INLAND FLOODING POTENTIAL
I've had a lot of questions today about the potential for inland flooding, especially if the surge pushes water up the bayous rather than allowing them to drain.
Here's the response I received from the Harris County Flood District, which maintains the area's bayous:
If we experience storm surge, the bayous that would first be affected are those adjacent to Galveston Bay: the Galveston Bay watershed, Clear Creek, San Jacinto River and Cedar Bayou. Depending on how great the surge is, other channels that could be affected are: Houston Ship Channel, Armand Bayou, Goose Creek, Vince and Little Vince bayous and lower Buffalo Bayou.
Just so you know, a common myth about storm surge that we hear a lot is that a storm surge will handicap our bayou system's ability to drain. Actually, the majority of the bayous in Harris County will continue to function effectively during a storm surge. Most of our creeks and bayous are upland and drain by gravity.
Because of their natural slope toward Galveston Bay, a storm surge caused by a hurricane will not impede this process, as water will always flow downhill. Of the roughly 2,500 miles of channel in Harris County, only a small portion located near the bay will experience a limited ability to drain during a storm surge.
Furthermore, there is a gap in time from when a surge occurs and when rainfall in our area eventually drains into the bay. The storm surge occurs before and during a hurricane's landfall. By the time our area's rainfall drains through creeks and bayous to the bay, the storm surge will have receded.
Given the expectation that most areas will receive 2 to 4 inches of rainfall, and that isolated totals should only reach 10 inches, I do not anticipate significant inland flooding problems at this time.
The problems should be along the coast, and they're potentially very bad.
that's interesting. Did not know that!!
