Images of Harvey's wrath

Google just updated their satellite imagery of Houston and other parts of Texas (flyover dates of August 29 and August 30, 2017 - why is it that Google can upload new imagery immediately after a natural disaster when it otherwise takes them cycles of 12 to 18 months to refresh their aerial coverages?). The images were taken after Harvey's clouds moved out and don't show the flooding at its worst, but they do show the devastation its winds and rains left behind, including parts of the metropolitan region that are still flooded (and could continue to be flooded for weeks to come, as the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs slowly drain) and entire neighborhoods of houses being gutted in a desperate race against mold.

I took a few screenshots from Google Earth; click any of the pictures below for a full-size version.

                                                                                                      Google Earth (Imagery Date: 8/30/2017)

This is the Canyon Gate subdivision of Cinco Ranch. It is underwater because, although it is nominally outside of the 100-year floodplain, it is still located inside the wall of the Barker Reservoir (visible directly below the subdivision). As the reservoir filled up from the deluge, the water had nowhere else to go and backed up into this neighborhood.

                                                                                                       Google Earth (Imagery Date: 8/30/2017)

To the north, behind the Addicks Reservoir, is the flooded Bear Creek Village subdivision. (I turned off the roads layer for better visibility of the floodwaters.) Like the Canyon Gate subdivision in the previous picture, it was only "outside" of the reservoir in that it was outside of the 100-year floodplain, which is, in reality, a rather flawed concept in regards to describing flood risk. I imagine that in the months to come there is going to be a lot of discussion about the futures of the subdivisions in an adjacent to these two reservoirs.


                                                                                                    Google Earth (Imagery Date: 8/30/2017)

The two reservoirs drain into Buffalo Bayou, which remains out of its banks as the US Army Corps of Engineers continues to release water from those dams at higher-than-normal rates. This means that thousands of homes - many of them high-end residences in Houston's upper-class Memorial neighborhoods - remain flooded. The situation in this part of town is such that electricity has been cut to flooded homes and the area still remains under a nighttime curfew. Many critical north-south thoroughfares on the west side of town, such as Gessner Road shown in the image above, remain impassible as well, creating massive traffic problems for the city.

                                                                                                      Google Earth (Imagery Date: 8/30/2017)

The aftermath of the flood can clearly be seen in this image of a Bellaire neighborhood, as piles of waterlogged carpet, drywall and furniture accumulate on the curbs of affected houses and the streets are clogged with the vans and pickup trucks of cleanup and construction contractors. Although it was well to the north of where this image was taken, it appears that my former residence (which nearly flooded a couple of years ago) was affected as well; there appears to be a pile of furniture and other items in the front yard (and, sadly, on top of what used to be the most productive pieces of agriculture in Bellaire). While I feel very badly for my former landlord and her new tenants, my decision to move was definitely the right one.

Harvey was the worst flood-producing storm in our nation's history. Over the course of three days, Harvey dumped anywhere between 30 and 50 inches of rain over Harris and surrounding counties.The Harris County Flood Control District has a map here of all the areas of the county estimated to have flooded during the storm.

                                                                                                     Google Earth (Imagery Date: 8/29/2017)

To the southwest of Houston, we see evidence of Harvey's destructive winds and storm surge where it actually made landfall. This is an image of Port Aransas: roofs have been blown off buildings, trees have been felled, RVs have been toppled, and some structures have been destroyed completely.

                                                                                                     Google Earth (Imagery Date: 8/29/2017)

Another Coastal Bend community that was devastated by Harvey is Rockport. Many buildings in the image above have had their roofs blown off or have been destroyed entirely. Months of reconstruction and recovery lie ahead for residents and businesses of this town.


                                                                                                       Google Earth (Imagery Date: 8/30/2017)

Finally, this image of an otherwise undamaged Hobby Airport with no aircraft at any of its gates speaks not to Harvey's physical effect, but its economic impact. Houston's economy was brought to a standstill due to the storm, as businesses closed and flights got canceled. Southwest did not resume a full flight schedule out of Hobby until this past Saturday. Many employers, mine included, did not resume operations until the Tuesday after Labor Day. The cumulative impact of Harvey will reach into the hundreds of billions.