Hurricane Harvey Public Advisory

[Elderberry]

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Keeping all of my fellow Texans that are being affected by this storm in my prayers.

Be safe and don't try to be a hero.

What I am hoping is that people , instead of going outside in a bad element, relearn card games and talking to each other without outside disturbances like television cell phones or emails.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

We made a second evacuation, out of Sienna Plantation and into higher ground in Missouri City, Quail Valley.

That is your old stomping ground, as I recall.  Mine too. 

Peace be with you, bro.

[libertybele]

What I am hoping is that people , instead of going outside in a bad element, relearn card games and talking to each other without outside disturbances like television cell phones or emails.

 

[endicom]

Help is coming in from many places, far away.

https://www.facebook.com/FDNY/posts/10155501008945729

The New York Task Force-1 team is a compilation of FDNY and NYPD members, all from Special Operations. We're being deployed from New York City to Texas to help in rescue and recovery. We are set to stage in San Antonio and we're going to await orders depending on the severity of the damage. We are set up for all types of rescues, including swiftwater rescues. We have a compilation of tools that include boats, motors, dry suits, rescue equipment for collapsed structures, rope equipment for confined spaces, and a large compilation of Haz-Mat equipment and tools. We're also supplied with a large, self-sufficient cache of food and supplies that make us sustainable for up to 72 hours in a row. I believe we're ready to face any danger," says FDNY Battalion Chief Jack Flatley, Task Force Leader of New York City’s elite Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) NY Task Force-1, which was deployed in the early hours of Sunday, August 27, to assist those affected by Hurricane Harvey. The team is comprised of FDNY and NYPD members trained to respond to catastrophic events, and it has been activated in the past to assist with emergency response throughout the world, including Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. In 2016, the team rescued/removed over 100 people affected by Hurricane Matthew in North Carolina. FDNY Rescue Paramedic Silvana Uzcategui says, "We are trained to save lives before patients are extricated from natural or man-made disasters. Our role in Texas is to provide medical care, to take care of civilians and the task force members. We're in the disaster zone. We're expecting torrential rains, winds, floods, and chaotic conditions. We're ready for it.

De Blasio actually said something I liked in expressing appreciation for the help received after Sandy.

[thackney]

That is your old stomping ground, as I recall.  Mine too. 

Peace be with you, bro.

Yep, today we are in the house my wife grew up in.  Mandatory Evacuations for our old address in the area.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I heard one guy talking about a 'thousand year event', and that says a lot. Is the whole town inundated or are there some high areas in Houston that are still above the floods (aside from interchanges and overpasses)?

It sounds like the warnings to evacuate were staged to some extent, just that the storm was underestimated.

The highest I heard was five hundred.    What is mostly happening is that basically Houston is flat.  It has massive drainage in its Bayous which are cement lined to transport lots of rainwater, but the deluge going on has overwhelmed them.  The tributaries going into the Bayous are backed up which are then backing up storm sewers into the streets.

Also, neighborhoods not flooded are trapped by nearby streets that have water over them so people cannot move out anyway.

[Elderberry]

The highest I heard was five hundred.    What is mostly happening is that basically Houston is flat.  It has massive drainage in its Bayous which are cement lined to transport lots of rainwater, but the deluge going on has overwhelmed them.  The tributaries going into the Bayous are backed up which are then backing up storm sewers into the streets.

Also, neighborhoods not flooded are trapped by nearby streets that have water over them so people cannot move out anyway.

They were calling it an 800year event on the news.

Brazos County Judge Robert Hebert told reporters the forecast crest represented a high not seen in at least 800 years.

"What we're seeing is the most devastating flood event in Houston's recorded history," said Steve Bowen, chief meteorologist at reinsurance company Aon Benfield.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/28/reuters-america-update-3-houston-crippled-by-catastrophic-flooding-with-more-rain-on-the-way.html

[GrouchoTex]

Just to give you an idea of how big of an area is affected:

You could fit the area of the city limits of Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Baltimore and still not cover all of Houston city limits.

.....And Houston is not the only area affected.

[GtHawk]

Just to give you an idea of how big of an area is affected:

You could fit the area of the city limits of Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Baltimore and still not cover all of Houston city limits.

.....And Houston is not the only area affected.

Well they say everything is bigger in Texas, unfortunately that got applied to this damn storm. Continued prayers for all those affected, Man and Beast.

[GrouchoTex]

Let face facts.
We live on a volatile planet.
Full of beauty and wonder, but it can be a violent place.

[austingirl]

Fox 26 in Houston has a live stream on Facebook. Watching citizen/heroes with their boats rescuing people in Spring, TX. God bless them.

[Wingnut]

Let face facts.
We live on a volatile planet.
Full of beauty and wonder, but it can be a violent place.

Before insurance people moved.  After the Government stepped in...people rebuilt and rebuilt

[GrouchoTex]

Before insurance people moved.  After the Government stepped in...people rebuilt and rebuilt

Yet, where are you 100 percent safe, anywhere?
Maybe if you are a liberal on a college campus, you can get a safe space, but that's about it.

[AllThatJazzZ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6zbgUIQJQo

[Smokin Joe]

... bottom line is we have a whole lot of people needing help and a state that has been devastated.  I feel that the mayor put more in jeopardy than was needed and he should accept blame for going against the recommendations of the governor of the State.

At any rate, praying for those in Huston and the surrounding area and prayers for all those going in for the rescues.

Agreed!

[Smokin Joe]

Before insurance people moved.  After the Government stepped in...people rebuilt and rebuilt

That happened when 5K beach cottages suddenly became worth multiples of that. Hurricane would wipe them out, Insurance would pay on current market value. Rebuild, as the real estate price keeps going up and wait for the next storm...

Governments are getting away from permitting people to build on flood plains and the like, simply because it is less complicated all around for SAR, emergency services, etc. Parks and golf courses where feasible.

[GrouchoTex]

Agreed!

Sorry, @libertybele and @Smokin Joe

I agree with both of you on a lot of things, but not this.

Information was provided and people made their choice, as it should be.
We are conservatives, right?
We embrace the ability of people to have the freedom to make their own decisions, without Government interference, even if that means they have the right to choose poorly.
Private property rights and individual rights are still a tenet of what makes us unique as a nation.

[Wingnut]

Yet, where are you 100 percent safe, anywhere?
Maybe if you are a liberal on a college campus, you can get a safe space, but that's about it.

Not sure of your tone.   Could be you agree.  Could be you don't...   That being said...Risk is Risk.  Why should the Gov Underwrite it.

[GrouchoTex]

Not sure of your tone.   Could be you agree.  Could be you don't...   That being said...Risk is Risk.  Why should the Gov Underwrite it.

We do agree on this.

 

Not sure what my tone is either, but I'd figure it's off key.

[Elderberry]

Addressing the Zombie Hurricane Harvey scenario

https://spacecityweather.com/addressing-the-zombie-hurricane-harvey-scenario/



Today, there has been a lot of chatter on social media about the potential for the remnants of Harvey to move offshore into the Gulf of Mexico by around Monday, whereupon it might strengthen into a hurricane again and make a second landfall over Houston. This is obviously a scary scenario, but frankly it’s not one we’re losing too much sleep about here. The main threat for Houston remains heavy rains and inland flooding. But let’s discuss this anyway, because we’ve had a lot of questions regarding it.

For readers who been with us a few days, you’ll recall that we’ve been discussing the “Euro special” scenario since Thursday. The idea is that a drifting Harvey would wander southeast this weekend, and move back over the Gulf of Mexico. That seems increasingly likely to occur, although it’s far from locked in. Even with the European model, which has most consistently held to this solution, only about two-thirds of the ensemble members have the storm offshore on Tuesday.

While the center may move offshore for a day or two, the fact remains that Harvey no longer has an inner core, and what remains of it will deteriorate further while it is over land Sunday and at least part of Monday. This, along with its proximity to land, should limit intensification. In the official National Hurricane Center forecast released Sunday afternoon, hurricane scientists predicted that it may attain 45 mph winds offshore, but was not likely to strengthen further.

[Wingnut]

We do agree on this.

 

Not sure what my tone is either, but I'd figure it's off key.

Lets sing off key together!      Know any sea shanties?   

[GrouchoTex]

Lets sing off key together!      Know any sea shanties?   

What would Jimmy Buffett do?

[GtHawk]

Lets sing off key together!      Know any sea shanties?   

Why don't you guys try this one?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGyPuey-1Jw

[Elderberry]

[Smokin Joe]

Sorry, @libertybele and @Smokin Joe

I agree with both of you on a lot of things, but not this.

Information was provided and people made their choice, as it should be.
We are conservatives, right?
We embrace the ability of people to have the freedom to make their own decisions, without Government interference, even if that means they have the right to choose poorly.
Private property rights and individual rights are still a tenet of what makes us unique as a nation.

I wasn't saying whether the Mayor should have ordered people out or not. People do ignore mandatory evac orders, too.

The implications of predicting natural events are much the same for any urban area or event, be that a storm, an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption. Predict it, and there will be a certain number of people who get killed in the panic to evacuate, ordered or otherwise. Businesses will shut down, people leave, and those businesses will be even more susceptible to looters than they would be otherwise, ditto upscale (or for that matter, ANY) homes.
If you are right, and the prediction comes to pass, there will be devastation.
If you are wrong, and it doesn't, the death and destruction will be laid at your doorstep, along with any loss of revenue from the interruption in business.

It's why geologists don't usually predict volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, except in a general way.  And why mayors might be slow to call for evacuation. The only way you are a 'good guy' is if the worst case comes to pass and you predict it or nothing happens and you didn't call for evacuation. Any other combination of events and you are the lame duck.

People are allegedly educated, so provide the information, even assign likelyhood of adverse events, and let them act accordingly. Short of a volunteer brown water navy, picking people off of rooftops by helo gets expensive, as does providing shelter for the masses. Far cheaper to let them haul themselves and their stuff out of harm's way.

People have a right to be stupid, but that doesn't mean we have to subsidize it. If an area is extremely high risk, maybe the owner won't be able to get insurance. It's up to them to rebuild on their dime or sell the land for a park after getting paid for the previous dwelling by the insurance company that will no longer underwrite it.

You want that beach house on the cape, don't come crying to me when the hurricane hits to pay to rebuild it.  Especially at six figures or more. So that's where I am coming from. People are ultimately responsible for their own fate.

[Smokin Joe]

Lets sing off key together!      Know any sea shanties?   

Who's that knocking at my door?
Who's that knocking at my door?
Who's that knocking at my door?
Asked the fair young maiden....

Open the door you rotten...

Oops. Family channel. Barnacle Bill will just have to wait.

[GrouchoTex]

I wasn't saying whether the Mayor should have ordered people out or not. People do ignore mandatory evac orders, too.

The implications of predicting natural events are much the same for any urban area or event, be that a storm, an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption. Predict it, and there will be a certain number of people who get killed in the panic to evacuate, ordered or otherwise. Businesses will shut down, people leave, and those businesses will be even more susceptible to looters than they would be otherwise, ditto upscale (or for that matter, ANY) homes.
If you are right, and the prediction comes to pass, there will be devastation.
If you are wrong, and it doesn't, the death and destruction will be laid at your doorstep, along with any loss of revenue from the interruption in business.

It's why geologists don't usually predict volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, except in a general way.  And why mayors might be slow to call for evacuation. The only way you are a 'good guy' is if the worst case comes to pass and you predict it or nothing happens and you didn't call for evacuation. Any other combination of events and you are the lame duck.

People are allegedly educated, so provide the information, even assign likelyhood of adverse events, and let them act accordingly. Short of a volunteer brown water navy, picking people off of rooftops by helo gets expensive, as does providing shelter for the masses. Far cheaper to let them haul themselves and their stuff out of harm's way.

People have a right to be stupid, but that doesn't mean we have to subsidize it. If an area is extremely high risk, maybe the owner won't be able to get insurance. It's up to them to rebuild on their dime or sell the land for a park after getting paid for the previous dwelling by the insurance company that will no longer underwrite it.

You want that beach house on the cape, don't come crying to me when the hurricane hits to pay to rebuild it.  Especially at six figures or more. So that's where I am coming from. People are ultimately responsible for their own fate.

@Smokin Joe

Fair enough.
I don't disagree with this at all.

[Gefn]

I just got a text from my second cousin in Dallas

They are ok. A tree came down, missed their house by inches but they are fine..

She's going a bit nuts with two children under three at the moment inside.  I told her I'd mail some coloring books and games via Amazon. I hope that helps. She has a three year old boy and a six month old girl. :)

[Victoria33]

@CatherineofAragon
@roamer_1
@INVAR
@txradioguy
@Freya

About Governor Abbott and the mayor of Houston and the county judge of Harris County.

Abbott made it clear today that evacuation orders are not determined by him.  It is the responsibility of the Houston mayor and county judge regarding evacuation.  Both the county judge and mayor agreed.  That is the beginning and ending of it.  If the citizens of Houston don't want the mayor, they can vote for someone else next time.  If they don't want the county judge, they can vote for someone else next time.

I lived a few blocks from Hwy. 45 in Conroe.  Days before Rita Hurricane, the evacuation order was made that people had to leave Galveston and Houston.  I saw cars stopped on 45 all the way through Conroe.  Whoever was in charge, had put barriers at every exit.  No car was allowed to exit in Conroe - they were forced to stay on that highway  They were not moving, period.  Cars ran out of gas and littered the highway.  They could be dying from no water but they could not get off that highway due to the barriers.

After people died on the highway, the next hurricane was Ike.  No demand was made to evacuate due to how bad the Rita evacuation was.

Changes were made by Gov. Perry after Rita.  Refueling trucks were stationed on the exit highways to give free gas to anyone who ran out of gas.  Contra flow lanes were designated if evacuation had to happen.

With this present hurricane that blew up within one/two days, no forced evacuation could happen.  Millions cannot get out in one day.  Had there been more days of notice, the more vulnerable could have been taken out first in buses, then the next group could go out and so on, supported by the gasoline trucks.

The mayor of Houston doesn't seem to be very bright, but with only really just one day to evacuate people, it was not going to happen if he was the brightest tack in the box.

All manner of emergencies and how to deal with them is in my freaking book.  Be sure you get one before North Korea sends a nuke into our atomosphere and explodes it, creating an NEMP (Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse).  Now, I have to get back to writing the Index at the back of the freaking book.

[austingirl]

Two more mandatory evacuations announced due to levee issues.

[AllThatJazzZ]

@CatherineofAragon
@roamer_1
@INVAR
@txradioguy
@Freya

About Governor Abbott and the mayor of Houston and the county judge of Harris County.

Abbott made it clear today that evacuation orders are not determined by him.  It is the responsibility of the Houston mayor and county judge regarding evacuation.  Both the county judge and mayor agreed.  That is the beginning and ending of it.  If the citizens of Houston don't want the mayor, they can vote for someone else next time.  If they don't want the county judge, they can vote for someone else next time.

I lived a few blocks from Hwy. 45 in Conroe.  Days before Rita Hurricane, the evacuation order was made that people had to leave Galveston and Houston.  I saw cars stopped on 45 all the way through Conroe.  Whoever was in charge, had put barriers at every exit.  No car was allowed to exit in Conroe - they were forced to stay on that highway  They were not moving, period.  Cars ran out of gas and littered the highway.  They could be dying from no water but they could not get off that highway due to the barriers.

After people died on the highway, the next hurricane was Ike.  No demand was made to evacuate due to how bad the Rita evacuation was.

Changes were made by Gov. Perry after Rita.  Refueling trucks were stationed on the exit highways to give free gas to anyone who ran out of gas.  Contra flow lanes were designated if evacuation had to happen.

With this present hurricane that blew up within one/two days, no forced evacuation could happen.  Millions cannot get out in one day.  Had there been more days of notice, the more vulnerable could have been taken out first in buses, then the next group could go out and so on, supported by the gasoline trucks.

The mayor of Houston doesn't seem to be very bright, but with only really just one day to evacuate people, it was not going to happen if he was the brightest tack in the box.

All manner of emergencies and how to deal with them is in my freaking book.  Be sure you get one before North Korea sends a nuke into our atomosphere and explodes it, creating an NEMP (Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse).  Now, I have to get back to writing the Index at the back of the freaking book.

Applause! Applause! Applause! Applause! Applause!

[GrouchoTex]

Two more mandatory evacuations announced due to levee issues.

Just saw that Ft Bend Co judge on Channel 2

[austingirl]

Fox 26 live on Facebook showing water rescues by citizen/heroes near Tidwell. Frightening enough during the day- but at night-wow. Rain pouring down still.

[DB]

Applause! Applause! Applause! Applause! Applause!

They must know where the lowest areas are and just ask those to evacuate, not the entire city. You would also think cities like this would have a massive fleet of shallow water boats ready to go.

[GrouchoTex]

They must know where the lowest areas are and just ask those to evacuate, not the entire city. You would also think cities like this would have a massive fleet of shallow water boats ready to go.

Just say no to big government.

You may feel free to purchase and donate a massive fleet of shallow water boats, if you like.

Should California be mandated to install fire sprinklers, in all the forest, to keep the dangers from forest fires down?

[NavyCanDo]

Well they say everything is bigger in Texas, unfortunately that got applied to this damn storm. Continued prayers for all those affected, Man and Beast.

Now that something we havn't heard much about "Beast". The numbets of pets and livestock that must have been affected by this must be huge.

[roamer_1]

They must know where the lowest areas are and just ask those to evacuate, not the entire city. You would also think cities like this would have a massive fleet of shallow water boats ready to go.

 Probably unnecessary... Unlike back east, out west, every redneck boy for miles around has a shallow water boat (read bass boat, duck boat), not to mention small craft from the beaches...
All you'd have to do is send out a call, and promise beer, pulled pork sammiches, and a place to bunk up at the end of the day, and they'll all come a'runnin... Or Texas ain't as much like the Rockies as I think it is (which can't be true)

[GrouchoTex]

Now that something we havn't heard much about "Beast". The numbets of pets and livestock that must have been affected by this must be huge.

A lesson learned from Katrina.

Many people refused to evacuate or go to shelters, because they wouldn't take pets.
The message was out that the shelters here would let you bring your pets, preferably in carriers.

[GrouchoTex]

Probably unnecessary... Unlike back east, out west, every redneck boy for miles around has a shallow water boat (read bass boat, duck boat), not to mention small craft from the beaches...
All you'd have to do is send out a call, and promise beer, pulled pork sammiches, and a place to bunk up at the end of the day, and they'll all come a'runnin... Or Texas ain't as much like the Rockies as I think it is (which can't be true)

@roamer_1

It is pretty much the truth here. Most of the rescues you are seeing on TV are done by other residents, and people with boats coming in from out of the area with boats.

Lots of Houston area residents helped Louisiana out when they were flooded.
Several people are here from Louisiana now, returning the favor.

FYI, we prefer smoked Beef Brisket over pulled pork any day, and every Texan knows this.

[DB]

Just say no to big government.

You may feel free to purchase and donate a massive fleet of shallow water boats, if you like.

Should California be mandated to install fire sprinklers, in all the forest, to keep the dangers from forest fires down?

So where did I say anything about mandates?

And why is it you have fire stations and firefighting equipment if you want to say no to "big government" on basic equipment to address the reoccurring threats you have?

You have resources on hand for the sort of natural threats your area faces at your own areas expense. No less, no more.

[GrouchoTex]

So where did I say anything about mandates?

And why is it you have fire stations and firefighting equipment if you want to say no to "big government" on basic equipment to address the reoccurring threats you have?

You have resources on hand for the sort of natural threats your area faces at your own areas expense. No less, no more.

You said the city should have a massive fleet of shallow boats.
What does that suggest?
How massive?
At whose expense?
Tax, mandate, or fine people who don't own boats in flood prone areas?
= big government.

I get it.
Everyone is reacting to the horror they are seeing, and basically saying " someone should do something ".
It is understandable.
This is unprecedented.
We can all 2nd guess this, but this isn't normal, by any stretch of the imagination.
The loss of life has been remarkably low, considering.
Something is going right in all of this.

[Hoodat]

My two cents:

First of all, this isn't something that came out of nowhere.  Last Wednesday when Harvey was still a tropical depression, reports were warning of up to 30 inches of rain for the Texas coast including Houston.  So for those who say there was no time because Harvey became a Cat 3 hurricane in less than 30 hrs, this is a non-issue.   It was never hurricane winds that threatened Houston.  It was always the rain.



By Friday, the warning had surpassed 40 in.  Every indication showed that the storm would stall and dump "biblical" amounts of rain.


Now for the politics of it.  It was the mayor's office that chose to politicized the non-evacuation.  After the Governor issued his Friday statement, “You don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you could be subject to a search and rescue.", the director of Harris County Emergency Services mocked the Governor's advice by tweeting in all-caps that "LOCAL LEADERS KNOW BEST".

Bottom line, if the weather people are telling you for three days that the flood of a century is coming, and you happen to live in low elevation areas, then you have no business listening to any official telling you to SIP in an area that is going to be under water soon.

Of course none of this takes away from the seriousness of this tragedy.  But when the mayor's office decides to use this event to score some political points against the governor, then they deserve being called out on it.

[GtHawk]

Now that something we havn't heard much about "Beast". The numbets of pets and livestock that must have been affected by this must be huge.

Pets, livestock and all the earthbound creatures of the wild that couldn't possibly escape what was happening, nature will have a huge vacum to fill once the waters recede.

[GrouchoTex]

I am not trying to pick a fight with anyone, but let me try and explain this the best I know how.

The city limits of Houston is large than The city limits of Detroit,Chicago, Baltimore, and Philadelphia combined

The places affected are in an area 3 times that.

People aren't entirely stupid here. Whenever you move into a new area around here, you find out how often it floods. Floods are a fact of life here. So, if you find out that the area you moving into hasn't flooded. Or that it used to before certain improvements, etc., you have a choice to make.

What has happened is, places that haven't flooded before, flooded now. How do you prepare for that.

Some poeple just won't leave, no matter what.

Who to blame? I don't know. Meteorologists? God? Government? Mother nature? Seems like a futile exercise. As long as you have hurricanes, you have unpredictability.

Finally, if I seem to be living up to my name, I apologize.
Groucho Marx was one of my heroes, due to his sarcastic humor. I have been awake quite a bit for the last 4 days, and old Groucho has become just Grouch, so it seems.

[roamer_1]

It is pretty much the truth here. Most of the rescues you are seeing on TV are done by other residents, and people with boats coming in from out of the area with boats.

@GrouchoTex
I figured so... Knew it to be so... and I only called y'all on the carpet as a matter of form. Western / Southern folks are much the same everywhere, and Texas is both... Even if you do bend your hats funny ;)

FYI, we prefer smoked Beef Brisket over pulled pork any day, and every Texan knows this.

LOL! I ain't had pig in my mouth since my birthday 5 years ago.
Round here, if bad stuff happens, emergency and rescue is normally based out of the fairgrounds, and of course, the facilities are geared for fairgrounds fare, so that's what you get. 'Pulled Pork Sammiches' would merely be symbolic of that fare, though largely present therein.

I tend toward beef, elk, and venison...

[GrouchoTex]

@GrouchoTex
I figured so... Knew it to be so... and I only called y'all on the carpet as a matter of form. Western / Southern folks are much the same everywhere, and Texas is both... Even if you do bend your hats funny ;)

LOL! I ain't had pig in my mouth since my birthday 5 years ago.
Round here, if bad stuff happens, emergency and rescue is normally based out of the fairgrounds, and of course, the facilities are geared for fairgrounds fare, so that's what you get. 'Pulled Pork Sammiches' would merely be symbolic of that fare, though largely present therein.

I tend toward beef, elk, and venison...

@roamer_1

LOL. Don't get me wrong, Smoked pulled pork and ribs are good, I'll eat'em, but I do prefer Brisket.
Yes,Texas is a unique blend of west and south, with German,Cajun, and Mexican influences thrown in, for good measure.
As for hats, I'll quote Lyle Lovett.

It never complains
It never cries
It looks so good
And it fits just right

[roamer_1]

As for hats, I'll quote Lyle Lovett.

It never complains
It never cries
It looks so good
And it fits just right

@GrouchoTex
That's it... I think it's the wind down there... That'd be why all y'all taco the sides up, or do that Oklahoma curl...

Up here a Gus style hat (also called a Montana  crease), and the brim is laid wide and bent front and back... Keeps the snow off of ya. Wind ain't as much a thing.

[DB]

You said the city should have a massive fleet of shallow boats.
What does that suggest?
How massive?
At whose expense?
Tax, mandate, or fine people who don't own boats in flood prone areas?
= big government.

I get it.
Everyone is reacting to the horror they are seeing, and basically saying " someone should do something ".
It is understandable.
This is unprecedented.
We can all 2nd guess this, but this isn't normal, by any stretch of the imagination.
The loss of life has been remarkably low, considering.
Something is going right in all of this.

Shallow water flat bottom boats are cheap and last a long time in storage. Not exactly a large expense for something that seems to happen often enough to justify them. Who should pay for it, the people who live there. People who live in snow country pay for snow equipment. People who live in fire country pay for forest fire equipment including aircraft that fight fire. It comes with where you choose to live. It is incumbent on the community to prepare for what nature dishes out in a foreseeable way in their area - and not the rest of the country. And no, I don't want to mandate any of this. Some things are just common sense or suffer the consequences. Their choice.

[GrouchoTex]

@GrouchoTex
That's it... I think it's the wind down there... That'd be why all y'all taco the sides up, or do that Oklahoma curl...

Up here a Gus style hat (also called a Montana  crease), and the brim is laid wide and bent front and back... Keeps the snow off of ya. Wind ain't as much a thing.

Gotta admit, I never got that taco sides thing, but I see more and more of'em all the time.