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The only real problem is that this was a decision made ad hoc. People whose neighborhoods are likely to be flooded by such a decision should know years in adva

The only real problem is that this was a decision made ad hoc. People whose neighborhoods are likely to be flooded by such a decision should know years in advance that they are designated for it.

creaghpatr 9y ago
I had a friend in Houston who knew well in advance that his street was in the splash zone, so to speak. He got out way before it became bad but his building was later completely destroyed (he was a renter so it couldve been much worse.
- dalacv 9y ago
  It was much worse...just not for him :(
  - Filligree 9y ago
    His landlord hopefully had insurance. This was in a flood-control zone.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
jonwachob91 9y ago
>> The only real problem is that this was a decision made ad hoc. >> People whose neighborhoods are likely to be flooded by such a decision should know years in advance that they are designated for it. From the Article: "This land and many of the homes to the north and west of the dams are located in what’s known as the flood pool — the upstream portion of the reservoirs. [...] Many homeowners west of the Barker dam claim they didn’t know they were in a flood pool, that they hadn’t spotted the fine print on the bottom of some of their subdivision maps. (“Who looks at a subdivision map?” one resident asks.) The text of one such map reads, “This subdivision is adjacent to Barker Reservoir and is subject to extended controlled inundation under the management of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.” " Sounds like they were told, but didn't care enough. Other parts of the article state that many lawyers are refusing to take a lot of these lawsuits b/c they were in regions that are marked for exactly this scenario.
- kodablah 9y ago
  > Sounds like they were told Read further: "[...] many of the lawyers involved in the litigation asked [...] to separate claims from the north and west areas—the upstream ones—from downstream ones, to the south and east. [...] Most lawyers agree that the downstream cases stand the best chance of winning" So when you say "they were told", you only mean some and not even the primary litigants they were talking with and the lawyer-of-interest was focused on. So it's not a case of "didn't care enough" and saying that confuses an already confusing issue.
ynniv 9y ago
Flood zones are meticulously mapped, and owning a property in them usually requires Federally mandated flood insurance. [ http://www.harriscountyfemt.org/ http://www.harriscountyfemt.org/ ]
- maxerickson 9y ago
  Meticulous may not be the best word choice. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/09/07/hurricane-harvey-shows-how-floods-dont-pay-attention-to-flood-zone-maps-or-politicians/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/09/0... The gist of it is that people don't want their properties classified as being in a flood zone (flood insurance in a high risk area is necessarily expensive) and this does influence the maps.
- ocschwar 9y ago
  The insurance mandate is what's kept those flood zone maps from being updated, so it's not as meticulous as you might think. And it's not so much the insurance as you having to build for the flood when you ask for a building permit.
  - pabl0rg 9y ago
    Also, those neighborhoods are/were among the most expensive in Houston. Being reclassified as a flood zone would change that (it's one of the standard things a Houstonian looks at when buying land).

The only real problem is that this was a decision made ad hoc. People whose neighborhoods are likely to be flooded by such a decision should know years in advance that they are designated for it.

creaghpatr 9y ago

I had a friend in Houston who knew well in advance that his street was in the splash zone, so to speak. He got out way before it became bad but his building was later completely destroyed (he was a renter so it couldve been much worse.

dalacv 9y ago
It was much worse...just not for him :(
- Filligree 9y ago
  His landlord hopefully had insurance. This was in a flood-control zone.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

jonwachob91 9y ago

>> The only real problem is that this was a decision made ad hoc. >> People whose neighborhoods are likely to be flooded by such a decision should know years in advance that they are designated for it. From the Article: "This land and many of the homes to the north and west of the dams are located in what’s known as the flood pool — the upstream portion of the reservoirs. [...] Many homeowners west of the Barker dam claim they didn’t know they were in a flood pool, that they hadn’t spotted the fine print on the bottom of some of their subdivision maps. (“Who looks at a subdivision map?” one resident asks.) The text of one such map reads, “This subdivision is adjacent to Barker Reservoir and is subject to extended controlled inundation under the management of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.” " Sounds like they were told, but didn't care enough. Other parts of the article state that many lawyers are refusing to take a lot of these lawsuits b/c they were in regions that are marked for exactly this scenario.

kodablah 9y ago
> Sounds like they were told Read further: "[...] many of the lawyers involved in the litigation asked [...] to separate claims from the north and west areas—the upstream ones—from downstream ones, to the south and east. [...] Most lawyers agree that the downstream cases stand the best chance of winning" So when you say "they were told", you only mean some and not even the primary litigants they were talking with and the lawyer-of-interest was focused on. So it's not a case of "didn't care enough" and saying that confuses an already confusing issue.

ynniv 9y ago

Flood zones are meticulously mapped, and owning a property in them usually requires Federally mandated flood insurance. [ http://www.harriscountyfemt.org/ http://www.harriscountyfemt.org/ ]

maxerickson 9y ago
Meticulous may not be the best word choice. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/09/07/hurricane-harvey-shows-how-floods-dont-pay-attention-to-flood-zone-maps-or-politicians/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/09/0... The gist of it is that people don't want their properties classified as being in a flood zone (flood insurance in a high risk area is necessarily expensive) and this does influence the maps.
ocschwar 9y ago
The insurance mandate is what's kept those flood zone maps from being updated, so it's not as meticulous as you might think. And it's not so much the insurance as you having to build for the flood when you ask for a building permit.
- pabl0rg 9y ago
  Also, those neighborhoods are/were among the most expensive in Houston. Being reclassified as a flood zone would change that (it's one of the standard things a Houstonian looks at when buying land).