Houston density and hurricane danger? (Dallas, Galveston: house, live in, move)

[txdemo]

Originally Posted by NickelsTX

Seems like the building codes are fine to me. One thing that does need oversight though is the liberal run city that insist on spending public funds on stupid things like bike trails rather than on drainage improvements which the funds were intended for.

Not a single penny for the hike and bike trails came from the drainage utility fee. Those funds came from 3rd Party funding.

https://www.rebuildhouston.org/index...utility-charge

[NickelsTX]

Originally Posted by curbur

Ike caused nearly $20 billion in damage and wasn't even a category 2 by the time it Houston. You're saying that if we get a cat 5 or extreme cat 5 that the damage wouldn't be way more substantial?

I'm saying flooding is a WAY bigger impact during a hurricane. Enacting tougher building codes when the city has neglected to provide proper infrastructure to negate flooding and surge is silly. What does it matter that a house handle 200 mph winds when it's flooded under water? Ike is actually a perfect example. A VAST majority of the damage was caused by surge (Ike was a beast in regards to surge) not wind.

A properly built, maintained & up to code home can handle plenty of wind. I lived in Central Florida in 90's and we got hit hard often. The wind speeds were usually much higher than Ike. The homes held up fine and the differences in building codes is negligible.

Tougher regulations don't equal more safety. They're usually just more expensive and provide a false sense of security.

If this city ends up under 10 foot of water after a C5 it will be due to Porker & Co. misusing funds to buy votes not building codes.

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by Lowexpectations

Density was the problem with Sandy? I could have sworn it was the amount of water the cities took on but hey that's just what the people I know said that live there.

Density during Rita was an issue because people waited until the last minute to leave. That's the actual problem. Furthermore for a lot of people in New Orleans transportation was offered but far too many people refuse to evacuate.

The surge wasn't crazy like a Katrina which had a 28' surge.

Lot's of hurricanes have had surges around the mark of Sandy - SURGEDAT: THE WORLD'S STORM SURGE INFORMATION CENTER

Sandy's highest surge was 17'
Ike was 17'
Carla was 22'
Rita 17'
Betsy 16'
Camille 24'
Frederic 15'
Ivan 15'
Eloise 18'
Wilma 21'
Andrew 17'
Fran 15'
Hazel 17'
Isabel 16'

I didn't bother to list the over dozen surges that were 14'

Sure, people were scared due to Katrina being in their memories when Rita hit; however, if our next one comes in 7 years and follows another bad one, do you think people won't act the same?

Additionally, Ike wasn't that imposing as it approached, but if a Cat 4 or Cat 5 approached, I think people would freak out even if another hurricane didn't hit prior.

[Lowexpectations]

Originally Posted by PedroMartinez

The surge wasn't crazy like a Katrina which had a 28' surge.

Lot's of hurricanes have had surges around the mark of Sandy - SURGEDAT: THE WORLD'S STORM SURGE INFORMATION CENTER

Sandy's highest surge was 17'
Ike was 17'
Carla was 22'
Rita 17'
Betsy 16'
Camille 24'
Frederic 15'
Ivan 15'
Eloise 18'
Wilma 21'
Andrew 17'
Fran 15'
Hazel 17'
Isabel 16'

I didn't bother to list the over dozen surges that were 14'

Sure, people were scared due to Katrina being in their memories when Rita hit; however, if our next one comes in 7 years and follows another bad one, do you think people won't act the same?

Additionally, Ike wasn't that imposing as it approached, but if a Cat 4 or Cat 5 approached, I think people would freak out even if another hurricane didn't hit prior.

I didn't even mention storm surge but nevermind that. It was water that caused the vast majority of the damage

If people wait until the last minute the density won't matter it would be a cluster either way

Good if they are freaked maybe they depart earlier

[Lowexpectations]

Originally Posted by curbur

Ike caused nearly $20 billion in damage and wasn't even a category 2 by the time it Houston. You're saying that if we get a cat 5 or extreme cat 5 that the damage wouldn't be way more substantial?

Where was the majority of the damage dollar wise? Crushed houses and other structures or flooding?

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by Lowexpectations

I didn't even mention storm surge but nevermind that. It was water that caused the vast majority of the damage

The majority of water damage from a hurricane comes in the form of surge, not rain.

Originally Posted by Lowexpectations

If people wait until the last minute the density won't matter it would be a cluster either way

Actually, if the wait until the last minute, density is very important.

Originally Posted by Lowexpectations

Good if they are freaked maybe they depart earlier

My wife left Houston the morning of Rita and had no issues except passing through Brenham. The people who got in major trouble on the highways were the ones who left with enough time, but the problem was that everybody left then.

[NickelsTX]

Originally Posted by txdemo

Not a single penny for the hike and bike trails came from the drainage utility fee. Those funds came from 3rd Party funding.

https://www.rebuildhouston.org/index...utility-charge

This is a perfect example of ignorant liberal fact twisting.

new Proposition 1 fund --- which Mayor Annise Parker pitched as a "lock box that can only be spent for street and drainage improvements"

Parker urged voters to back the plan in an opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle:
“Proposition 1 mandates a responsible pay-as-you-go plan. For the first time in Houston's history there would be a dedicated income stream - a lock box - that can only be spent for street and drainage improvements.

"Your vote would prohibit us from diverting these dollars for any other projects - with no exceptions. And your vote would mean the city could repair, replace or upgrade every street in Houston that is past its useful life."

Voters approved Prop 1 in November by a 51 to 49 percent margin. The fund, also known as Rebuild Houston, draws from four sources: drainage fees on property owners, developer impact fees, property taxes, and government grants.

then

The city's Public Works department acknowledged the hike-and-bike program is to receive Rebuild Houston money -- but not via the drainage tax component.

The trails program "will not receive any funding from the drainage fee component," Roberto Medina, senior staff analyst at the department, said via e-mail, adding assurances from a planning person who heads hike and bike trail plans.

"Yes, it is listed as (Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal) funding, but there are four components to that fund," Medina said. "We are well aware that it is not a clear way of identifying how a project is going to get funded, and it would have been nice for it to be more specific."

Porker said these funds would only be spent for street and drainage improvements. The money is then split up and instead of all of the money going to street and drainage improvements, as promised, some of it goes to other projects. This is then justified by saying the money now earmarked for street and drainage improvements wont be used for other projects. YEAH because they already stole it!

But go ahead. Take word from the people who stole it instead of looking at the facts.

[Mr. Krinkle]

Originally Posted by NickelsTX

I'm saying flooding is a WAY bigger impact during a hurricane. Enacting tougher building codes when the city has neglected to provide proper infrastructure to negate flooding and surge is silly. What does it matter that a house handle 200 mph winds when it's flooded under water? Ike is actually a perfect example. A VAST majority of the damage was caused by surge (Ike was a beast in regards to surge) not wind.

A properly built, maintained & up to code home can handle plenty of wind. I lived in Central Florida in 90's and we got hit hard often. The wind speeds were usually much higher than Ike. The homes held up fine and the differences in building codes is negligible.

Tougher regulations don't equal more safety. They're usually just more expensive and provide a false sense of security.

If this city ends up under 10 foot of water after a C5 it will be due to Porker & Co. misusing funds to buy votes not building codes.

This city is going to flood no matter what people try to design. It's flat and too much concrete. Blaming the mayor has little to do with it. The city of Houston has spent millions of dollars improving the bayous to help prevent flooding by the way.

[NickelsTX]

Originally Posted by Mr. Krinkle

This city is going to flood no matter what people try to design. It's flat and too much concrete. Blaming the mayor has little to do with it. The city of Houston has spent millions of dollars improving the bayous to help prevent flooding by the way.

I've lived in flat swampy places all of my life. Most of them with the same amount of concrete density. The city floods due to an inadequate infrastructure. The city doesn't even care enough about the bayous to get rid of the hundreds of cars in them. Get real dude.

the mayor had been in favor removing for the cars but not at the city's expense.

[Lowexpectations]

Originally Posted by PedroMartinez

The majority of water damage from a hurricane comes in the form of surge, not rain.

So what caused Sandy's damage? Flooding right?

Actually, if the wait until the last minute, density is very important.

Marginally though. Given how many people lived here then, they were f-Ed because everyone waited too long

My wife left Houston the morning of Rita and had no issues except passing through Brenham. The people who got in major trouble on the highways were the ones who left with enough time, but the problem was that everybody left then.

Congrats? Do you want me to change it from "last minute" to "all at once?"