Environment
The Disasters We Refuse to Imagine
A catastrophe like Hurricane Harvey was long predicted for Houston. But to live next to a dam and never fathom a breach is not a uniquely Texan brand of magical thinking.
As the death toll climbs past 30, Houston is bracing for the next phase of Hurricane Harvey’s devastating 50 inches of record rain: Two major flood control reservoirs in the metro area began spilling over Tuesday for the first time in their history, endangering the lives of those in the normally dry floodways. And with the storm making a second landfall, the rain keeps coming.
“We never thought this area would flood,” one shivering resident told the Washington Post.