Houston was hit hard by Hurricane Beryl, with rising waters engulfing parts of interstates and turning once placid bayous into dangerous rapids. Dozens of water rescues were carried out in a frantic effort to save lives, but unfortunately, at least one life was lost. This flood-weary city was once again reminded of the destructive power of Mother Nature.
As the flood waters receded swiftly, the aftermath of the disaster turned the focus towards the over 1 million people who were left without power in the oppressive heat. However, the remnants of the Houston flood left an indelible mark.
Trash clumped along the pillars of an overpass as a reminder of how high floodwaters reached along the White Oak Bayou in Houston Heights. In Kashmere Gardens, police barricades indicated where a driver had left a vehicle in fast-rising waters on Jensen Drive. While patches of water lingered in Meyerland after the storm, many homes in the elegant neighborhood had been elevated following the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, effectively mitigating the damage caused by Beryl.
Houston’s latest hurricane, Beryl, may not have caused as much damage as some of the city’s past floods, but it once again highlighted the severe flooding issue that plagues the fourth-largest city in the United States.
Despite investments of billions of dollars and years of flood control projects, the challenge of persistent flooding persists. The situation may become even more severe as climate change intensifies storms and brings heavier rainfall to a sprawling and low-lying metropolitan area.
During a recent press conference, Houston Public Works Chief Operating Officer Randy Macchi emphasized the significance of the city’s streets as the primary drainage system. He stated, “It is important to remember that our primary drainage mechanism throughout this city is our streets. For better or worse, that is the reality of the situation.”
According to Ben Hirsch, a co-director at West Street Recovery, the frequency of flooding in Beryl is so persistent that it’s no longer considered remarkable. West Street Recovery is a disaster recovery and environmental justice organization that operates across five Zip codes in northeast Houston.
According to Hirsch, if this storm had occurred in any other part of America, it would have been called catastrophic flooding. He expressed that people tend to become numb to such situations, but they also experience trauma from it.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration implemented a new policy that mandates taxpayer-funded projects, like public buildings, bridges, and schools, to account for future worsening floods in addition to past flooding. This policy aims to ensure that these projects are built with a long-term perspective and can withstand the effects of climate change.
Officials have stated that their objective is to enhance the durability of the nation’s infrastructure amidst the impact of climate change. The aim is to avert the repetitive occurrence of floods and reconstruction that have plagued the past.
Deanne Criswell, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, announced that flood risk across the United States has been worsened by climate change, particularly due to the rise in sea levels. This new policy was introduced with this in mind.
Houston has been dealing with flooding for quite some time, and it is partly due to decisions made generations ago.
“We’ve always been living in a swamp, even before the growth. The earlier generations knew the importance of building flood infrastructure, but we still lack the necessary infrastructure,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in an interview with The Washington Post. She further added, “This is a wake-up call for everyone to prioritize building flood infrastructure.”
According to acting Houston police chief Larry Satterwhite, 56 people were rescued from high water as Beryl made its way through the area.
Officials have reported that a Houston Police Department employee named Russell Richardson, aged 54, tragically lost his life on Monday. His vehicle was caught in fast-rising floodwaters as he was driving to work on Houston Avenue, near Interstate 45.
The Harris County Flood Control District, established by the Texas legislature in 1937, has identified flooding as the top disaster in the region. Despite having a “network of flood damage reduction infrastructure in the ground” that costs $4 billion, Houston still faces significant flood risks, as Beryl has recently demonstrated once again.
Houston is susceptible to flooding due to various reasons. Its landscape is relatively flat and slow-draining, making it challenging to manage the enormous volumes of water that can accumulate during hurricanes, tropical storms, and heavy rainfall.
In a world that’s getting hotter, we can expect events like these to become more frequent and intense. This is because warmer air can hold more moisture, leading to more extreme weather conditions.
Houston experienced one of the most tragic incidents of water damage in recent times during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The devastating storm caused widespread destruction, with 30 to 40 inches of rain pouring down and an estimated 154,170 homes in Harris County being flooded. It’s worth noting that the majority of these homes were outside the 100-year flood plain, highlighting the unpredictable nature of such natural disasters.
Harvey’s impact was staggering as it marked the third consecutive year of rainfall surpassing a level that, according to historical climate patterns, would only occur once every 500 years.
In 2015, significant floods occurred on Memorial Day and Halloween, followed by similar incidents on Tax Day and Memorial Day in 2016. Houston was hit with more floods on Independence Day in 2018 and in September 2019 when Tropical Storm Imelda caused heavy rainfall.
Although Beryl’s rainfall was not as severe as other storms, it still brought about a foot of water across the area. This hurricane arrived after a series of intense weather events, including heavy rains in May that flooded homes and led to the rescue of around 400 individuals. Additionally, a powerful windstorm called a derecho caused significant damage in Houston just a few weeks later.
According to Richard Rood, a professor emeritus of climate and space sciences and engineering at the University of Michigan, the water tables are often higher and the ground is more saturated due to the recurring floods and the impact of rising sea levels.
According to Rood, the water is reaching a point where there is simply no space left to store it.
According to a study conducted by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University in 2020, there is also a concern about rapid development. The study found that between 1997 and 2017, the Houston metropolitan area’s land area increased by 63 percent. During this period, the region added almost 187,000 football fields of impervious surfaces, including concrete and asphalt.
The researchers highlighted that Impervious surfaces are unable to absorb heavy rainfalls like natural landscapes. Moreover, changing elevations and rerouted waterways alter watersheds. They further emphasized that without nature’s super sponges, water can wreak havoc.
After Harvey, the residents of Harris County voted in favor of a $2.5 billion bond measure to fund various flood-control projects in Houston.
Houston has utilized bonds to finance various projects aimed at improving natural flood prevention measures, such as the implementation of drainage systems and water retention basins. Additionally, the city has invested in planting vegetation along bayou banks and trees throughout the area. In some cases, Houston has even purchased flood-prone homes from residents, transforming those lots into open space.
Officials admit that while the work has assisted in reducing flooding in some of the most problematic areas, it is nearly impossible to completely prevent flooding in a region that has a sluggish drainage system and frequently experiences heavy rainfall.
Experts are discussing and researching the possibility of constructing extensive tunnels to transport floodwaters, creating a third reservoir for flood control in the prairie of Houston’s west, or widening and deepening Buffalo Bayou to allow existing reservoirs to discharge water safely. These initiatives are intricate, costly, and contentious.
The Houston Chronicle recently published an editorial in response to the flooding caused by Beryl. Despite the storm causing less damage than previous ones, the editorial emphasizes the need for increased investment in long-term water challenges and other priorities in order to address the city’s ongoing issues. The article suggests that this may require additional taxes, as well.
The newspaper published an article titled “Beryl is a reminder we can’t have good drainage without paying,” which emphasizes the importance of funding for proper drainage. Although voters have previously approved a “lockbox” for dedicated drainage funding, the increasing costs and other factors indicate that more funding is necessary.
The newspaper emphasized that during times of flooding when bayous, ditches, and gutters overflow, and homes suddenly have a water view, the mayor should take the initiative to lead. They should prepare voters to approve tax increases that will fund the necessary infrastructure to withstand more frequent, stronger, and bigger storms.
The paper asserted that the city will only be better equipped to face the future if certain measures are taken.
“We can use tax dollars and our own resources more effectively by focusing on preventing damage instead of just cleaning up and recovering from disasters. By investing consistently over decades, even during times when the weather is calm, we can reduce the need for sudden and expensive bursts of spending.”
This report was contributed to by Molly Hennessy-Fiske.
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