Houston did well, considering, and the problem wasn't zoning, racism, or any other kind of balderdash.
3 comments:
Gringo
said...
Considering that some places got 50 inches of rain, I would agree "not so bad." • An estimated 30,000 people have been forced from their homes. This is approximately 0.5% of the population of the Houston region. In other words, 99.5% of people in the Houston region have been able to stay in their homes. Unfortunate, but not catastrophic.
• The Trump Administration has estimated that 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. While it is unclear how that estimate was obtained – if 30,000 people were forced from their home, then probably 70-90% of those homes did not sustain enough damage to force an evacuation – the Houston region has more than 1.6 million housing units, so about 6% of homes sustained damage of some kind. Lamentable, but not catastrophic.
I wonder if some of those houses in the floodplain will not be rebuilt, or if rebuilt, will be on stilts.
I knew the critiques of the drainage systems and paving over grasslands was mostly bunk, when the rains slowed and reporters were showing where the water levels dropped several feet in half a day. Those bayous apparently drain water away very well.
And if we have family, friends, or neighbors who can help, reaching out for government support is actually taking resources away from those who need them more.
3 comments:
Considering that some places got 50 inches of rain, I would agree "not so bad."
• An estimated 30,000 people have been forced from their homes. This is approximately 0.5% of the population of the Houston region. In other words, 99.5% of people in the Houston region have been able to stay in their homes. Unfortunate, but not catastrophic.
• The Trump Administration has estimated that 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. While it is unclear how that estimate was obtained – if 30,000 people were forced from their home, then probably 70-90% of those homes did not sustain enough damage to force an evacuation – the Houston region has more than 1.6 million housing units, so about 6% of homes sustained damage of some kind. Lamentable, but not catastrophic.
I wonder if some of those houses in the floodplain will not be rebuilt, or if rebuilt, will be on stilts.
Houston gets flooded about every 10 years.
I knew the critiques of the drainage systems and paving over grasslands was mostly bunk, when the rains slowed and reporters were showing where the water levels dropped several feet in half a day. Those bayous apparently drain water away very well.
Great piece.
I like the way the author puts this:
And if we have family, friends, or neighbors who can help, reaching out for government support is actually taking resources away from those who need them more.
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