Harvey flooding in Texas

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Hopefully the BITOG members in Texas are doing OK after the hurricane and tropical storm.

Looks like it will be similar to hurricane Katrina with all the terrible flooding and both flood-control reservoirs needing to release water.

NO POLITICS PLEASE !!!!
 
This is sizing up to be worse than anything before.
Flooding in Houston area has not peaked yet, several levees will be within one foot of the top and expected to crest Tuesday.
What a mess this will be.
 
I know we have a member here from Port Aransas who posted before the hurricane hit,I hope and pray he and his family are ok.
 
Widespread 36-50" inches of rain is hard to wrap one's head around. This is worse than Tropical Storm Allison because the much larger area receiving 30" inches plus of rainfall is much larger in this event than Allison. Areas will flood in this event that would likely only flood maybe once in a thousand years maybe more. There is no way for an area anywhere to prepare for an event of this scale.

If Raleigh NC got hit with 40-50" of rain it would be the same EXACT circumstance. People just don't think of major, massive freshwater flooding as an event to evacuate from. Wind blowing 120+ mph and storm surge of 10 ft plus will get people moving usually. Heavy, heavy rain will not get people to move or evacuate. When eastern North Carolina was hit by Hurricane Floyd in 1999 with it's 15-19" inches of rainfall people didn't evacuate there really either. Here in Virginia we saw the same amount of rainfall of 15-18" inches of rain. No one left here either. Water rescues were common place in both states. Places flooded that had NEVER flooded before. It was called a 500 yr flood by many here. So good, bad or indifferent people almost anywhere would behave and act in the same way in response to an extreme rainfall event. I wouldn't go anywhere either. But I am not in an area where I would be flooded out either. However, many people in areas where even it didn't flood during Hurricane Floyd would flood from 36 inches plus of rainfall. Even as much as I understand topography and how and where flooding would be expected in my area I still can hardly fathom what 36-50" inches of rain would flood.
 
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Houston mayor said to stay. Thought was that no way to get them out safely. Over 2 million in city proper. Other side of fence was they seen this storm coming two weeks ahead. PMd a member from Katy that's just west of Houston and is fine but lots of rain.
 
Originally Posted By: bioburner
Houston mayor said to stay. Thought was that no way to get them out safely. Over 2 million in city proper. Other side of fence was they seen this storm coming two weeks ahead. PMd a member from Katy that's just west of Houston and is fine but lots of rain.


Mayor probably thought lots of people would be in massive traffic jam when hurricane approached and people caught in high winds and rain ?
 
Huston Metro area (including surrounding cities and towns) is somewhere above 6 million people. Last time back around 2005ish when they had a hurricane they did an evacuation. Many people died even before the hurricane hit. Too many people and not enough of a transportation network to get people out safely in the time allotted.
 
Lots of cars will be written off, but I guess so many people will need more assistance with their homes versus the car that the waterlogged car will be pressed back into service when it dries out.
 
My sister lives in Houston and is dry, but cannot get anywhere as every bayou around her is flooded. She went on a bike ride around the neighborhood and took some pretty dramatic pictures.

One interesting thing about Houston is that many of the freeways are flood zones by design, especially nearer to downtown. There's some dramatic flooded freeway pics, but that happens whenever they get a big rain event.

As for us here in Austin the weather station that's nearest to me got about 10" of rain so far but we've been bone dry all summer so the creeks near my house that normally flood have not flooded. A couple in the Austin metro are experiencing minor flooding, but that's it. The Texas version of the Colorado River is flooding dramatically downstream from Austin though, forecasted all time high at LaGrange, TX.
 
It's tough to imagine 30 inches of rain in a few days. Thoughts and prayers to everyone there. I hope that our Texas Bitog members and Houston Pennzoil Labs friends are safe and well.
 
Yeapers, looks like my niece and her husband and children, my sis and bro n law will be heading out to my house, high in the hill country
The slow flooding looks like it will be at their homes Wednesday.
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It's tough. My friend that moved to Htown has had to remain at his Place of employment for more than 3 days now. He can't leave. It's physically imposible.
 
Yes - they wanted to leave things clear for people in danger of the storms powerful winds and storm surge that does not reach Houston. Its the sum of folks from Corpus Christi and dozens of cities along the coast - even Galveston folks could need the roadways and a place to stay ... will be tough on many - there has been a great number of "good old boys" with toys helping the officials ...
I'm WSW of Houston and the back edge is passing again - but we had a calm long enough for our main creek to clear some water - looks like the trees will get a second "haircut & shave" - but nothing major ...
So have to toss in an oil & gasoline story. I had 3 generators - 2 wound up with fuel hose leaks - and the pull starter belly up on a 3rd. Thought I'd roll the dice on a box store - and when I walked in they had 6000/7500 units on carts - asked the guy where they were. He said we had a truck full - these 3 left. They had a bottle of oil and a gas can on top of box - didn't really need but what the heck.
When setting up at home - noticed it's a 389cc Chonda - but this mom & pop oil was 20 oz. I filled with M1 10w30 and of course it took a quart. Well while I'm cleaning up boxes/packing out pops a quart of Joe's SAE30 ... wonder how many are running with 20 ounces ?
smirk.gif
 
Originally Posted By: BobsArmory
Huston Metro area (including surrounding cities and towns) is somewhere above 6 million people. Last time back around 2005ish when they had a hurricane they did an evacuation. Many people died even before the hurricane hit. Too many people and not enough of a transportation network to get people out safely in the time allotted.


So with the knowledge that this area gets hit with a major storm every dozen years plan for better evacuations or less population?
Also the talk that to much farm land had been converted to parking lots that just shed water that compound the flooding issue but anything over 5-6 inches is going to cause issues
 
Originally Posted By: 4WD
and of course it took a quart. .. ... wonder how many are running with 20 ounces ?
smirk.gif



The low-oil shutdown function on these is pretty good.
20 oz likely won't even get it started, though.

All the folks I know are fine - - just trapped in their neighborhoods.
 
My heart goes out to these folks and their animals.
I had a customer in Houston order from me on Friday. I don't think he had a clue from the way he talked.
I have been in the same situation and I walked into my basement looking for water the last few days. It didn't even rain here either. That is one serious storm. I hope for the best.
 
So far so good , we're high and dry.
But many highways and roads are impassable.
A few of my coworkers are land locked.
They're releasing water from Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston and are currently evacuating areas that they anticipate to take on more water due to the release.
 
Originally Posted By: Brons2
My sister lives in Houston and is dry, but cannot get anywhere as every bayou around her is flooded. She went on a bike ride around the neighborhood and took some pretty dramatic pictures.

One interesting thing about Houston is that many of the freeways are flood zones by design, especially nearer to downtown. There's some dramatic flooded freeway pics, but that happens whenever they get a big rain event.

As for us here in Austin the weather station that's nearest to me got about 10" of rain so far but we've been bone dry all summer so the creeks near my house that normally flood have not flooded. A couple in the Austin metro are experiencing minor flooding, but that's it. The Texas version of the Colorado River is flooding dramatically downstream from Austin though, forecasted all time high at LaGrange, TX.


Hi from Round Rock. Just a bit moist up here.
 
My daughter and her family got out of Houston Thursday ahead of Harvey.
Her house is flooded with several feet of water inside.
They have cameras so they can check but today they quit working so maybe the power is off.
She has lived there for 2yrs and has been flooded 3 times.
Houston has a terrible drainage system .
Concrete everywhere.
And today they are opening 2 dams to let excess water out and this will go into Houston.
 
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