[Magdalen] Houston

[Jay Weigel]

OK, just curious.

On Wed, Aug 30, 2017 at 5:59 PM, Rick Mashburn <ricklmashburn at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Jay, that's another issue all together. The levee was for the Brazos river.
> There was a mandatory evacuation order issued on Monday for Fort Bend
> County which is southwest of the city and south of the area with the
> reservoirs I mentioned earlier which are on the west/northwest side of
> town.
>
> It's hard to imagine, but the Houston metro area covers more than 2,200
> square miles. I'm told that is larger than the state of Connecticut. But,
> that part could just be Facebook lore.
>
> Peace, Rick
>
> On Wed, Aug 30, 2017 at 4:50 PM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Which one of the levees is it that developed a humongous crack?
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Aug 30, 2017 at 5:48 PM, Rick Mashburn <ricklmashburn at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > I am NOT Lynn but I...
> > >
> > > On Aug 30, 2017 4:46 PM, "Rick Mashburn" <ricklmashburn at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > > I am Lynn but I did live in Houston for many years. The city center
> has
> > > no
> > > > zoning and very little in the way of restrictions on land use. The
> > newer
> > > > areas of town do have restrictions but they are very developer -
> > > friendly.
> > > > As noted earlier, many of the master planned communities make
> extensive
> > > use
> > > > of water features which look good and provide recreational
> > opportunities.
> > > > But, they are actually there for flood control.
> > > >
> > > > There are two huge reservoirs in what was the far west side of town.
> > > Three
> > > > were designed as retention ponds in the late '40s to hold water and
> > > reduce
> > > > flooding in Buffalo Bayou - the largest bayou in the city.  It runs
> > > through
> > > > several tony neighborhoods and downtown before flowing into Galveston
> > > bay.
> > > > The problem was that growth enveloped what was the country and now
> both
> > > > reservoirs are surrounded by upscale neighborhoods.
> > > >
> > > > I hope I got most of that right!
> > > >
> > > > Peace, Rick
> > > >
> > > > On Aug 30, 2017 4:01 PM, "Jay Weigel" <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> Lynn, is it still true that Houston has no zoning? I know that used
> to
> > > be
> > > >> the case.
> > > >>
> > > >> On Wed, Aug 30, 2017 at 2:06 PM, Lynn Ronkainen <
> houstonklr at gmail.com
> > >
> > > >> wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >> > ...I call the "efforts" to accommodate too much concrete (new
> outer
> > > >> loops
> > > >> > and tollways, 100s of new subdivisions , to name a few) by the
> > USArmy
> > > >> corps
> > > >> > of Engineers
> > > >> > : "TX mathmagic".
> > > >> > They forecast scenarios, calculate "additional run-off" added to
> the
> > > >> > existing "area" loosely defined, then come up with formulas for
> > > widening
> > > >> > already existing rivers, creeks and bayous (words often used
> > > >> > interchangeably), and/or digging huge sloped sided grass-planted
> > > basins,
> > > >> > also based on mathemagical calculations, that "confirm" safe
> > retention
> > > >> of
> > > >> > water in case of flooding (??!!?) for new communities, which are
> > then
> > > >> often
> > > >> > dug larger and deeper so they can become a "water feature" of the
> > new
> > > >> > community, which still conforms to the formula because they've dug
> > it
> > > >> > larger to accommodate the water they're adding for decorative
> > > purposes.
> > > >> >
> > > >> > No one knows or wants to say ENOUGH, NO MORE, so the city and the
> > area
> > > >> E,
> > > >> > W, and N keep building and expanding.
> > > >> > When I moved in 1987 the middle class subdivisions in the
> > > unincorporated
> > > >> > areas 20+ miles from the city were very transient- corporate
> > employers
> > > >> > transferring people in and out, sometimes in just a few years.
> > People
> > > >> had
> > > >> > no sense of potential tragedy in the form of nature events if they
> > > >> didn't
> > > >> > actually experience them. The '90s saw more new residents who
> moved
> > in
> > > >> for
> > > >> > long term OR like us, transferries laid off and unable to move
> > > without a
> > > >> > job at the other end in a new location.
> > > >> >
> > > >> > Such is life. I have been thinking for a while about moving away
> > from
> > > TX
> > > >> > but it is complicated.
> > > >> >
> > > >> > Have confirmed Sunday tickets home (for now at least), have
> figured
> > > out
> > > >> > the rest of our itinerary- blessed to be seeing even more family
> and
> > > old
> > > >> > friends than our original scenario included. My house/condo is
> still
> > > >> dry. I
> > > >> > am blessed.
> > > >> > Lynn
> > > >> >
> > > >> >
> > > >> > On Aug 30, 2017, at 9:40 AM, ME Michaud <michaudme at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > > >> >
> > > >> > One of our local meteorologists (that is, he's a college
> instructor,
> > > not
> > > >> > someone on teevee) commented on the amount of Houston that's been
> > > paved
> > > >> > over because of rapid overdevelopment.
> > > >> > (Lynn's part of town has more undeveloped land than downtown.)
> > > >> >
> > > >> > He wrote:
> > > >> > Dump a glass of water on a granite counter.
> > > >> > Dump a glass of water on a sponge.
> > > >> > Note the difference.
> > > >> > -M
> > > >> >
> > > >> > On Wednesday, August 30, 2017, Roger Stokes <
> > > >> roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com
> > > >> > >
> > > >> > wrote:
> > > >> >
> > > >> > > The problem is the sheer volume of water that has to be
> > dispersed. I
> > > >> read
> > > >> > > that there has been something like 6 cubic miles of water dumped
> > on
> > > >> > Houston
> > > >> > >
> > > >> >
> > > >>
> > > >
> > >
> >
>