I would love to see the results of a non-biased study of the depth of flooding as compared to the amount of paved surface area in this area as compared to the area 50 or 60 years ago.
I think the area would have still flooded (that’s a lot of rain) but I would like to know how much of that water would have been absorbed and percolated into the ground in undisturbed natural soils versus paved surfaces.
Roofs, sidewalks, road surfaces, parking lots, and a lot of other human modified surfaces are pretty much impermeable and contribute a lot to the potential for flooding.
Of course your question would be answered somewhat in the affirmative - yes, naturally, all the additional paved and building occupied surfaces that lead to run off instead of opportunity for either natural flood plain ability or general absorption, does have some part in additional flooding in an area. THAT could be offset IF during all that additional paving and development, additional flood channels were built to take in all the additional expected run off, as well as if natural flood plains were not built over, and additional man made flood plains - where flooding could be channeled away from developed land - were built as well; all-in-all to account for additional run off that would have otherwise just hit open soil.
Then again, the high clay content of a lot of land around Houston remains an issue in all major storms. Clay will hold a very large amount of water, but it absorbs water not very rapidly; meaning flooding is often an immediate affect of rain with such soil, and the length of it is dependent on the length and amount of rain. In regular storms in Houston it easily floods many highways quickly, and generally subsides pretty soon as well.
In Houston, when I was there, any big rain meant - pull over for few minutes, wait for the rain to stop and then shortly the flooding would start to go down, and we’d resume the drive. That was the 1980s and we were not there in a Hurricane.
While all that is mostly true, the rainfall density precludes absorption. That is, it was raining so hard, so fast, it would mostly runoff any way.
When the terrain is flat and pretty much at sea level, there is no place for the water to quickly drain. The paving has little or no effect. You have recited what amounts to fake news