When I read that the owners of Camp Mystic tried to get certain structures removed from the Guadalupe River floodplain, it rang a bell that finally broke through: The news that, in 2017, a catastrophic flood in Houston was made worse because, wait for it, developers had built entire subdivisions inside a reservoir, but hadn’t told homeowners about it.
Because when they sold the houses, the level of the reservoir was low. Just as, when it’s not flash-flooding, the Guadalupe River is a pleasant stream you want to be close to, not up on a bluff looking down at it. Or as it was before Hurricane Harvey:
The vast basins are dry most of the time, dotted with wooded parks and sports fields, and are contained on their eastern boundaries by large, earthen dams. During rainstorms, floodwater accumulates behind those dams in areas known as “flood pools” and backs up to the west; how far it goes depends on how big the rainstorm is and where it hits.
That system worked well when the reservoirs were surrounded by prairie and rice fields. But in recent decades, development has encroached from all sides. Today, about 14,000 homes are located inside them. During Harvey, when more floodwater accumulated behind the dams than ever before, 5,138 of those homes flooded.
Some local government officials, like Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack, say they’ve warned residents for years during town halls and other public events about the risks of living in or around the reservoirs.
“It is very difficult to make people believe the unbelievable,” Radack said. “No one ever believed the reservoirs would fill.”
This is human nature. No one believed the reservoirs would fill, until they did. No one believed the river would carry away everything in its path, until it did. Living in a flooding city, as I did for 20 years, it’s easy to see this paradox. That river? That brown, stinky ditch? Coming this high? No way. And then it snows and snows, and then it rains and rains, and then the snow melts and combines with the rain, and the next thing you know you’re wearing rubber boots and throwing sandbags.
And that’s the best-case scenario. That’s a slow flood. We all saw the worst-case scenario July 4.
Fort Wayne has taken away a lot of the human factor by turning its floodplain into parkland. But honestly, I haven’t been keeping up. Have they had a major flood recently?
OK, then. A hot weekend. It’s been punishingly hot for a month now. During my Saturday boxing class, I was near a thermometer — it was attached to some fan. It was 83 when we started, and through the 45-minute class I watched it climb, degree by degree, until it topped out at 88. Thought I was going to die. Today was sailing — far more pleasant, but still hot.
How is it where you are?
Deborah said on July 13, 2025 at 10:44 pm
It’s wonderful in Santa Fe right now, at 8:36pm Sunday it’s 68º with a low tomorrow morning of 57º, it was 56º this morning. It seemed like it was going to rain today, cloudy etc, but it never got to us, that’s the bad news. We always need rain.
It will get hot again but right now it’s glorious, and when it’s hot here it’s not humid so it’s not so bad, as you’ve heard me say a million times. But of course we know the center will not hold, you can’t keep having dryness without droughts and fires, then flash floods when it rains way too much too fast, so bummer about the long term.
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alex said on July 13, 2025 at 11:02 pm
No major floods in the Fort recently, but they’ve done a lot to mitigate flooding in the nearly 20 years you’ve been gone, Nance, including a massive tunnel 220 feet underground, and we’re told that it’s been working as intended. We’ve had some major rain events that passed without any of the problems that we used to have without the new infrastructure. And they’re still not done with it. The entrance to Foster Park remains all torn up from the ginormous hole they dug there to drop their excavation equipment and I wonder if it will ever be rose gardens again.
Sweltering weekend here, but we accomplished a bunch of yard work, including installation of a 12×20′ shed tent for our outdoor equipment (and it’s fucking jam packed even at that size) and we did a bunch of work on a boat lift we’re installing so that we won’t have to drag our pontoon boat onto the lawn anymore for winter storage.
We had a nice booze cruise on the boat on Saturday night with friends we happened to run into at a favorite eatery. Sometimes the best fun is spontaneity and no plan.
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susan said on July 14, 2025 at 12:36 am
How is it where you are? 104°
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Deborah said on July 14, 2025 at 7:43 am
This is crazy, 5:42am it’s 54° in Santa Fe, even cooler than predicted.
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Suzanne said on July 14, 2025 at 8:13 am
The heat has been horrible in NE Indiana. Our son was visiting from Phoenix a few weeks ago and said he was ready to return to the dry heat even though the average high temp is in the hundreds. I got an email from our electric company on our bill estimate for the month and yikes! Almost double what was paid the month before and we generally keep it set at 78°. The back of the house with large windows faces west so in the afternoon, shades are pulled as we sit in the semi-darkness to save a few pennies.
Texas also suffers from Republican politicians who believe catastrophic weather and miserable deaths are just the will of God and there’s little that can be done about it. Joni Ernst from Iowa let the true GOP motto out of the bag a few months ago when she stated that “Well, we are all going to die.”
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Dorothy said on July 14, 2025 at 8:48 am
At daybreak today we had a little lightning, some rumbling thunder and lots of rain which slacked off to a steady and reassuring downfall. Just enough trouble to make Nestle shake and pant and pant and shake no matter how many hugs and pets and shhhhhs I gave her. It’s still raining and I dragged her out to do her business, which means I can stop wondering if she was going to do that in the house.
The reassurance is for the thirsty grass and I’m thankful for the steady rain. Last summer we went a very long time without any rain so even a little bit is appreciated.
Happy Monday, all.
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Heather said on July 14, 2025 at 12:19 pm
Currently 80 degrees in Chicago. Not bad after all the humidity we’ve been having.
I might take my kayak for a paddle in the river all the way downtown later. There’s a giant turtle somewhere christened “Chonk” that I haven’t seen yet. Thinking of using painter’s tape to spell out “FUCK ICE” on my life jacket.
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Jeff Borden said on July 14, 2025 at 12:57 pm
Heather,
I believe Chonk hangs out in the south branch. Saw a photo in the Sun-Times of Chonk with a female snapping turtle, so clearly his size isn’t affecting his romantic life.
Yesterday was beautiful and I finally could do yard work and clean our fountain, which makes such a wonderful, relaxing sound but is a pain in the ass to keep clean. Then, Alejandro Escovedo as the final act at the Square Roots festival. What a talent.
I’m wondering if the Epstein files will be the undoing of tRump. His cult was fine with his racism, corruption, cruelty and incompetence. Two impeachment? Thirty-four felony counts? Adjudicated rapist. Inciter of a riot at the Capitol? Bah. No biggie. But this is ripping apart the most fervent MAGAts. They want to see that list! And we all know why it won’t see the light of day, right?
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Scout said on July 14, 2025 at 1:10 pm
It’s a nice cool 96 degrees here at 10 am in Phx. A nice breeze from the west, with an expected high of 104 today. Supposed to be in the low 90s Wed and Thurs – cold snap!!
The list… It’s pretty amusing watching MAGA gnash their teeth and clutch their pearls over this. And if he was innocent, the hellbeast would release it, now wouldn’t he. Even MAGAts seem to have that basic minimum level of common sense. If this is what it takes to break the spell, bring it on, no matter who else it takes down.
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon was destroyed by fire over the weekend, including the Historic Grand Canyon Lodge. But sure, climate change is fake news.
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Dexter Friend said on July 14, 2025 at 1:40 pm
Bryan hit 100 Friday, but the cheat-style, “feels-like”.
I think it may have been like 37 years ago, Bryan flooded. The farm fields and general runoff produced water up to road level at the railroad underpass (Bellevue calls this “the subway”), and just SW of downtown, a neighborhood flooded and people were rescued by boats from their roofs.
The engineers then dug a river on the east end of the city where most of the flood cascaded into town. 4 large ponds were dug and the dirt was trucked away to build a monumental sledding hill a half mile away. The river flows into the east end of the ponds, and there is always water in the ponds, and it has become a wildlife refuge, always geese and many ducks. Once even the ponds and the overflow acres flooded the road over and into the ditches of the road. Just once.
Well, my neighbors ganged up on me a couple years ago when I mowed the lawn using a cane for myself for stability…and for 2 seasons, a neighbor mows for me, and refuses compensation. He is now 72, and says this is the last year for me to get service, which is fine. He retired on a fabulous corporation pension and he and his wife travel so much sometimes my lawn get a tad long anyway…and so…
I got nailed by the city: weeds in the backyard, ignore this, court, have a judge order you, court costs, then if no action, off to jail. I shit you not. 24 hours later, family here from Findlay, mower, loppers, gas-powered vegetation trimmer, rakes, and muscle. They tore into it all, even cut down my rosebush and a bush on my property line across the line…cut that fucker down anyway. All the decorative plants around the trees, gone, in case the goons thought they were weeds.
Phone call today, demanding a letter of “OK” to get me off their goddam shizer list. Nice to have family like I have. My son-in-law, a big strong “Harley guy” and daughter Lori are troopers.
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Heather said on July 14, 2025 at 1:43 pm
Jeff, from what I’ve read, Chonk hangs out not far from the Wild Mile/Goose Island on the north side. https://chicago.citycast.fm/urban-almanac/chicago-river-animals
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Dave said on July 14, 2025 at 3:53 pm
Dexter, I never got a straight story why Bellevue calls the underpass the Subway. I know it was built nearing the end of the Depression, 1937-38 and I’ve never found a picture of the railroad crossing before it was built but I imagine the amount of train traffic between the Nickel Plate and the Pennsylvania Railroad made it a huge headache to drive from one side of Bellevue to the other before the Subway was completed.
We’re going to the Grand Canyon, south rim, next week, as part of a quick trip. Our daughter’s mother-in-law learned the Milky Way is forecasted to be very visible next week from a dark part of Arizona, somewhere near Williams, so we’ve planned a trip in hopes to see it. With the fires, we can only hope this works out.
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Sherri said on July 14, 2025 at 4:13 pm
We hit 90 yesterday and are supposed to hit the 90s again by Wednesday, but we’re mid 70s today. We’ve been running mostly in the low 80s this month, which is warmer than it used to be. The lack of humidity makes it tolerable, because we cool off rapidly at night, down to at least 60. That makes a huge difference, being able to open the windows and cool the house down.
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Dorothy said on July 14, 2025 at 4:14 pm
Oooh Dave – we’re headed to the south rim in mid September! I’m so hopeful we’ll see a gorgeous night sky full of stars at least ONE of the 8 nights we’ll be away from Ohio. We have a room in Williams for a couple of nights because we’re taking the train to the south rim, and then back again. And the icing on the cake? Having lunch on September 23 with our very own Scout! If any other Nancy aficionados are in Phoenix that day you’re free to join us. The more the merrier!
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Deborah said on July 14, 2025 at 4:57 pm
Dave, you will no doubt see the Milky Way, we see it all the time in Abiquiu. The first time I ever remember seeing it was in Northwestern Missouri, out in the boonies for a family reunion when LB was around 5, then that means I was 29. We got out of the car and gazed up at the amazing majesty clear as a bell. I never get used to seeing it, it’s always an awe-inspiring event.
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Suzanne said on July 14, 2025 at 4:59 pm
Good God in heaven.
“President Trump has revealed that the champions of the Club World Cup won’t be getting the original trophy, because he’s keeping it.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-kept-gold-club-world-cup-trophy-for-himself-so-fifa-had-to-give-the-winners-a-replica/
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Scout said on July 14, 2025 at 5:01 pm
Dorothy – looking forward to meeting you irl!
Visiting the South Rim should be no problem. Hopefully the smoke will clear before you all arrive.
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Deborah said on July 14, 2025 at 7:26 pm
When I first heard about the destruction of some of the structures at the Grand Canyon because of the fires, I was worried that the rare ones designed by a woman architect Mary Colter were among them but they are on the south rim and as far as I know are still there, not completely intact over the years but that was expected.
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Deborah said on July 14, 2025 at 7:28 pm
Dorothy, I wish LB and I could join you in Arizona when you meet with Scout but it’s not in the cards. Sounds like fun though.
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Deborah said on July 14, 2025 at 10:46 pm
This is great by a person I follow on Substack https://charlotteclymer.substack.com/p/return-your-shopping-cart-and-bask?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=20529&post_id=168342338&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=joul&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email. I just had an experience the other day at Trader Joes where I was parked a bit further away than usual because I was also going to another store in that strip mall. A woman stopped and asked me if I worked for TJs and when I said no she said “You are the cat’s pajamas”. She saw me return the cart from further away, I saw her watching me but I never expected what she said. It made me feel terrific in a slightly odd way.
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Dave said on July 14, 2025 at 11:18 pm
Dorothy, we’re riding the train, too, next Thursday. This is a very quick trip for us, only four days there and back, fly to Phoenix, get our rental and drive to Williams. I’ve two first cousins in Arizona and would love to see them but that isn’t going to happen this trip.
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Dexter Friend said on July 15, 2025 at 3:33 pm
On a flight from San Antonio to LAX in 1970, the pilot told us we were over the Grand Canyon, and we may be able to get a peek of it if there was a break in the smog. Yes, smog. He then went on to say SoCal smog now frequently hangs a pall over the GC. I remember seeing a glimpse of something. My brother descended to the floor many times with his Sierra Club folks back in the 80s. I never cared anything about it. My thing was always San Francisco, Sequoias and especially Redwoods and rocky ocean beaches of Highway 1. Yosemite , yeah, been there twice. Just majestic. Medicine for the soul.
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Dexter Friend said on July 15, 2025 at 3:46 pm
Dave, my friend Bert live up the hill from The Subway, 613 E. Main Street. I spent many afternoons there listening to tales of WW1 in France, where Bert built railroad tracks and maintained them. He told me how one night in the trenches he was on guard duty , cold, rainy, miserable time, and a soldier held something and asked, “Sarge, you want a snort?” Bert said, “Don’t ask foolish questions” as he took the bottle. In the dim lighting, he said he could make out a turkey on the jug. Of course, this was Wild Turkey bourbon. Bert held that brand dear to his heart and drank it only on special occasions. Otherwise, he drank Bond & Lillard bourbon and Miller High Life beer. Bert passed away in 1981. He was 89. Another haunt we visited was the old McClain’s Saloon, where on mornings we’d go for “black coffee and a sinker”. Tina’s Cantina, The Beer Dock, Lou Christmas’s place, the lodges, VFW and Moose, Johnny’s Roast Beef place, more…we’d hit them all.
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Suzanne said on July 15, 2025 at 10:22 pm
“The ultimate revelation: two of Jeffrey Epstein’s associates pushed spooky tales about him while their own documented connections hid in broad daylight. Now they must face the monster they created—a conspiracy-addled base that no longer distinguishes between documented facts and fevered fantasies.
Reality has become more conspiratorial than any conspiracy theory.“
https://www.thenerdreich.com/epstein-thiel-trump-and-the-danger-of-conspiracy-theory/
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