affront to send even though I
on absolutely free.
>> It was 8/25/2017 hurricane
Harvey began its damaging rain
in
southeast Texas over a span
of 4 days or region receive an
unbelievable 48 inches of rain.
A 160,000 homes flooded
courtesy of Mother Nature.
But how much of the damage
might have been self-inflicted.
>> Jim Blackburn is the
co-director of the severe storm
prediction and evacuation from
disasters center. Otherwise
known as the speed Center at
Rice University. And Jim, good
to see you this morning.
Your report call the Houston
flooding 3 and a half years
after Harvey was a main take
away from that report, then
what should we be most
concerned about.
>> Well, I think the biggest
take away is that climate
change is that
it’s happening. We are seeing
it in Harvey. We saw back with
Alison
Friday. I think we’re going
to say more severe rain events
in the future. We’re going to
see more severe Hurricanes.
It feature.
And it’s a real up on about
risk for a heart beat and we’ve
got a serious. We have grown in
this community as well. And
that means we paved over a lot
of areas that would have been
natural drainage and other kind
of things that would help to
impede.
>> The flow to the bayous and
what not. What does all of this
pavement due to the
future for our flood potential
is not. We’re not good at
digging up this payment.
So I can’t imagine is going to
make it
any better.
>> Now. I mean, the pavement is
part of our problem. But I
think also we developed a
cluster of by u n with the type
of rainfall we saw with Harvey.
We’re going to need more rain
for the waters. I think over
time, unfortunately, we’re
going to have to buy a lot of
1007 people don’t want to be
bought out. People like their
neighborhoods. But I think it’s
been tougher. We will hopefully
have the money around to the
buyout. Those that are the
deepest into these. But by we
need more room for water in
this community.
>> So let’s talk about climate
change for a minute and the
role it will play and how we
will be impacted in the years
to come. The first forecast
from Colorado state came this
for this coming
hurricane season calling for
more than active normal season
17 named storms 5 more than
average calling for above
average Hurricanes. Major
Hurricanes as well. How do you
propose flood planning should
take climate change into
account because you clearly
feel that it’s a big, big part
of what we should do
going forward.
>> There’s there’s no question
it is the hardest problem.
I think I’ve ever encountered
almost in by career studying
these
things because all of our past
that you have the statistics
that we depend on
or change and we we’re used to
using the past as an indicator
of the future and with climate
change. You can’t do that.
So we need new Tech names.
We need new concept and they
have to be developed in
developed
very soon. What I would also
say is that we’re going to see
the storms in the gulf. That
may be a tropical cyclones.
One day. Intensifying
incredibly graphically. That
seems to be one of the trends
in rapid intensification.
And I’m very concerned ration.
Not if I speak to the
probable spy. It also and
you’re looking at a very,
start, a Friday and people have
not had time to think back.
But that’s a good start.
So what do you what do you
suggest that we all do right
now as we try to get those folk
who are in charge. You can make
a difference.
>> To get this higher up on
the list of priorities. What do
you suggest that we can all do
to make a difference. I think
we’ve got to talk honestly
about
climate change. We have denied
for a long time. We’re down to
the point where we’re beginning
to except that the state of
Texas has
not really.
>> Jumped in as that seriously
as they need in. But we all
need to get on the same boat
the climate is changing and we
have to address it or the
methodology is that the Corps
of Engineers uses for the big
job flood protection projects
are not adequate to address
climate change. I think our
local thinking is not adequate
to address climate change,
although the buck from district
I think is doing as good a job
as anyone beginning to try to
act. But these are it
incredibly challenging problems
and we all need to kind of.
I think that the top of our
game and we’re not always at
the top of our game. We have a
lot of partisan politics has
been involved in
these issues. You know, we need
to get past. Their money is a
big deal as So where they’re
going to come from. The thing.
>> Well, we’re going to find it
and then we’re going to find at
the federal level, the state
level and the local level
because if we don’t put up
protection that they think it’s
possible
surge. Flooding. We can use.
Those are whole manufacturing
bout system out there on the
Houston ship channel. It.
We’re incredibly vulnerable to
that brings a big surge in job.
If I can get 3040, miles down
the coast. But it’s a
tremendous damage of the
Houston ship for.
Those are the same types of
events that keep me awake at
night and it really worries
that is the big surge yet.
We also portend the big
rainfall. It is that those are
2 different types of flooding
that the 2 of them surge
flooding on hosted by love and
it will destroy not only houses
but manufactured some of its
Houston flooding 3 and a half
years after Harvey great
report. Jim, thank you for I’m
going to put a link to your
full report.
>> On houstonnewsmakers page on
click 2 Houston dot com, good
reading. I hope that everyone