How Houston was left to drown under Harvey

[Nevernose]

75. Nothing could have stopped it

But wetlands, swamps, bayous, marshes... Those things are invaluable in flood and storm mitigation. A healthy wetland ecosystem is arguably better flood control than most of those earthen dams.

Texas also has, probably, the most lax environmental laws of any state. Combine that with the rapid overbuilding, the view by many that swamps are useless at best and a nuisance at worst, the zoning based on developer's needs and not safety.

I'm not necessarily agreeing with you: when a storm like that comes along, you might as well be listening to "Ozymandius" on audiobook while you run like hell, because there's no decision that a human being could make that's going to stop the rain. I just ask that you keep an open mind and read up a little on the subject of wetlands and storm/flood mitigation.