actually getting all of the 'Dirty Side' in the space of about four days.

Oof: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/art_exhibits/article/rothko-chapel-hurricane-beryl-damage-19654306.php

The Rothko Chapel is closed indefinitely after damage to its building and artist Mark Rothko’s contemplative works.

“Some paintings had water damage to them,” executive director David Leslie told the Chronicle on Tuesday. “Whitten & Proctor (Fine Art Conservation) are working with us and heading up the conservation analysis and assessment. We’re building the team and a remediation plan for the conservation treatment of the paintings.”

The breadth of the damage, and estimated cost of repairs, are not yet known. Rothko paintings have sold for $82-88 million in the recent past.

...

Remnants from fallen trees still litter Sul Ross Street, where the Rothko Chapel is located. Roofers are working to repair the three gaping holes in the administrative office bungalow.

“We had a big, old oak tree that was between the office and chapel. It split, and the part that split poked through our roof,” Leslie said. “We had water coming in, though none of the technology systems, computers or servers were damaged. And everyone was home hunkering down, thankfully.”

Workers are conducting a forensic analysis of the bungalows and chapel, Leslie said. Both structures sustained water leaks as a result of the storm.

;_;