Thoughts

[NZVW]

Just a quick note letting all those affected by Harvey that our thoughts are with you all.
Mark

[Frank Beck]

I would love to help if anyone has ideas apart from donating to the usual agencies and local churches.
Once human and animal health and wellbeing is stabilized the economic impact will be DEVASTATING. Half of businesses and residents not insured? Holy crap.

For the record: Not trying to be an opportunist but if anyone knows a German car tech who needs temporary employment until Houston's infrastructure is back in biz I'm certainly willing to take in strays for as long as they need a job.

[NZVW]

Mr Beck, I have never really classified,,, "putting an arm out to help someone up when their down" as opportunistic.
Im not a big 'karma' believer but feel that your generosity and ethos will likely resolve your employment woes.
Mark

[Frank Beck]

I'm trying to wrap my brain around this.

Imagine one week ago in Houston life was great, you were gainfully employed along with 100's of thousands of other folks and suddenly not only have you lost part of your home (or entire home) but you're also without a paycheck for a while.


Good thing they're Texans.

[NZVW]

Frank, are you missing a tie off your tie rack ??
And really!!! leaving chute pack foam at the LZ is just straight out "sloppy"
Mark

[62S-R-S]

Curious that there is apparently no way to build these communities on the Gulf in such a way that would handle 50" of rainfall amount. Homeowners are left to one day rolling the dice after structures are built back up again, with no real solution.

Personal chagrin of mine stems from living in a ryan home - that builders left the finishing work for someone else, so many seperate things are ongoing to keep the home dry.

Hurricane events of this size are quite rare, yet after a period of years havoc will take place once again. ..Unless they rebuild in such a way that 4 FT of rain channels out in some manner.

[72targa]

A thought....

[NZVW]

What cripples communities that get a effected by these disasters is the total collapse of basic infrastructure.
Roads roll over the land and beneath them are you fundamental services, power,water,sewerage,stormwater drainage and telecommunications.
Building houses on stilts is a means to provide a level of individual residential house security but without the base services it is still a uninhabitable dwelling.
There are numerous posts here regarding the effects of "supposed" Global Warming but I am not game to retouch that issue haha (FB will be happy) but as more land gets developed and the gets continually covered in tar sealed roads and concrete footpaths, dive ways, and roof catchment area the quantity of "run off" water is increasing continually and has only the antiquated and probably under sized community drains to escape via to either lower level catchment or the ocean.
Remember the breached embankments Katrina, New Orleans.
The solutions are complex and Im sure far greater minds than mine are "on to it" but as in NZ the Govt has an obligation to provide security to all who pay their land taxs and local body fees to be a fair bit more comfortable sleeping at night every time it rains.
God bless all those affected and the nightmare they are having to endure.
My 2 c worth
Mark

[nickd]

I live on the west side of Houston and we've been so very lucky ---- our house is north of the buffalo bayou and any property below memorial drive to the bayou is just destroyed . Near Neighbor measured 28.5 inches of rain in 3 days .... At the bottom of our road - 1/4 mile away it's completely flooded - it is unreal the devastation - really unreal.... 70,000 property's estimated to be under water in Harris county alone... 90% of the county has been under water - our street had about a foot on Saturday and Sunday nights .... we had no power for 25 hrs and when we saw the aerial tv coverage of the Bayou that runs west to east thru Houston the water was just incredible - repairs will take years not months ....

[nickd]

Must be 20 ft of water based on the overhead signs - looking north from memorial drive bridge over sam Houston parkway towards I10