Eight, thanks for the kind words for all of those who lost so much. monday night the corps of engineers gave my neighborhood a voluntary evacuation notice but we stayed the night. the next morning was awakened by a blackhawk hovering over my house and neighborhood at about 200 feet. came outside and a c-130 came out of the clouds over my house at about 500 feet refueling another blackhawk. thought, it is about time to get out which we did. my neighborhood and many others go up to the edge of george bush park, an area of about 8000 acres which normally is a huge recreation deal, jogging, biking, walking trails, soccer fields, baseball fields, a model plane flying area, a firing range and a great bark park, huge amount of wildlife, have seen wild pigs, coyotes, etc. during times like this, it becomes a reservoir with waters kept in by an earthen dam which is supposed to protect the city from waters coming from the north and west of houston heading for buffalo bayou which empties into the shipping channel and then out to the gulf. the reservoir is way over its capacity, the corps has opened a spillway to let water out but has to do so slowly since the water goes down the already filled bayou through the city so neighborhoods flood in that direction. the water also begins to go back upstream, my way and has flooded some close neighborhoods. my part of the neighborhood is at 107 feet above sea level but many areas upstream are at only 97 feet and they are under water. when i bought my home, love the fact that we were so close to the park, did not know it was a reservoir but at least, in my mind, would much rather be upstream from an earthen dam than downstream. the two dams were built in the late 40s but would not matter if they were built last year, would not have been built to to withstand 30-50+ inches of rain which we just had. the sun came out yesterday afternoon, no more rain but the waters continue to rise from areas north and west of houston so still some trouble ahead but the worse is over. it will take months, a year to recover and am sure public schools will be closed for at least a month, some are being used as shelters and some got water in them. my house and streets remain dry and get most places now but so many were not so lucky and one family of six drowned in their vehicle when swept into a bayou, a guys said he could hear the kids screaming but they could not get out. everything else, football, politics, anything, is way down the list at this point and the fam is out volunteering to help in any way we can with those who are in need. we have a group, less than 1% who are looting, causing trouble but the other 99% are helping others, that is what america does.
