1 Allison wasn't a hurricane either.  $4+ billion in damage and years of  medical research down the drain (literally) when 30,000 lab animals drowned in the Medical Center.  Can't take anything lightly around here.

2 Wasn't that one partly due to a flood control problem up-river?

My younger brother was out in the water and got his leg hit by a fire ant clump. Entirely new dimensions of excruciating agony...

3 Nope.  Despite the San Jacinto on the far east edge of Houston, there's really no issue with flood control upstream. (The Trinity is another matter.)

No amount of flood control helps when you get over thirty inches of rain in over 24 hours.  Into ground that's already soaked by six to eight inches in the prior two days.

In such cases, "flood control" means "are you on, or can you get to high ground? Quickly?"

FYI, just got back from buying water and gas.  And if you haven't done so, check out the pictures at that link.  Particularly the 11th one on the first page and 1st on 2nd page.  Gutsy photographer... those were taken in underground tunnels, before the power failed.

4 That's not guts, that's utter stupidity. He's lucky he didn't die down there.

5 It's actually a part of a videotape, of which I've seen segments.  It would appear that he managed to find a stairwell (such tunnels are not deep underground here due to the water table), but it was still idiotic.

I'm putting this behind a spoiler just because it's kind of ugly...

<spoiler>How stupid was he?  While he was doing this, at least one woman drowned in a nearby building -- the security guard told her and some others "you better go move your cars."  The garage was underground, and a retaining wall gave way.  By the way, local building codes still don't require water sensors in elevators that reach into garage basements.  I'm ever in the same situation, the damn car can stay there -- where could she have moved it anyway? </spoiler>

Same thing could have happened to this fool, but it was some spectacular video. 

6 Heh... I was still in high school. Water got up on our lawn, but not into the house; we had people a couple of streets down with two stories underwater. (Humble, behind the mall, ain't that far from the San Jac.)

There's quite a few places in town that flood all the time - the city's half swamp as it is, there's no helping it. But the river almost never comes up - it's usually the bayous.

7 Ubu mailed me and told me I could delete his post if I wanted, due to botched spoiler tags, but I'm going to leave it alone because I think it's fine. Just thought I'd mention that.

8 I don't know about that storm not being a hurricane, we thought Dolly wouldn't become one but then it landed as a cat 2.  Probably won't land as a major hurricane, but ya never know.

So, what, is Texas the new Florida?

9

There's nothing new about this. Texas, and pretty much the whole gulf coast, has been getting nailed by hurricanes since before Columbus. (Like millions of years before.)

But these kinds of storms can sometimes be more blessing than curse. You want to know who's praying for a hurricane right now? Northern Georgia. They'd just love to have a storm dump about 3 inches of rain on them right now!

One of the episodes of the Sakura Wars TV show would be considered filler were it not that it's a significant character-building episode for Kanna. It's about a typhoon that threatens Tokyo, and then veers off at the last moment. Without going into too many details, at one point she talks about her life-long relationship with typhoons and says, "They can kill you if you're careless. But there isn't a lot of fresh water on Okinawa. I don't know how many times typhoons saved us by bringing us the precious gift of rain."

Needless to say, too much of a good thing is a bad thing, and I doubt anyone wants 30 inches of rain in 24 hours. But less rain (which is more normal for storms like that, anyway) is nearly always a good thing in Texas and Mexico. If it had gone a bit further south, it would have recharged the Rio Grande basin, which damned well needs it.

10 Heh, you're telling me!

We're always like, "One good hurricane, that's all we need and we're good!"  Careful what you wish for, ay?

*Is carried away by giant mutant mosquitoes*

11 If it had gone a bit further south, it would have recharged the Rio Grande basin, which damned well needs it.

Already happened.  Dolly.  12 to 20 inches, about three weeks ago.

12 Notably, that Sakura Wars typhoon had "winds up to 300 km/hr". Uh, yeah, they'd have been able to fit the remains of the imperial capital in a thimble if THAT thing hit. ;p

13

Teach me to post comments on well-read blogs when I'm off my meds, ha!  It's one way to get a mild taste of what Steven gets on Metafilter, I suppose.

I still think this is much ado about nothing, but I guess the mayor decided squat was going to get done tomorrow anyway.