FEMA Flood Plain Maps

Started by hpinson, August 29, 2017, 02:14:46 PM

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hpinson

The flooding events in southeast Texas serve as a good reminder to check flood plain maps for property where you plan on building.

https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search

MountainDon

#1
Also pay attention to the age of the map. As areas are developed, the development process may change the flood plain. This is especially something to note in areas with higher density properties, such as Houston. More roads, more parking lots, equal more immediate run off water. In the past decade approx 1 million people moved there. Many, if not most, of those are in suburban areas, not concentrated in high rises.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


Dave Sparks

Your kidding, if not that is alot of people ;D
"we go where the power lines don't"

hpinson

I suspect FEMA, USGS and USDA will be revisiting flood time estimates in the future. 3 500 year floods in the Houston area in three years does not bode well from these event indicators.

An fantastic visualization - and an article to the man made aspects of Houston flooding:

2016 prediction visualization:

https://www.texastribune.org/hell-and-high-water/

The problem:

http://projects.propublica.org/houston-cypress/

Fits right in with EPA Director Scott Pruitt's recent ignorant remark that "Science should not direct government policy."

Couple that with lax or non-existant zoning and code structural and infrastructure regulation.



MountainDon

Quote from: Dave Sparks on August 29, 2017, 03:40:21 PM
Your kidding, if not that is alot of people ;D

:-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
d* d*  not a million million, just one million   d* d*

Sorry, I normally proof read pretty good  ;)
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


MountainDon

#5
Quote from: hpinson on August 29, 2017, 04:11:26 PM

Couple that with lax or non-existant zoning and code structural and infrastructure regulation.

But TX is the land of the free. Actually they have the regulations for the most part, it's the enforcement that lacks in many places.  But TX does have a lot of exemptions IIRC.
edit: This morning I stand corrected... Harris county apparently has no zoning regulations. None. Plus the soil there is among the most non absorbent soil in the entire country.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Dave Sparks

They probably looked at the soil and said  c*
There were so many who moved there from New Orleans and thought at least we are above the ocean.
It is so sad to see really nice homes go under water like the ones I have seen on U-tube.
"we go where the power lines don't"