Hurricane Harvey

I saw images of the devastation around Rockport. It looked like a tornado went through it. I read an article describing the ordeal of a guy who stayed behind while his wife and kid evacuated. He barely survived when his home was torn apart. There's a photo of him broken down in the aftermath. It was so sad. When you have no money, everything you own destroyed, you have no job, life looks very bleak.

I should not complain about the heat we are suffering here. And when people here on this forum ask each other how big a percentage their home is of their net worth, I need to remember that for some people, that is 100%.
 
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aja8888 said:
Gotta love this:

Ft Bend County issued mandatory evacuation orders for all residents this morning but they must have failed to realize that there is nowhere for them to go. Highway 59 and 6 is shut down in many areas, many main roads are underwater and getting out is pretty near impossible. Besides, the news cast is blaring out recommendations to not get on the roads.
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Our neighborhood is one of the few along the Brazos River in Fort Bend County that is not included in the mandatory evacuation order you are referring to. We are under a voluntary evacuation order, although we are being encouraged to leave. They are expecting the river to crest at a level that is less than one foot below the top of our levee. Too close for comfort. We are staying, because, as pointed out above, there is really no where for us to go.

If all goes well, the levees will hold and we will not flood. But, for the next 4 or 5 days, we would be locked in the neighborhood, as as roads outside of the levee will flood. We have a two story home, so we have an escape route by going upstairs if the levees don't hold or if they are overtopped. We have been preparing all day today by moving key possessions upstairs and prepping a five day supply of food and water for upstairs. Keeping my fingers crossed!!
 
txtig said:
Our neighborhood is one of the few along the Brazos River in Fort Bend County that is not included in the mandatory evacuation order you are referring to. We are under a voluntary evacuation order, although we are being encouraged to leave. They are expecting the river to crest at a level that is less than one foot below the top of our levee. Too close for comfort. We are staying, because, as pointed out above, there is really no where for us to go.

If all goes well, the levees will hold and we will not flood. But, for the next 4 or 5 days, we would be locked in the neighborhood, as as roads outside of the levee will flood. We have a two story home, so we have an escape route by going upstairs if the levees don't hold or if they are overtopped. We have been preparing all day today by moving key possessions upstairs and prepping a five day supply of food and water for upstairs. Keeping my fingers crossed!!
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We're pulling for you, txtig! If you can, let us know how things are progressing.
 
NW-Bound said:
I saw images of the devastation around Rockport.
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It's telling that of a town with a population of about 10,000, less than 100 did not evacuate. Same goes for all the beach / fishing towns between Corpus and Galveston. Folks generally do not have a death wish.

Why the guy didn't go with his family was unexplained.

My neighbor has homes down there and he packed up and came back north before H hit. He probably has no homes nor boat anymore.
 
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Are there neighborhoods that are surrounded by water, meaning the homes are not yet flooded but there's no road to escape on?
 
NW-Bound said:
Are there neighborhoods that are surrounded by water, meaning the homes are not yet flooded but there's no road to escape on?
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That is exactly what will be happening, probably by mid day tomorrow. All of the ingress/egress roads will be flooded outside of our levee. We expect this condition to continue for about 4 to 5 days before the river level drops.
 
aja8888 said:
You are watching the wrong coverage. Every available agency is out on boats, Hummers, etc rescuing people. The National Guard has been here since it started and has big trucks going into flooded areas hauling people out. Every available rescue helicopter is in service.

Some news stations like to cheery pick the rescue coverage and that's evident here.
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Yes, the agencies are out, but I am surprised how many private boats are out helping.... I saw a shot on one news program and I swear there was a traffic jam of boats where the street used to be... maybe 15 to 20 in view...

So, it is not fiction that a lot of rescues are being done by normal people... they interviewed one guy and he estimated he had taken out 200 people from one neighborhood today...
 
LOL! said:
I'd leave. Now. There are plenty of places to go. Are you going to put your cars upstairs, too?
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Plenty of places to go, but no way to get there. We are still in tropical storm conditions with torrential downpours all day long today. Flooding is taking place all over the Houston area with dangerously high water crossings. I like my chances better staying where I am.
 
I wonder if there is reliable and up-to-date info on which road to take out of town. There is a recent report of 6 people drowning in a van as they tried to escape.
 
txtig said:
That is exactly what will be happening, probably by mid day tomorrow. All of the ingress/egress roads will be flooded outside of our levee. We expect this condition to continue for about 4 to 5 days before the river level drops.
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And to the people that do not know.... Houston has it designed this way.... flood the streets to protect the houses....

You can put a lot of water in streets... our house has to be 3 feet above street level... so there had to be much more flooding before I worry.... also, we do not have water in our streets as we are probably 15 or so feet higher than surrounding neighborhoods.... it pays to buy in the correct location....
 
txtig said:
Plenty of places to go, but no way to get there. We are still in tropical storm conditions with torrential downpours all day long today. Flooding is taking place all over the Houston area with dangerously high water crossings. I like my chances better staying where I am.
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I live closer than you think.

Chances are 100% you will be safe leaving and less than 100% by staying.

Do you think the folks under mandatory evacuation were told they must drive through high water? I wouldn't drive through high water.
 
Another piece of trivia.....

Seems Harvey has made landfall twice already.... and went back out into the gulf... so it will make landfall 3 times!!! They did not say, but I bet that is a record...
 
NW-Bound said:
Are there neighborhoods that are surrounded by water, meaning the homes are not yet flooded but there's no road to escape on?
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This is generally true of Houston. I read the following eyewitness account today:
Such a large area of town saw 20-30" of rain falling so fast that it's impossible for it to drain fast enough. There are many people suffering in local regions all around the city. Many people have lost everything. However, the news gives the impression that _everything_ in the city is underwater, whereas in reality the problems are widespread, but local. With the flooding, people cannot get to each other and are largely trapped in-place
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This is partly because roads are designed as a secondary water drainage path, so roads flood before buildings do.
 
NW-Bound said:
I wonder if there is reliable and up-to-date info on which road to take out of town. There is a recent report of 6 people drowning in a van as they tried to escape.
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Here: This is as close as it gets. They are reporting over 350 roads that are flooded but that number is probably really 3,500 as I can't get 4 miles from my house in any direction without encountering flooded roads.

My daughter lives about 5 miles from me and she can't find a way to get to my house and we are 20+ miles outside of Houston proper.

https://drivetexas.org/#/8/30.727/-97.121?future=false

BTW, most gas stations are out of fuel so how far can anyone get if they leave or get stuck.
 
NW-Bound said:
Are there neighborhoods that are surrounded by water, meaning the homes are not yet flooded but there's no road to escape on?
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txtig said:
That is exactly what will be happening, probably by mid day tomorrow. All of the ingress/egress roads will be flooded outside of our levee. We expect this condition to continue for about 4 to 5 days before the river level drops.
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As stupid as it sounds, subdivisions are sometimes designed so that the streets are overland flood overflow routes. I remember seeing something where they try to keep the design so that 100 or 500 year floods (can't remember which) are about knee deep in the streets.
 
aja8888 said:
Here: This is as close as it gets. They are reporting over 350 roads that are flooded but that number is probably really 3,500 as I can't get 4 miles from my house in any direction without encountering flooded roads.

My daughter lives about 5 miles from me and she can't find a way to get to my house and we are 20+ miles outside of Houston proper.
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There are not very many bridges over Spring Creek and Willow Creek to your south nor over the San Jacinto River to your north, so I can see your predicament.
 
LOL! said:
There are not very many bridges over Spring Creek and Willow Creek to your south nor over the San Jacinto River to your north, so I can see your predicament.
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Spring Creek is way out of its banks and on Fox26, it was just announced that Northwood Pines subdivision (north side of the Hardy Toll Road) is asked to evacuate to Spring High School, if they can get there. South of Rayford Road, the water has engulfed Mollies Restaurant next to Discount Tire.

My daughter lives just south of Creekside within a 1/2 mile of the Augusta Pines Clubhouse and she is high and dry, but no power. All ways north for her to get to me are underwater. That includes the new bridge by Timmeron on Kurkendahl (sp) and Gosling Road which is under water at Creekside Green.

This is the roundabout at Creekside Green:

imagejpeg_0.jpg
 
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Yep, Gosling floods. Lots of drone footage from a year ago. I think the firestation was stranded, too.

Here from 2016: https://vimeo.com/168482153
 
I am praying that everyone stays safe. My heart goes out to everyone involved with this.
 
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