Let's just say, if you buy a home in Houston, you've gotta be aware of the flood zone areas, preferably stay away from the Bayous. The whole friggin' city, though, is low and flat and it gets a LOT of rain periodically. This year has been pretty wet so far. I remember one flood back in the mid 70s that flooded the hospital district, people were stranded on the freeways until the water went down on the feeder roads. I rode back (was '75, remember now) from Seabrook where I was working at the Texas Parks and Wildlife marine lab and had water over the engine of my bike riding from Kemah to League City. Didn't know if the ol' bike was gonna make it.
Didn't get in the intake, though. Mufflers were going burbble, burbble, burbble. LOL
Then, '79, tropical storm Claudette put down 43" in 24 hours on Alvin, just south east of Houston. I had a new home in Brazoria county south of the town of Brazoria at the time and it almost got in the house, but I was built to federal flood insurance specs. My neighbor was built 2 feet lower.
He moved in a trailer, replaced carpet and sheet rock and almost had it done and along came another "hundred year flood" a month later and it almost got in my house again and he just gave up. That house sat vacant for several years and was vacant when I moved down to Port Lavaca.
I don't have a flood possibility here unless we get a major hurricane pushing over 25 feet of storm surge, not likely, but you never know. I'm sitting about 22 feet above the water on the upper bay and the house is on blocks, but it could happen just due to the proximity to the water, across the street. But, this is THE high ground in this town and Carla (last cat 4 to hit here in '61) didn't get it. I'm insured for wind damage, not too worried about that, though I hope it don't happen.
Just was talkin' to the wife this morning about ordering some MREs for emergency rations. I could use 'em on bike trips and hunting trips, too. Well, they're not exactly MREs, but similar commercial meals advertized in an outdoor catalog. They want 25 bucks for five days worth for two people. Just ad hot water and chow. You got to plan for such things living down here. I've got a generator, a van that's got AC for camping, and we can run to one of the type 2 Texas public hunting areas to hunt and fish while the storm tears up Calhoun county.
You gotta have a plan if you don't wanna wind up like half of New Orleans, bodies floating in the muck.
Idiots....but that's another story.
