Photo Essay: After the Harvey Flood
Buffalo Bayou Park sits in the basin of Buffalo Bayou just west of downtown.
After rushing through the narrow choke point at Shepherd Drive, the Harvey floodwaters
spread out a bit before they passed through downtown on the way to the ship channel and Trinity Bay, dumping tons of silt, plastic debris, and broken trees throughout the park.
Photos from Aaron Cohen here:
nbc4i.com
show a view looking west over the flood.
It was a LOT of water. The record for 3-day precipitation at major U.S. cities now looks like this:
1) 32.47”, recorded at Houston Hobby Airport, TX, Aug 26 – 28, 2017
2) 30.32”, recorded at Hilo, HI, Nov 1 – 3, 2000
3) 28.44”, recorded at Houston Intercontinental Airport, TX, Aug 26 – 28, 2017
…..
This view from one of the pedestrian bridges may give you a sense of how high the water was. The soft silt of the banks has been reshaped, with new slumping and downed tree snags.
More dunes of silt below Memorial Drive on the route downtown. A race is on to clear the sand and clay away from all the trees that have been planted in the park.
Related articles:
Climate Change
The Proven Value of Resilient Design
Houston’s recently completed Buffalo Bayou Park weathered the flooding of Hurricane Harvey with limited damage, thanks to the foresightedness of Page and SWA Group.
For a more complete view of the park, visit the Buffalo Bayou Partnership website:
“Stretching from Shepherd Drive to Sabine Street between Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive, the 160-acre Buffalo Bayou Park is one of the country’s great urban green spaces.”
buffalobayou.org