Dromgoole's in Houston

[junglejim]

Just saying a quick prayer for Larry and his staff and and to any fpgeeks and their families in Houston. Hope they are all safe. They just passed the 500 year flooding mark from Tropical Storm Harvey and it's going to continue raining (in addition to tornadoes) for the next 5 days there.

All the Best.

[jmccarty3]

The flooding in Houston is unprecedented, and Larry's store is in an area that floods every time a stray cloud passes over. If anyone has any information on how they are doing, please post.

[Robert]

Just got an email from Dromgoole's - - indicating the store will be open on Labor Day (9/4) from 9 to 4. The store will resume normal business hours on Tuesday (9/5). So it appears, happily, that the store came through the flood ok.

[Lady Onogaro]

Just got an email from Dromgoole's - - indicating the store will be open on Labor Day (9/4) from 9 to 4. The store will resume normal business hours on Tuesday (9/5). So it appears, happily, that the store came through the flood ok.

Hey, Robert--I see that you live in Houston. How did you come through? Are you okay? Were you flooded?

[Robert]

Thanks for asking, Lady O - - Personally I did OK, although things were a bit dicey late last Sunday morning: water was creeping up the sidewalk that leads to my front door. I deployed some ersatz sandbags (potting soil bags wrapped in plastic) but thankfully they weren't needed. Amazingly, I never lost electrical power.

My "redneck rain gauge" (an open 30 gallon plastic garbage container located away from any runoff from the roof) indicated a *lot* of rain. I emptied it Saturday morning and by late Sunday afternoon it was totally full.

Sadly, many thousands of others were not as fortunate, including a lot of folks who were flooded during the 2016 Tax Day and Memorial Day floods. We seem to have so many floods that we've started naming them. Recovery/rebuilding will take a very long time, and our woefully deficient drainage infrastructure will have to be upgraded to mitigate damage from future flooding events. Having said that, given the amount of rain that fell over the worst 72-hour period, we would still be in bad shape notwithstanding upgraded infrastructure.

[jar]

Thanks for asking, Lady O - - Personally I did OK, although things were a bit dicey late last Sunday morning: water was creeping up the sidewalk that leads to my front door. I deployed some ersatz sandbags (potting soil bags wrapped in plastic) but thankfully they weren't needed. Amazingly, I never lost electrical power.

My "redneck rain gauge" (an open 30 gallon plastic garbage container located away from any runoff from the roof) indicated a *lot* of rain. I emptied it Saturday morning and by late Sunday afternoon it was totally full.

Sadly, many thousands of others were not as fortunate, including a lot of folks who were flooded during the 2016 Tax Day and Memorial Day floods. We seem to have so many floods that we've started naming them. Recovery/rebuilding will take a very long time, and our woefully deficient drainage infrastructure will have to be upgraded to mitigate damage from future flooding events. Having said that, given the amount of rain that fell over the worst 72-hour period, we would still be in bad shape notwithstanding upgraded infrastructure.

Is there any indication that the public will finally start approving zoning and construction restrictions?

[penwash]

Thanks for asking, Lady O - - Personally I did OK, although things were a bit dicey late last Sunday morning: water was creeping up the sidewalk that leads to my front door. I deployed some ersatz sandbags (potting soil bags wrapped in plastic) but thankfully they weren't needed. Amazingly, I never lost electrical power.

My "redneck rain gauge" (an open 30 gallon plastic garbage container located away from any runoff from the roof) indicated a *lot* of rain. I emptied it Saturday morning and by late Sunday afternoon it was totally full.

Sadly, many thousands of others were not as fortunate, including a lot of folks who were flooded during the 2016 Tax Day and Memorial Day floods. We seem to have so many floods that we've started naming them. Recovery/rebuilding will take a very long time, and our woefully deficient drainage infrastructure will have to be upgraded to mitigate damage from future flooding events. Having said that, given the amount of rain that fell over the worst 72-hour period, we would still be in bad shape notwithstanding upgraded infrastructure.

Robert, I'm glad that you're one of those who are not affected severely, our close friend, a couple who were waiting for their second baby right before the rain started, they had to stay a the hotel next to the hospital, so they don't have to travel when the baby is due. Plus, the hospital's resources was focused on the emergencies, their doctor told them that the baby would have to be born naturally without any inducing. There were still waiting as of yesterday **UPDATE: So to end this in a wonderful note, baby was born safely late last night**. So as you said, the impact of the hurricane on 6 millions of people (in Houston alone) is far-fetching and would take a long time to recover from.

Then we have all the towns between Houston and Corpus Christi, and Louisiana too.

[Robert]

jar - In my view it is doubtful the City of Houston will adopt zoning any time soon. It comes up as a referendum every so often (most recently about 10 years ago) and is always defeated. Next time, perhaps - - but unlikely in my opinion.

More sane building restrictions are another matter, and the City will have to implement some in the future. There's way too much concrete and not enough drainage capacity, and that urgently needs to be addressed. To cite but one example, my neighborhood in Spring Branch was originally developed in the early 1950's and, for the most part, has never been prone to flooding. The 'hood is about a mile north of I-10 and close (by Houston standards) to Downtown, the Galleria area and other desirable destinations. Plus, kids get to attended some decent public schools, including Memorial High School.

During the past several years property values have increased big time (my modest 1953 house has easily doubled in market value in the past 7 or 8 years), and properties such as mine - old house/12,000 sf lot -are coveted as "tear-downs." In comes the wrecking ball and several months later up goes another "Mini-Mansion," Starter Castle, GarageMahal - - or what have you. These new homes are almost invariably constructed on slabs that have been elevated above the level of the former structure - - and, as it turns out, sometimes at the peril of older homes near the new structures. A neighbor about 100 yards from my house never flooded - - until a few years ago when his property became sandwiched between two newer homes. He was flooded during both the Memorial Day and Tax Day floods and again last week, compliments of Harvey. The flooding wasn't catastrophic - an inch or two of water inside portions of his house - but perhaps would not have occurred at all had the people who issued building permits for the new homes given more thought to drainage impact on the older homes.

penwash - Very sorry to hear about your friends. You mentioned the other towns down the coast, which include one of my favorites - Rockport. A couple of years ago I gave serious consideration leaving Houston and moving to Rockport. Nothing ever came of it, however, and I am the luckier for it. From what I've read, Rockport has largely been leveled.

I'm sorry to have droned on for so long. And I do appreciate the good wishes I've received so far.

[junglejim]

Glad to hear that Dromgoole's store made it safely through the flooding and Robert and his family are okay too. Unfortunately, it will take many years before all the damage in Houston and the outlying areas are repaired. On my way to Dromgooles website to order some things to support their shop.

All the Best.

[Robert]

junglejim - Good to hear you're looking to order from Dromgoole's. FYI - - The website has undergone a major upgrade/remodel recently - Much better than the previous iteration. I'm not sure if it's completed or still a work in progress. But for those who have not visited it recently, it's worth a look.