Lake Travis impact from recent rain (Houston, Austin: buying, subdivisions, living in)

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by Novacek

That's a super bad article.

Their claim is that Texas is bad at preparing for floods because it's not done at a state level. There's no analysis as to whether the preparation which is done at other jurisdictions is effective or not. It has to be state or nothing.

Oh, and we're second to only Louisiana or Florida in some numbers. No crap Sherlock, we're bigger than anyone else.

Actually, it was an interesting article, pointing out the obvious. Too bad the author doesn't understand it's just "The Texas Way." I'll bet he isn't even from around here.

As for "other jurisdictions," which ones would those be? The cities, that the governor doesn't want deciding for themselves to ban plastic bags, or the rural counties that can't even, by state law, institute a fire code strong enough to regulate the storage of explosive fertilizer near houses?

Face it, Texas doesn't do crap for its citizens, and it shows, especially in times like this.

[Rakin]

Originally Posted by pop251808

Face it, Texas doesn't do crap for its citizens, and it shows, especially in times like this.

Keep your socialist state. I like exactly the services Texas provides.

Why do you think all the River / Water Authorities exist?

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by pop251808

Face it, Texas doesn't do crap for its citizens, and it shows, especially in times like this.

What, precisely, would a state-wide regulatory agency have done in a "time like this"? Passed a law against it raining?

What regulations would have prevented the tragedy in Wimberly? It's not like there's huge urban development upstream from Wimberly. Outlaw any vacation cabins along all Texas rivers?

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by Novacek

Is it? I wasn't here for those, but reading the stories on it, it sounds like those floods killed 31 and did $750 Million in damage.

Rain onslaught in 1998 surprised experts - San Antonio Express-News

Hmmm. I don't know; maybe it's not worse. Seems as though everything on the news is saying it is the worst flood there in over a hundred years. Of course, Austin news is absolutely abysmal, so I probably shouldn't put too much stock in those reports. But I also don't remember I-35 flooding during the '98 flood.

[SFX]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Jan 18, 2015, Lake at about 624'.

April 29, 2006, Lake at about 663' (Lake is currently 657 or so, this was as close as I could find).

This is the Hurst Creek Arm where we have our boat. It will make access to our boat much easier .

I would love to know how you got those images.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by SFX

I would love to know how you got those images.

Just 'snips' from Google Earth. You can dial back to earlier imagery, when available. There are about 10 choices or so of dates for the Lake Travis area.

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by Rakin

Keep your socialist state. I like exactly the services Texas provides.

Why do you think all the River / Water Authorities exist?

To exploit Federal and State funds for private profits? I don't know, why don't you tell me.

Originally Posted by Novacek

What, precisely, would a state-wide regulatory agency have done in a "time like this"? Passed a law against it raining?

What regulations would have prevented the tragedy in Wimberly? It's not like there's huge urban development upstream from Wimberly. Outlaw any vacation cabins along all Texas rivers?

Are you being deliberately obtuse? It's not what they'd do "at a time like this." Governors Perry and Abbott handle that, standing around their "command posts" wearing safari shirts while some poor Fire Department and National Guard guys risk their necks in dangerous conditions.
It's about what they could do in the way of civil engineering projects to help mitigate disaster, loss of life and property etc, ahead of the predictable bad weather events we have here. It's not like the hurricane, tornado or frog-strangling rain was recently invented to bedevil riverfront vacation cabins. They're a fact of life and they hit everywhere, sooner or later; usually sooner in Houston. It's a major American urban center: it's ridiculous and embarrassing how it shuts down every time it rains for several hours straight there. I'm a little less worried about Wimberley even though it's closer. But the loss of life there was tragic, and yes, it could perhaps have been prevented with good zoning; lord knows Texas has plenty of that when it suits its fancy. We're not exactly free of regulation in this "libertarian dystopia", or whatever it's called.

[Trainwreck20]

Specifically, what civil engineering projects should have been done? If you say 'build a dam on the Blanco', tell me where and explain the extents of land that would be flooded.

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Specifically, what civil engineering projects should have been done? If you say 'build a dam on the Blanco', tell me where and explain the extents of land that would be flooded.

I already said, I don't really care about the Blanco, and it probably wouldn't stand the harsh light of a cost benefit analysis. But seven people died in the forth largest city in the country, just because it rained there one night. You have to admit, Houston has the worst/least storm ready streets you've seen in an American city. Possible runners up would be much smaller, less important places.

[ImOnFiya]

Originally Posted by pop251808

I already said, I don't really care about the Blanco, and it probably wouldn't stand the harsh light of a cost benefit analysis. But seven people died in the forth largest city in the country, just because it rained there one night. You have to admit, Houston has the worst/least storm ready streets you've seen in an American city. Possible runners up would be much smaller, less important places.

You're not making sense. You talk about how Texas doesn't care about its citizens in terms of infrastructure and then, when the immediate subject in the Austin forum is the Blanco River (because it lies within the Austin metro) you say it doesn't matter next to Houston infrastructure.

There is the wider Texas forum and Houston sub-forum available if you wish to continue the discussions on that subject matter, in particular. I believe it's leading people to wonder why are you here? And whether you are here just to argue?