Originally Posted by
Tned
Unfortunately, this is almost like that perfect storm movie, but in this case, it wasn't storms converging, but a hurricane with no jet stream (or steering mechanism or whatever they call it). So, while not historic rains per se (other hurricanes/tropical storms have dumped more), it hit a low lying city with drainage issues as you mention.
I was reading that on average it's only 50' above sea level or something like that and very flat and much of it is on clay, which doesn't drain well. I know where I am, on a hill so I mostly get run off, when we've had heavy rains of several inches in an our, I quickly get several inches of standing water in any non hilly area, because under a few inches of top soil I'm red clay, which doesn't drain worth crap.
Question is can a city that big and sprawling put in drainage to handle this much rain? Or, is it something that a low/flat city just has to hope for good luck, and deal with bad luck?
Times like these I'm glad I live a long way from the gulf and live on a hill, so even if we get a flood, it doesn't touch me and only small parts of our town, mostly it's farm fields (being in the foothills of the Ozarks).
Glad you aren't in a floor prone area.