General Discussion

Xipe Totec

(44,588 posts)

42. Not much

Mon Aug 28, 2017, 08:54 PM

Aug 2017

The flatness of the local terrain, when combined with urban sprawl, has made flooding a recurring problem for the city. Downtown stands about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level, and the highest point in far northwest Houston is about 125 feet (38 m) in elevation.

Houston is essentially swampland, prone to flooding. Underpinning Houston's land surface are unconsolidated clays, clay shales, and poorly cemented sands up to several miles deep.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston

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For my non-Houston friends- to help you understand the devastation: [View all] Xipe Totec Aug 2017 OP

And it's flat, the water has nowhere to go. nt SunSeeker Aug 2017 #1

And it is all pavement and roofs. Impervious surface change (1940-2017) L. Coyote Aug 2017 #24

And it's not just Houston as you know. Dustlawyer Aug 2017 #44

I am shocked at what's happening over there. Horrible. I'm in SW La. Honeycombe8 Aug 2017 #2

AND Harvey is gonna double back onto Houston. dixiegrrrrl Aug 2017 #3

Wait until the Brazos gets going. Igel Aug 2017 #4

How big is Houston? This is the skyline not of Houston, but of the Texas Medical Center in Houston: dalton99a Aug 2017 #5

Houston is so big that cloudbase Aug 2017 #22

LOL! Chellee Aug 2017 #47

Houston is so big cannabis_flower Aug 2017 #40

It's heartbreaking. pamela Aug 2017 #6

Thank you for this. herding cats Aug 2017 #7

God. Kablooie Aug 2017 #8

The Grand Parkway (99) doesn't circle anything and is about 85 miles long. greyl Aug 2017 #9

Austin and poor pets in Houston :( ggccvvtt Aug 2017 #10

Welcome to DU, ggccvvtt! calimary Aug 2017 #31

Welcome LittleGirl Aug 2017 #35

welcome to DU gopiscrap Aug 2017 #50

Welcome to DU. Doreen Aug 2017 #51

Lived there from 1978 to 1984 mountain grammy Aug 2017 #11

Made it from ggccvvtt Aug 2017 #12

"Escape " is right mountain grammy Aug 2017 #20

I toured with a band and we hit Houston. C Moon Aug 2017 #13

Was it Fitzgerald's? CCExile Aug 2017 #37

Yes! That sounds familiar and looking at photos, that appears to be the place. C Moon Aug 2017 #38

Government has failed Houston SharonKatz Aug 2017 #14

Hurricane Allen & Alicia ggccvvtt Aug 2017 #17

This has been an ongoing problem in Houston for decades. herding cats Aug 2017 #23

The hurricane is doubling back. So... perfect storm has pretty much arrived. AtheistCrusader Aug 2017 #30

Past time to address land planning issues Hulk Aug 2017 #45

Welcome to DU to you, too, SharonKatz! calimary Aug 2017 #32

welcome to du gopiscrap Aug 2017 #48

And unfortunately the worst is yet to come Lokilooney Aug 2017 #15

belated welcome to du gopiscrap Aug 2017 #49

This message was self-deleted by its author vkkv Aug 2017 #16

They built the ark in the wrong place! yuiyoshida Aug 2017 #18

I Live in California, the "land of fruits & nuts" and earthquakes and wildfires brought on to us by vkkv Aug 2017 #19

I wrote a similar post yesterday BigmanPigman Aug 2017 #25

I did delete my first post that was a lot more angry.. TX Reps and other GOP'sters from vkkv Aug 2017 #28

I feel bad for Houston and the other urban and southern TX BigmanPigman Aug 2017 #29

I totally get where you're coming from, BigmanPigman. calimary Aug 2017 #33

X's 1,000,000 Hulk Aug 2017 #46

It's crazy Dopers_Greed Aug 2017 #21

Water Level Monitoring KY_EnviroGuy Aug 2017 #26

Great resources. Thanks for posting! octoberlib Aug 2017 #36

Scary KY_EnviroGuy Aug 2017 #39

I feel for you, I have been through Andrew Motley13 Aug 2017 #27

That's why this talk of evacuation is crazy.... dawnie51 Aug 2017 #34

How much high ground is in the city and surburbs in terms of square miles? nt Blue_true Aug 2017 #41

Not much Xipe Totec Aug 2017 #42

Wow. You guys may be American Holland in a few decades. Blue_true Aug 2017 #43