People in southeastern Texas are urgently warned to stay indoors. Imelda causes widespread flooding

[bronxiteforever]

Source: CNN

By Jason Hanna, Gianluca Mezzofiore and Madeline Holcombe, CNN
Updated 12:27 PM ET, Thu September 19, 2019

(CNN)Remnants of former Tropical Depression Imelda were causing serious floods in Houston suburbs and the Beaumont area Thursday, trapping people in homes and vehicles, spurring urgent rescues, and prompting warnings across southeastern Texas for people to stay indoors.
...The storm, formerly a tropical storm and a tropical depression, has brought intense rain to southeastern Texas since Tuesday. Many places outside Houston have received more than 10 inches; parts of Jefferson County have seen more than 30; and another 5 to 10 inches of rain could come Thursday.
...In the Beaumont area of Jefferson County, some neighborhoods looked like lakes Thursday. Video posted by state game wardens showed rescuers in an airboat, speeding down covered streets to surrounded homes.
"The situation here is turning worse by the minute," Michael Stephens, trapped by floodwaters at an apartment complex in the nearby city of Vidor, told CNN Thursday morning. "People have snakes in their apartments from the creek. ... (We) also have elderly disabled people stuck in their apartments."


Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/19/us/imelda-rain-forecast-thursday-wxc/index.html

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The new climate normal has come to the Gulf to stay. 30 inches of rain in one place.

[question everything]

1. And we just missed it by having the debate last week

Never understood why the DNC chose Houston in September..

[bronxiteforever]

4. Sounds like there could have been displaced snakes at the debate!

[wysimdnwyg]

2. Lots of rain causes flooding in the Houston area...

I admit I had to check the date on your link to be sure it wasn't just a re-post from Harvey.

I feel for the people down there. We've screwed up our climate so bad that some places are becoming magnets for this shit.

[bronxiteforever]

3. +1 agree. Those poor people in Houston again!

[question everything]

5. The city of Houston does not have building codes

and many benefited of the generosity of the federal flood insurance to keep building their homes again and again in the same place.

[bronxiteforever]

10. +1 It is frustrating. It's the same in so many states.

We are paying for land that is simply lost. We have been building on barrier islands on the East Coast forever and they keep getting flooded because they are barrier islands. Now add climate change to the mix and it is an expensive fools errand. Hatrack posted a great article about an Alabama island that keeps getting rebuilt after it floods.

I now remember reading about the lack of codes in Houston after the Hurricane but thanks for jogging my memory!

[Marcuse]

6. Trump warned Houston three weeks ago.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. There are parts of the area previously hard-hit by Harvey

that have reported upwards or greater than 40" of rain.

Until the past couple hours, the heaviest rain had focused to the east of the city proper but now an inflow from the Gulf into the system has been dropping down over the city itself and dumping copious amounts of rain. As you can imagine, the city has slowly been shutting down (including government offices) and suspending the public transit. They have basically asked people to shelter in place.

[Javaman]

8. people at my companies Houston office can't leave. they are stuck due to flood waters.

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. I got lucky. My boss sent us home at noon n/t

[IronLionZion]

9. Houston, we have a problem

[mbusby]

12. Cypress creek....

...has over-flowed out here in NW Harris county (same county as Houston).

[Trailrider1951]

13. Live coverage is here:

https://abc13.com/watch/

I lived in Houston for many years, 1981 through 2005. I no longer have family in the area, but I have many friends who still live there. My heart goes out to those affected.