Harvey's Flooding is no Mistake: It's a Plan - Guest CPG Rant by Mrs. CPG
Hurricane Harvey's level of destruction was not surprising. While to some extent the effects of the hurricane are surprising -- this is, after all, the largest rainfall event in the continuous US, ever -- the ability for the city of Houston to handle floods has been continuously eroded via a series of political and social decisions by the developers and inhabitants of Houston dating back decades.
This special guest rant by Mrs. CPG talks about some of the factors that went into the build up that caused the flooding in Houston to be as bad as it is.
Climate change denial and an unwillingness to participate in any kind of urban planning have resulted in a city with less than 25% of the permeable surface as before; with reservoirs with buildings running immediately up to them, leading to drastically reduced areas for runoff to enter the ground; and overall, an ecosystem for rainwater that leaves no possible place for all the water to go.
With climate change resulting in the third "100 year flood" in the past 3 years -- a one in a million chance, if it were up to chance -- this isn't going to be the last time Houston floods. But as we rebuild, we must keep in mind: we got here on purpose, through the dedicated work of a group of politicians who have no interest in making sure it doesn't happen again. I am an employee of YouTube. All statements, opinions, etc. from this stream are my own, and do not represent those of my employer.