Professor Clifford Thies, are you good at economics? If you are you had best stick to that and stop talking out of your hat because you don’t know the first thing about hydrology or flood control.
I won’t even bother to explain why you are wrong because you are so wrong in so many areas.
Houston is built in a really bad place. It is going to flood and it is too late to stop that. It is going to flood worse because it is also sinking.
A couple of inches a year. IIUC.
I used to work for AIG. Back in the days it was focused on insuring the oil industry (before it got involved with mortgage guarantees). The company’s strength was in engineering. Our actuaries didn’t just quote risk. They, along with the engineers, developed plans involving the abatement of risk where that was economic, and quoted on the risk that remained. We had the best engineers and that’s why we were #1.
Rainfall happens. There’s a certain predictability/variability to it. But, the impact of the rainfall, in terms of torrential rainfall and in terms of lack of rainfall, is affected by water control systems.
Houston embraced a far-sighted water control system following the floods of 1935. This involved dry reservoirs and a lot more. I focus on the dry reservoirs because of their innovative idea. Today, dry reservoirs are catching on in the world. The idea of reserving land as parks or as farmlands, and having them available when the 100-year flood comes is now well-established. Think of having an armory. From time to time, it can be used for mobilization. Otherwise, it can be used for basketball games and gun shows and stuff.
The Houston system was compromised, a little here and little there, by development. So that the capacity of the system was diminished. I wonder, since you criticize me, if you’re feeling guilty about it. I’m not criticizing you or anybody else. I’m not into the blame game. I’m into the lessons-learned game.