Houston Flood

have reports of people getting into attic to escape floodwater do not do so unless you have an ax or means to break through onto your roof

— Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) August 27, 2017

This could reach Katrina proportions.

Just looking at some webcams

http://www.houstontranstar.org/snapshots/cctv/651.jpg?arg=1503836991650

ah, sorry didn't mean to post a live image thought it was a still jpg

friend mentioned her mother in Houston has 5 inches of water in her house

Our CBS affiliate has flooded, and is currently broadcasting from their second floor.

My last look at the KHOU Channel 11 lobby before it was flooded by Harvey. #khou11 pic.twitter.com/08lDHaKrEA

— The Bishop (@BillBishopKHOU) August 27, 2017

4 days from now, Harvey is forecast to be in the same spot that it is right now with Houston in the crosshairs for extreme rainfall each day pic.twitter.com/lceBcIGgfP

— Taylor Trogdon (@TTrogdon) August 27, 2017

I don't think this will be as bad in terms of loss of life as Katrina, it's not happening nearly as quickly. There is time to call for help and escape rising water. Going to ruin a lot of people's lives though.

Looking at pics on Facebook is shocking. You see Houston's freeways underwater all the time, but I'm seeing lakes instead of places I know really well.

goes to prove not to just focus on the winds. storms that remain stationary are extremely destructive.

Groups on the ground doing street-level work:

We are working on providing aid to those affected by #Harvey.

If you wish to donate, please go to https://t.co/CMsOmSz78F

Please retweet! pic.twitter.com/T2fxfHCIok

— Houston DSA (@HoustonDSA) August 27, 2017

Texans told to write their names on their arms so bodies can be identified

Also, the prospect from Europe:

http://i.imgur.com/Sl1UocI.gifv

Looks like the 500 year floodplain (Chinatown West, Sharpstown, Bellaire, West U., Fifth Ward, and Clear Lake/LBJ Space Center) are all well and truly fucked.

The prospect from Europe, redux:

http://i.imgur.com/Sl1UocI.gif

How much agreement for that track from other models?

"The floodwaters themselves are a hideous, toxic brew, with reports of alligators and swarming fire ants in the water."

https://scontent.fbed1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/21150426_1723618457943696_5597052710109165633_n.jpg?oh=cc0ca812f515a40333dbbeadf09784e3&oe=5A1B3CE6

https://scontent.fbed1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/21150233_1723588154613393_2901439905083666067_n.jpg?oh=6f3d1293119cf884d0b026111dfa574c&oe=5A17309B

Good thread listing a slew of local/state organizations able to help on the ground.

Houston is a sprawling, underestimated, bewilderingly huge city with a lot of really vulnerable populations & a scrappy, wonderful heart

— Jia Tolentino (@jiatolentino) August 27, 2017

“Floodwaters will not drown fire ants. Instead, their colonies emerge from the soil, form a loose ball, float, and flow with the water until they reach a dry area or object they can crawl up on,” explains Paul R. Nester, a specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. “Floating fire ant colonies can look like ribbons, streamers, mats, rafts, or an actual “ball” of ants floating on the water.”

If you have to get in flood waters, make sure you’re dressed for it: cuffed gloves, rubber boots, any protective rain gear that will prevent ants from getting on your skin. “If you are in a row boat, do not touch the ants with the oars since they can ‘climb aboard’ via the oars,” warns Nester.

omg!

Also, please don't pet the water moccasins

http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/128/590x/secondary/Water-Moccasin-297998.jpg

this propublica piece from last year explaining the politics and geography of houstons flood situation is great essential journalism https://projects.propublica.org/houston-cypress/

great web design too

That NWS statement is terrifying, they're traditionally conservative with language, taking pains to avoid hyperbole.

We don't have any safe routes to tell you. Our crews aren't able to get around either. Officials ask that you not leave your home. https://t.co/xMmVw89nJo

— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) August 27, 2017

the governor who has no authority to issue official evacuations advising people to evacuate while the local politicians who are in charge of evacuations told people to stay in place is going to in retrospect look extremely fucked

they had time to do orderly evacuations too this was predicted days out

this is a highway i guess

My friend and neighbor, Raul Ramos, sent me this stunning pic: This is I-45 near downtown Houston pic.twitter.com/KSvUgMO5PG

— Manny Fernandez (@mannyNYT) August 27, 2017

Remember that during Hurricane Rita in 2005 they did a mass evacuation from Houston and it was a total clusterfuck. A lot of people remember that and would have refused to evacuate anyway, preferring (as is the natural tendency anyway) to shelter in place.

Some Houstonians are prepared for the long haul. Consider this evacuee with his bag of food.

https://i.imgur.com/hs0c6ct.jpg

Used to travel this road to get to the Ft. Bend library.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DIP4NBnVoAAp_qX.jpg

Friend some of us talked into evacuating up here would have been sheltering in his first floor apartment. Not sure of the area but it sounds like there aren't many places I'd have expected that to be safe.

Remember that during Hurricane Rita in 2005 they did a mass evacuation from Houston and it was a total clusterfuck. A lot of people remember that and would have refused to evacuate anyway, preferring (as is the natural tendency anyway) to shelter in place.

― erry red flag (f. hazel), Sunday, August 27, 2017 2:32 PM (fourteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah ppl are saying that factored into the decision, but the reason that was so fucked in the first place was they made the call only hours ahead of the storm, seems like the government took the wrong lesson

If people had attempted evacuation, they'd have the same problems running out of gasoline in the traffic jam on I-45

Honestly, if you have access to a canoe & friendly neighbors on higher land, sheltering in place can make sense. My sister probably saved mementos and thousands in property during Katrina by working through the night moving photos/clothing/electronics/books/tools to her attic. She slept out on my father's deck a few blocks away. Power was out for a month, and heat indoors was unbearable. I joined her two weeks later to help gut her house and rebuild.

Its safer than driving around through floods, as the families of 8 Houstonians can attest to from last year. You don't want to be this person (NSFL?).

god thats fucking stupid

like maybe consider a plan for evacuation that has a longer timeline than telling people to flee hours ahead of the storm

getting caught in a flood is the best option is seriously perfectly where were at as a country

extreme internalized incompetence and nihilism

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/galvnews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/0a/d0a26bdc-ec0b-50ff-af7e-a06aa603b48a/59a2fe27b730c.image.jpg

15 rescued from Dickinson nursing home

How the hell did they allow the water to get that high?!

And still have them sitting there I mean

that is heartbreaking.

I have friends in The Heights/Timbergrove who report no problems -- yet.

Nursing homes were the worst situations in Katrina, as well. 32 drowned in place at St. Rita's, 22 died at Lafon. On the other hand, 24 nursing home residents burned to death evacuating from Rita. It's rough being old in a society that cherishes the nuclear family above all.

You'd think a place called The Heights would avoid flooding. I guess if it goes under, all Houston would, too.

Surreal, but a lot of boats in action:

Astounding video shows numerous boats maneuvering around stranded vehicles on flooded street in Dickinson, Texas. https://t.co/YGP3fEVW8t pic.twitter.com/LHM5SbVftF

— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) August 27, 2017

like maybe consider a plan for evacuation that has a longer timeline than telling people to flee hours ahead of the storm

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.

The Heights actually are higher in elevation than downtown Houston, just... not by much.

As for evacuation, I don't trust my opinions on whether that should have been done or not. The Houston metro area has about six million residents... an evacuation order there is a kind of man-made disaster that will also cause a lot of death and destruction. It's not a matter of "evacuate everyone just to be safe". Officials are choosing between two different kinds of disasters, one of which is an unpredictable storm. Back on Wednesday, when an evacuation order would have been effective, Harvey just didn't look like it looks now. It wasn't even a tropical storm at that point.

NY Times photographer making sure to stay aspirational:

The scene right now in Houston's Galleria neighborhood. #Harvey pic.twitter.com/gxQLL1DP6B

— julieturkewitz (@julieturkewitz) August 27, 2017

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.

Pretty sure it's a felony to do this. https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000065869770/8d057a47e79bbbf3d75a57281c8b597d_normal.jpeg

Residents in Baytown stand on mailboxes above the high water as they look at their flooded street in https://t.co/fHHloUJGVr pic.twitter.com/MyhStimkVu

— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) August 28, 2017

Only Osteen defenders I'm seeing on FB are also staunch Red Hatters who clutch pearls at the most minimal criticism of Comrade Combover.

dang I thought mailbox guy was a log rolling world champion

let me guess "he has the right to use his property as he sees fit, I don't see any of YOU offering up YOUR homes, besides it might be unsafe soon", etc etc?

xpost

New bad news in the form of a levee way up on the north side that is highly likely to have pump failure so the neighborhood near it is having a forced evacuation right now. Like 'Get up and go now or DIE.'

Christ

do you know which levee and where it is in proximity to Spring, TX? friend there said she hadn't been evacuated yet but the neighborhood next to hers had....

Cool story, Bill

Visited Houston first time on on most recent tour. Remembering local people at the signing, how postmodern/terraformed the city felt to me

— William Gibson (@GreatDismal) August 29, 2017

let me guess "he has the right to use his property as he sees fit, I don't see any of YOU offering up YOUR homes, besides it might be unsafe soon", etc etc?

Pretty much. Also: "You demand too much of people!" and "He doesn't need the responsibility of looking after 16,000 people" (like they don't do that several fucking times a week).

I really think his general silence is due to him and his family probably ducking out to Aspen or somewhere last week.

do you know which levee and where it is in proximity to Spring, TX? friend there said she hadn't been evacuated yet but the neighborhood next to hers had....

I think you could call it Spring. It's situated north of FM 1960 between I-45 & Hardy Toll Road. Inverness Forest is the name.

fuuuuuuuck

This is all so awful and still getting worse that it's so hard to keep up with. Is there at least an indication the people in charge are doing the best they can right now, given the circumstances?

In the meantime, check out this horror:

Pro tip: Don't touch the floating fire ant colonies. They will ruin your day. #Harvey pic.twitter.com/uwJd0rA7qB

— Mike Hixenbaugh (@Mike_Hixenbaugh) August 27, 2017

Saw it in this epic litany of animals seeking shelter:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/08/28/harvey-is-also-displacing-snakes-fire-ants-and-gators/?tid=sm_tw&utm_term=.2371becae282

Which includes not just alligators but this keeper:

https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/21150440_10156125601700348_1624938518966458004_n.jpg?oh=fc88a9ddca993d6eb4f00a9af34b5246&oe=5A23BFFF

This is all so awful and still getting worse that it's so hard to keep up with. Is there at least an indication the people in charge are doing the best they can right now, given the circumstances?

I could go on and on, but basically given how unprecedented a disaster this has been, things have been handled as well as possible.

that is very good to hear.

they had time to do orderly evacuations too this was predicted days out

― lag∞n, Sunday, August 27, 2017 2:24 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

btw, this is insane. The storm had dissipated on 8/23 and advisories had stopped, until it re-strengthened that day, and the initial rain forecasts were "10 to 15 inches with isolated maximums of 20 inches over the middle and upper Texas coast and southwest Louisiana", which has been far exceeded thus far. by the time the storm took a turn and the rain forecasts ramped up, it was literally a few days before the storm.

after Rita I can't blame them for not wanting to put people at risk of dying on the road.

It breaks my heart that it took something of this magnitude to wipe Trump off the front pages for once.

scary part is the horrors that will be found when the water levels begin to recede....

@milo z, thanks for reminding me of this awful Onion story - what the fuck is this shit? seeing lots of these snarky comments, attempts at pithy hits at globalization/capitalism/industrialization...... while the event is still in progress. it's just disgusting, why would your mind ever go there?

Houston Residents Begin Surveying Damage Of 200 Years Of Unchecked Worldwide Industrialization https://t.co/4v1QOvap1j pic.twitter.com/m8wKcgrjBb

— The Onion (@TheOnion) August 28, 2017

re: evacuation, Houston traffic in the best of times is a complete shitshow. Before things got bad, friend who evacuated took two hours to get out of downtown before he could make any progress north.

By before they got bad, I mean Thursday afternoon

I want to say it's too early for thinkpieces, but this article outlines a lot about what to be afraid of down here thanks to the current administration

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a57229/harvey-houston-trump/

http://babylonbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/osteen-flying-696x430.png

Ann Coulter Harvey Tweet

Can I call her a Cunt? Calling her a Cunt seems like the only appropriate and achievable action at this time.

When congress OKs money for Texas, they should cut all funding to Ted Cruz, calling him full of pork.

being full of pork just means he's passed the True American test

Well, he does look like he sweats lard.

Reminder that despite his favorable performance since the past couple days, Abbott is still a dumpster person

http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/28/news/texas-insurance-bill/index.html

In other news, three more major shelters are openng later today and tomorrow (one at Lakewood), the Addicks reservoir will possibly have uncontrolled water release into mid-September, and a bridge is about to collapse in Channelview.

And Mayor Turner just went off on a reporter who asked about not ordering evacuations last week.

Addicks flows over spillway, officials anticipate uncontrolled release at Barker. No more protection from further precipitation from those watersheds.

at this point, what is it helping to keep asking him about it

Seriously. Blame the lack of prep and logistics, but don't fault anyone for not choosing this route two days before a hurricane arrives:

http://i.imgur.com/lZSPfo5.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/DHW9Olq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/J3yYLtY.jpg

Trump's in Corpus, letting other people talk.

It sickens me that he's eventually gonna try to take credit for all of this.

If he continues to STFU and let the adults handle this, I'll give him all the credit he deserves.

Fuck this dude to death, hope he's beaten by an angry, hungry mob.

#Breaking We're witnessing looting right now at a large supermarket in the NE part of Houston & police have just discovered a body nearby

— Tom Llamas (@TomLlamasABC) August 29, 2017

We informed police of the looting and Coast Guard is flying overhead. Multiple officers now on the scene. pic.twitter.com/OsVVNF1M06

— Tom Llamas (@TomLlamasABC) August 29, 2017

Eventually, some intrepid reporter will ask Trump about his administrations proposed $667 million cut in FEMA's budget, and $847 million cut to state and local FEMA-administered grants, and the facade will fall off.

wtf xp

At his first briefing in Texas, Trump thanks FEMA Director William Brock Long and says he’s come “very famous on television” due to Harvey. pic.twitter.com/TFyD580JPY

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) August 29, 2017

Need I remind everyone (post-Katrina):

https://i2.wp.com/img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_970_noupscale/55d67f3414000077002e38df.png

public statements very much in character xp

This guy.

Let me clear this up–we were w/police who had discovered a dead body & mentioned we saw ppl w/faces covered going into a supermarket nearby pic.twitter.com/bfM5WCCO1e

— Tom Llamas (@TomLlamasABC) August 29, 2017

Do you feel like a hero, snitch?

— Nicole Russell (@nicolerussell91) August 29, 2017

i can't believe that shit. his explanation makes no sense, either. and yeah did he learn nothing from the way Katrina was covered?

seriously

Llamas went to our private Catholic high school rivals.

I hope HPD and the Coast Guard are only rushing to the "looters" to rescue them or at least help them carry their groceries.

Jesus Christ

Just unbelievable.

ON THE TOP: Downtown Houston yesterday.

ON THE BOTTOM: Downtown Houston today. pic.twitter.com/FjGstrZXEy

— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) August 27, 2017

Listening to the radio just now, this is the among the most heartbreaking moments of any natural disaster, when shock gives way to exhaustion and people are just struggling to keep it together, the reality of their situation finally settling in and much as it can. What are the best charities to donate to right now? My wife said diapers are still a pressing need.

Hey y'all. Texas Monthly Magazine has a list of different organizations accepting charities. The list includes help for kids, pets, the homeless, food banks and a bunch more:

http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/ways-can-help-people-hurricane-harvey/

accepting *donations*

BREAKING: National Weather Service: Cedar Bayou, Texas, records 51.88 inches of rain from Harvey; new continental U.S. record.

— The Associated Press (@AP) August 29, 2017

and the flooding isn't even supposed to peak until wednesday or thursday. jesus fucking christ

spacecityweather.com has been posting some measured analysis of the storm. My family all lives there (are safe at the moment) and one of my brothers has sent this link out to friends and family residing out of the Houston area. It's given me some comfort to counter the horrible footage coming from other sources since I live so far away

Beaumont/Port Arthur currently getting hammered by the remains of the storm.

Big problems in Houston area currently down to rising bayous and rivers.

Mandatory evac notices are still coming down as well.

yeah, through the weekend my dad's place didn't flood, but now all that rainfall is draining into the reservoirs and they're doing the controlled releases from the west side dams... water's encroaching slowly on his house. could be much worse. subdivision across the way from him nearer the bayou (and surrounding a manmade lake feature) had to be evacuated by boat.

Brazo River expected to crest 2 1/2 feet higher by Thursday/Friday, for those in the Fort Bend Co. sprawl. The newer, lower lying neighborhoods have one of the largest South Asian immigrant communities in the nation, and they've been [getting bad news from back home](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/30/mumbai-paralysed-by-floods-as-india-and-region-hit-by-worst-monsoon-rains-in-years), too.

I checked my FB feed yesterday for the second time since the election so I could do a little commiserating with the folks back home re:Katrina PTSD flaring up over all of this and saw that a friend had posted an article about how Harvey is a result of climate change and that we need start to take drastic measures. One of her in-laws (from Belle Chasse, LA) responded with something along the lines of "I have to respectfully disagree. It's not climate change, it's all because of wind patterns and the water temperature in the Gulf" and it took every ounce of self-control to not soak myself in kerosene and light a match.

Well, they're both right!

"It's not arson - it's all because of that guy who lit all the oily rags on fire and ran away!"

another one of those "I told you so "moments for someone with no feeling of pleasure

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/08/why-cities-flood/538251/

well drown the federal government in a bathtub, this one's gonna be $$$$$$$$

http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2017/08/what_it_means_for_the_economy_when_a_city_like_houston_shuts_down.html

"At the conclusion of his brief remarks, Mr. Trump thanked Abbott, promised to get Texas "back and operating immediately"..."

https://scontent.fbed1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/21192934_10156199513727137_7049456761141816261_n.jpg?oh=f1c3cface581260357b48c37fd65e26a&oe=5A129F4A

if not sooner!

Back and operating as a port.

Trump Hotels for Everyone!

I'm kind of boggled by seeing traffic on the I-610 webcam that Ste posted three days ago when it was covered in water halfway up the highway signs.

CEO of @Arkema_Inc says no way to prevent explosion at its Crosby, TX chemical plant because of massive flooding. #TexasFlood

— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) August 30, 2017

They lost electricity and their generators failed, which will cause some must be refrigerated chemicals to get hot and go boom.

Texas Man Uses Massive Inflatable Dam to Save House

national guard guy on the news says its the largest deployment since world war one.

I heard they were literally all deployed.

That inflatable dam story is from 2016 - I wonder if it wouldve held back this years waters?

Those things usually do better when the water's creeping in on you, not pouring directly out of the sky four inches every hour.

xp thanks for factcheck and sorry!

Eh its easy to miss these things I do all the time.

Either way it is a neat idea! (and expensive i would imagine)

awesome emergency plan

https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hurricane-harvey/harvey-danger-major-chemical-plant-near-houston-likely-explode-facility-n797581

are these just robots posting this stuff? also, why?

https://scontent.fbed1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/21230758_10212833830614248_5910740196543957452_n.jpg?oh=7a003f75df086fb5ad9c90a6d5400f1d&oe=5A19A380

three words: "trump tower moscow"

http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2017/08/obama_trump_harvey_katrina.html

Lol scott, I had the same reaction over in the politics thread. Yeah, I still don't get it.

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a57276/harvey-longterm-effects/

Pierce referencing the many long-term environmental problems:

Houston, part of the "Chemical Coast," presents a huge challenge in a major flooding event, said Mathy Stanislaus, who oversaw the federal Superfund program throughout the Obama administration. Typically the EPA tries to identify Superfund sites in a major storm's path to "shore up the active operations" and "minimize seepage from sites," Stanislaus said. "This is not the time to dictate; it's the time to work together well with state and local officials to think about needs that need to be met."

....Item: Repeatedly over the past 15 years, the Texas legislature refused to pass any plan to adapt the affected infrastructure as long as that legislation contained any reference to climate change. (The climate crisis, of course, is the thing that makes storms like Harvey the most predictable of all)

jfc

Oh great, plague is in the fucking mix now?

(Re that link)

v Planet of the Apes

http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2017/08/galveston_lab_that_houses_dead.html

Thx

http://usa360-tv.com/breaking-news-usain-bolt-donates-150-million-dollars-to-hurricane-harvey-victims/

wow dude

fuck's sake

Not sure that's legit.

Kinda shocked he even has that much money.

it's been debunked already

Ok - sorry!

It would be pretty funny if he just casually whomped JJ Watt's big fundraising push with a massive donation though.

http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2017/08/obama_trump_harvey_katrina.html

― Glengarry Glen Marshall (Old Lunch), Thursday, August 31, 2017

I had to take this screenshot when I followed this link earlier today. The juxtaposition of ads against the text is - the right word escapes me

http://i.imgur.com/tntPQgU.jpg

lol iphone screengrab is hueg

Have eyes on the Galleria Zone D'Erotica rn.

So Imelda...many North & Eastside suburbs and communities are getting continuing rains that have already lapped what they got in Harvey.

Seems like a bad place for a city, in the post polar vortex world.

Got a river running outside my window rn. Rain has slowed down significantly tho.

i had to take shelter at my brother’s place on my way home. lots and lots of stranded cars and people who are leaving cars on curbs and medians to find a place to wait it out

Stuck at work. Kids are stuck at school. It is a weird feeling when children are inaccessible.

my friends are all sending pics of their sandbagged front doors... this sure happened quickly! be safe Houstonian ILXors

yeah, kids in remote locations is unnerving. i don’t have any of my own but the nephews and niece are all accounted for and in good hands.

HISD is deservedly gonna catch hell for not cancelling classes today.

So there was this front that came in from the west last night that was sort of a whole hurricane compacted into a few hours. Northside down to The Heights and Downtown seemed to get the worst. A million people lost power, now down to 600K, but those folks might not get it back for a week or more. Saw some video of fallen high tension lines and towers in Cypress where it looked like Godzilla had come through.

that same storm knocked out power to me in Austin, my friend in Houston, and another friend in Lafayette yesterday! buncha sad sacks just tryin' to watch the Astros game in the dark

It seems that Houston has been pretty badly affected by this storm, and people all over the state lost internet and/or power

Discussion here: hurricane coming...

r/houston is a terrific resource. People are <pissed> at the power company.

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.

;_;