Houston's population has grown by almost 30 percent in the last decade and a lot of people now live in flood-prone areas without even knowing it. WATCH NEXT: bit.ly/2f7KQXX
In the Netherlands there are lots of places that are sacrificial reservoirs. You aren't allowed to just build in those places, and if you do get permission, you have to be clearly aware of the danger and flood insurance is mandatory by law. Even with that there is a fund in place to help restore the lives of people who lost their homes and businesses. A similar system would help to prevent these kind of situations. That with the frequent investments in protection. I really feel for the guy who made the decision to open the flood gates. That is a horrifyingly awful choice to make, how necessary it is. That's why many places in the Netherlands have computers making that choice, because if someone is afraid to lose their home in a flood, they might not open the gates and cause further damage that could have been prevented. I really hope that laws prohibiting foreign companies taking up civil engineering projects in the US are removed and lessons learned elsewhere in the world are gathered, with the right expertise, and taught to help keep people safe in the future.
Sadly this won't happen when the guy in charge's definition of "America First" is so short sighted, that he doesn't care that the benefits of foreign know-how outweigh the drawbacks of contracting a foreign company.
DakaONER94 the Netherlands has a particular history with the water. So eventually people said enough is enough and started doing something about it. The water defenses are decades in the making and still being developed. But the plans look towards a 100 or 500 years into the future.
look up en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_flood_of_1953 . Thats like the last big one that is the reason for the Deltaworks. I live in the area that got hit the hardest and i know of people that are still afraid of the water because of it.
Army Corp of Engineers had plans (in the 40's) to build additional reservoirs to keep this from happening. They were never constructed and are now probably subdivisions or malls.
If my home needed to be flooded to save thousands of lives I'd be ok with that. It is what it is. It's only stuff hell if my home needed to be flooded to save 1 life lets do it.
In two weeks it will be the one-year anniversary since this disaster. Only two days ago my family and I moved back into the second floor of our house, which got four feet of water after the water was released from the dams shown in this video. Watching this caused a visceral reaction with elevated heart rate and emotion. Notice the man said the dam was almost to capacity, not AT capacity. And yet thousands of homes were sacrificed, taking not just our clothes, furniture, household items, but also our pictures, home movies, childrens' art work...irreplaceable things. It makes me sick and angry at the same time. Nothing anyone can say will convince me they had to release that water. And, they keep failing to mention that they started releasing water seven hours before they said they would, taking away precious opportunity to save our irreplaceable belongings.
So sorry for your loss - I fully believe that the decision to release the water from both Addicks and Barker dams was premature and unnecessary. By early Monday morning most of the rain and severe weather had stopped and the levels in both dams should have started to recede or evaporate as the sun came out in full force by Wednesday. My apartment complex flooded and we were forced out Monday morning with no warning. They said they were not releasing Barker until after Addicks but that was a lie. So sad that thousands lost so much and had to be displaced. I only hope the class action suit will bring about change and some monetary relief later on to repay people for what was taken.
I'm an architect and urbanist and one of the things I've seen in Houston that is unforgivable is uncontrolled sprawl. I can't believe how many of the city center blocks are used for parking and how suburban houses start just a few blocks from the the skyscrapers. The city could be more compact, more efficient and better for its residents. Shame on politicians for not regulating the construction and real estate industry.
WoW, Mr. Choe right at the start of this video just nailed it all down . It's only loaned to me while I'm here and if I can sacrifice mine to save thousands thats what i do. All of you will be blessed
It's crazy being from Houston and watching all these stories about those who have lost family members and homes in hurricane Harvey. It almost seems like a dream because being from Houston I never thought something like this would happen.
I went home shopping in georgia, north of atlanta, and turned down many homes for basic flood risk. So many were built where they should not be, or built without any thought for rain water management. Many people just accept that if a house was built, it is safe, and don't look at flood maps, or local risks. I saw washed out foundations, poor drainage, and many other problems with homes, and sites. Most people just are not taught to look for issues anymore, and information that would be helpful is sometimes hard to find. I several times did not want to get out of the car to look at a home, because I saw so many issues from the driveway. I feel for many of these people, but many did not look past the price for problems.
Controversial question: I don't understand how the Netherlands had managed to survive all these years and yet with every ducking storm America is always just flat out underprepared. How can one country repeatedly get it so right. And another repeatedly get it SO WRONG. I'm perplexed.
What's sad to me is I used to supervise the help desk for FEMAs MIP (mapping information platform) and after Katrina hit banks were requiring homeowners to have flood insurance who have never had it before. People would call screaming and yelling about this. And most did exactly what this man did which is to have their homes lifted and fill dirt added and that way they would not be required to carry flood insurance Now look what has happened. Over 80% of people did not have the additional coverage and therefore can not file claims. These people are screwed.
Maybe now Houston will actually pay to take action to update our flood infrastructure... they were supposed to have done this a few yrs back. It has been in talks since back in 2001 when Allison hit and nothing has been done besides widening some bayous. I love my city but they need to stop bsing and waiting for more disaster to happen before they do something.
My house is not in a flood zone...when they opened the dams my house was flooded...now i had to get flood insurance because im worried i will get flooded again...kind of what happend to this man...Houston Strong!
When the water was already in the reservoir it looked controlled. After it was released on all these people then it was pretty uncontrolled looking. A study is required to see if it really did anything positive.
Different Laws, but in Colorado Springs some contractors build houses so far into the 100 year flood zone that those buying them couldn't see the line that they were in. They sued before flooding and got their house for free.
It's not a matter of a "bunch of dumbasses". Houston has a booming economy and thrives because of its location close to the water. People move to Houston because of the jobs there. Nobody is saying "oh no, I don't want to live in this apartment complex because it is too close to the bayou" or "oh no this house is too close to the water, we can't buy it". That just doesn't happen. Maybe that will change post Harvey. But there are so many bayous and bodies of water, you can't help but live in close proximity to them. A bayou runs right through the neighborhood I grew up in.
Killacamfoo O.G. There is no reason to release the water IF A HURRICANE CAME AGAIN... Why couldn't the slow release a while later, open and close on a scheduale? Like today? THIS IS NOT NATURE THIS WAS CREATED BY RELEASE OF EXCESSIVE FLARES. MAN MADE- Heard that 3 DAYS PRIOR A MEETING of the Weather Modification Board IS VIDEO TAPED.
The levees were at risk of breaching so they decided that it was best to slowly release them before it was too late. Had they broken, the flooding likely would have been even worse (which is probably hard to believe considering how terrible it actually was). The Army Corps of Engineers definitely would not have been able to control the flooding at that point, had the levees broken and even more homes would have been flooded. The Army Corps of Engineers have said that homes should not have been built that close to the reservoirs, yet there are neighborhoods surrounding them. It's all really unfortunate.
....so depressing when someone has worked their wholes lives, are good people, for this to happen to their homes...:( Happy lots of animals are being saved.
Regulations are meant to prevent situations like this. If taxpayers are on the hook to save people during disasters, I think we should have some say in how cities are planned and developed.
Why can't they build houses on stilts in Houston? Not only would it eliminate any danger from floods, it would also minimize bugs and vermin (which Houston has a lot of).
Matthew Crook I'm his grandson-he was going to his house to get legal documents and they encountered each other at land. He was only at his house for some 7 min.
I have my own questions/opinions about the reservoir releases butTHIS video isn’t the place to state them. BUT I live here off I10 and Barker. Single mother to 3 boys. Left my husband in April, in hotels till “blessed” with our own home in June. NOW it’s November...last week I was served with eviction court Paper work for Nov. 29th. Why??? Because my job stayed closed 6 weeks after Harvey, reopened for a week then closed down for good. Finding a new job has been close to impossible up till a couple weeks ago! Why a landlord would evict a single mother (that kept in contact) and her 3 children after a Hurricane?!?! BECAUSE, she said, “there are a lot of needy families without homes right now.” AND SO NOW WHAT ABOUT MINE?!?? Not to mention 6 days after Thanksgiving/A few weeks before Christmas?!?! Just wow man. (Sorry to vent all this, I had no idea my reply would be this lengthy...haven’t watched the Harvey videos on purpose so it’s bringing a lot of feelings)
What really bothers me is did he really have to open those reservoirs!!!??? Couldn't he keep it there!!!??? How would he feel if it was his house!!!???
That's the problem in general. We're reactive, not proactive. Being proactive costs money and resources so we only wait until shit hits the fan to take action.
The Corps of Engineers pulled this stunt in Bartlesville , OK.. The let huge amounts of water out of a dam, because they held on to lots of water in the lake, hope for a different outcome.
Houston's population has grown by almost 30 percent in the last decade and a lot of people now live in flood-prone areas without even knowing it. WATCH NEXT: bit.ly/2f7KQXX
VICE News flood prone as in never flooded ever?
THAT RANDOM CHANNEL look up the definition of flood prone, then delete your comment
If you buy a gun, and point it at your face and put a hole in your head, is it society's fault?
Timothy R128 Lets BUILD in a Swamp, yes that's a wise ,decision.
walperstyle Houston is a crime shithole.
That poor man, when he said "my memory is gone", I felt his pain.
Oriana Z my heart
the moment you see one of his photos dipped and flip over.
Kevin K H Chan that was so touching moment
I did too, he lost his ass in that flood and he didn't deserve it. Mother nature is a cruel Bi$%^!
What a noble man.. "If I can sacrifice myself to save others maybe it is worth it." Most people are not this chill!
MadMikeandhisHat I almost cried when he said that because it's so real! I live in Houston.
Cho is the man! He Build his home and was teaching students.
George Abek he didn't seem to old but has been there for 40 years I think he built his home at least 5 years before he started teaching
Rani Hinnawi so tru
he is 76
I say someone starts a collection for him. I would but I do not know how and am working Irma relief.
"This is my memory in here..my memory is gone." Damn.
Brayden Bernhardt heartbreaking
In the Netherlands there are lots of places that are sacrificial reservoirs. You aren't allowed to just build in those places, and if you do get permission, you have to be clearly aware of the danger and flood insurance is mandatory by law. Even with that there is a fund in place to help restore the lives of people who lost their homes and businesses. A similar system would help to prevent these kind of situations. That with the frequent investments in protection.
I really feel for the guy who made the decision to open the flood gates. That is a horrifyingly awful choice to make, how necessary it is. That's why many places in the Netherlands have computers making that choice, because if someone is afraid to lose their home in a flood, they might not open the gates and cause further damage that could have been prevented.
I really hope that laws prohibiting foreign companies taking up civil engineering projects in the US are removed and lessons learned elsewhere in the world are gathered, with the right expertise, and taught to help keep people safe in the future.
Sadly this won't happen when the guy in charge's definition of "America First" is so short sighted, that he doesn't care that the benefits of foreign know-how outweigh the drawbacks of contracting a foreign company.
Azivegu ls flooding even a thing in the netherlands or are you europeans just always thinking 10 steps ahead, caring for your people and all
DakaONER94 the Netherlands has a particular history with the water. So eventually people said enough is enough and started doing something about it. The water defenses are decades in the making and still being developed. But the plans look towards a 100 or 500 years into the future.
this is texas, for fuck's sake. none of that is happening, netherlands person.
look up en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_flood_of_1953 .
Thats like the last big one that is the reason for the Deltaworks. I live in the area that got hit the hardest and i know of people that are still afraid of the water because of it.
Army Corp of Engineers had plans (in the 40's) to build additional reservoirs to keep this from happening. They were never constructed and are now probably subdivisions or malls.
Funny you say that I used to work in a mall last year right down the street from the army corps of engineers office building
"40 years, I live in this area 40 years"
Your infrastructure is old, America, but your army is not.
If my home needed to be flooded to save thousands of lives I'd be ok with that. It is what it is. It's only stuff hell if my home needed to be flooded to save 1 life lets do it.
Dominick Taylor you are my hero💓 Let's get married and have babies together.
Heartbreaking to see that old man alone. But his spirit towards building again is seriously commendable 🙏🏻
My heart goes out to my fellow Americans in Houston
Ace Von Ike thanks bro
In two weeks it will be the one-year anniversary since this disaster. Only two days ago my family and I moved back into the second floor of our house, which got four feet of water after the water was released from the dams shown in this video. Watching this caused a visceral reaction with elevated heart rate and emotion. Notice the man said the dam was almost to capacity, not AT capacity. And yet thousands of homes were sacrificed, taking not just our clothes, furniture, household items, but also our pictures, home movies, childrens' art work...irreplaceable things. It makes me sick and angry at the same time. Nothing anyone can say will convince me they had to release that water. And, they keep failing to mention that they started releasing water seven hours before they said they would, taking away precious opportunity to save our irreplaceable belongings.
So sorry for your loss - I fully believe that the decision to release the water from both Addicks and Barker dams was premature and unnecessary. By early Monday morning most of the rain and severe weather had stopped and the levels in both dams should have started to recede or evaporate as the sun came out in full force by Wednesday. My apartment complex flooded and we were forced out Monday morning with no warning. They said they were not releasing Barker until after Addicks but that was a lie. So sad that thousands lost so much and had to be displaced. I only hope the class action suit will bring about change and some monetary relief later on to repay people for what was taken.
Class action lawsuit coming big time. These people were not told they are buying homes in a flood zone.
Well this is fucking depressing
I'm an architect and urbanist and one of the things I've seen in Houston that is unforgivable is uncontrolled sprawl. I can't believe how many of the city center blocks are used for parking and how suburban houses start just a few blocks from the the skyscrapers. The city could be more compact, more efficient and better for its residents. Shame on politicians for not regulating the construction and real estate industry.
no zoning and a developers dream. we flood, land is cheap, build bigger more and faster while politicians palms get greasier. repeat.
www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Linbeck-Hurricane-Harvey-was-not-a-catastrophe-12174976.php
The newer homes are rushed and built with cheap materials.
Apparently they don't have zoning, one of the reasons it was so hard to monitor industrial runoff during and after the hurricane.
WoW, Mr. Choe right at the start of this video just nailed it all down . It's only loaned to me while I'm here and if I can sacrifice mine to save thousands thats what i do. All of you will be blessed
It's crazy being from Houston and watching all these stories about those who have lost family members and homes in hurricane Harvey. It almost seems like a dream because being from Houston I never thought something like this would happen.
Greg Phillips well wake up and smell the fucking coffee
I went home shopping in georgia, north of atlanta, and turned down many homes for basic flood risk. So many were built where they should not be, or built without any thought for rain water management. Many people just accept that if a house was built, it is safe, and don't look at flood maps, or local risks. I saw washed out foundations, poor drainage, and many other problems with homes, and sites. Most people just are not taught to look for issues anymore, and information that would be helpful is sometimes hard to find. I several times did not want to get out of the car to look at a home, because I saw so many issues from the driveway. I feel for many of these people, but many did not look past the price for problems.
180 billion dollars needed.
trump will send 20 and tell them they're getting a spectacular deal.
*I'D LOVE TO HELP THAT PROFESSOR. WHAT A GREAT ATTITUDE AND OUTLOOK.*
“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”
Wow that finally shot of the picture floating at the end some power to it
“how you going to do that if you don’t have flood insurance “ Mr cho: [pauses] *i got stacks*
wow that closing scene with the photo of the baby sinking into the water. Beautiful and horrifying.
Controversial question: I don't understand how the Netherlands had managed to survive all these years and yet with every ducking storm America is always just flat out underprepared. How can one country repeatedly get it so right. And another repeatedly get it SO WRONG. I'm perplexed.
MySisterIsAFoodie
Because the Netherlands
learns from mistakes..
Basic human advances and knowledge
originated by mistakes
those neighbourhoods are unlivable once the molds move in.
or bacteria or other unholy stuff that washed inland.
Huston is almost made of all cement ...there is no where for the water to go ...it wasn't like that 100 years ago.
HOUSTON!!! HOUSTON!!! HOUSTON!! NOT HUSTON!! YA DUMB ASS!!!
What's sad to me is I used to supervise the help desk for FEMAs MIP (mapping information platform) and after Katrina hit banks were requiring homeowners to have flood insurance who have never had it before. People would call screaming and yelling about this. And most did exactly what this man did which is to have their homes lifted and fill dirt added and that way they would not be required to carry flood insurance Now look what has happened. Over 80% of people did not have the additional coverage and therefore can not file claims. These people are screwed.
"This is my memory in here. My memory is gone."
Maybe now Houston will actually pay to take action to update our flood infrastructure... they were supposed to have done this a few yrs back. It has been in talks since back in 2001 when Allison hit and nothing has been done besides widening some bayous. I love my city but they need to stop bsing and waiting for more disaster to happen before they do something.
Right in the feels
My house is not in a flood zone...when they opened the dams my house was flooded...now i had to get flood insurance because im worried i will get flooded again...kind of what happend to this man...Houston Strong!
I only got 11 inches in my home from Harvey but it stayed for 2 and a half days. Tropical storm Allison put 3 feet in my home.
Holy crap! How awful! The same home both times?
Lol I should buy some cheap flood land in houston and build a tree house.
The statement, "God loaned it to me, while I am here", is truer than most ever realize. Mostly because most never know God.
When the water was already in the reservoir it looked controlled. After it was released on all these people then it was pretty uncontrolled looking. A study is required to see if it really did anything positive.
Different Laws, but in Colorado Springs some contractors build houses so far into the 100 year flood zone that those buying them couldn't see the line that they were in. They sued before flooding and got their house for free.
Htown til I drown tbh
amen bahaha love it
It's all good
You'll get your wish soon.
That's a cool guy. Wish he was my neighbor
Harvey and Katrina got two similarities. The Army Corps of Engineers didn't think to update the flood infrustructure to protect people.
This is the price you pay when your infrastructure is shit.
Please make a part two to this
the city was built on an awful flood plain. sorry to say, nature wins.
Yep, poor decisions lead to disastrous consequences.
I felt sorry at first but I heard "I live next to the bayou" so many times. Bunch of dumbasses
It's not a matter of a "bunch of dumbasses". Houston has a booming economy and thrives because of its location close to the water. People move to Houston because of the jobs there. Nobody is saying "oh no, I don't want to live in this apartment complex because it is too close to the bayou" or "oh no this house is too close to the water, we can't buy it". That just doesn't happen. Maybe that will change post Harvey. But there are so many bayous and bodies of water, you can't help but live in close proximity to them. A bayou runs right through the neighborhood I grew up in.
Killacamfoo O.G. There is no reason to release the water IF A HURRICANE CAME AGAIN... Why couldn't the slow release a while later, open and close on a scheduale? Like today? THIS IS NOT NATURE THIS WAS CREATED BY RELEASE OF EXCESSIVE FLARES. MAN MADE- Heard that 3 DAYS PRIOR A MEETING of the Weather Modification Board IS VIDEO TAPED.
The levees were at risk of breaching so they decided that it was best to slowly release them before it was too late. Had they broken, the flooding likely would have been even worse (which is probably hard to believe considering how terrible it actually was). The Army Corps of Engineers definitely would not have been able to control the flooding at that point, had the levees broken and even more homes would have been flooded. The Army Corps of Engineers have said that homes should not have been built that close to the reservoirs, yet there are neighborhoods surrounding them. It's all really unfortunate.
....so depressing when someone has worked their wholes lives, are good people, for this to happen to their homes...:( Happy lots of animals are being saved.
That man should be compensated.
Its the new normal... don't build below or within 100 feet of sea level!
Mr Cho doesn't look 74 at all I'd put him in his late 50's to early 60's
Damn i feel so BAD for the old man #feelsbadman 😢😢😢😢😢
Well It was fun kayaking while I was flooded by Harvey. Took my mind off the loss of my house. Now it's time to work hard and rebuild.
2:06 I get feelings of titanic scene ...is it only me ??
Regulations are meant to prevent situations like this. If taxpayers are on the hook to save people during disasters, I think we should have some say in how cities are planned and developed.
I can't believe they showed my neighborhood
God bless you Bryce, im glad that you survived such tragedy. #unitingThePeople #GiletsJaunes
Why can't they build houses on stilts in Houston? Not only would it eliminate any danger from floods, it would also minimize bugs and vermin (which Houston has a lot of).
Hi Vice News I was just wondering how did you find Dan Cho to do this segment of the video? Thanks so much!
Matthew Crook I'm his grandson-he was going to his house to get legal documents and they encountered each other at land. He was only at his house for some 7 min.
I meet a customer who the city of Huston evicted out of his apartment because of the MOLD.
Why does the city not carry flood insurance , since it is the city that controls the flooding.
Frag Cellar because the army controls the flooding as the piece clearly said. The city has no control over it.
And I live in Houston and it still hasn't rained since Harvey ??? You could've let the water go down before you flooded....
Mother Nature wins every time!
2:43 why are you late to class
I have my own questions/opinions about the reservoir releases butTHIS video isn’t the place to state them.
BUT
I live here off I10 and Barker. Single mother to 3 boys. Left my husband in April, in hotels till “blessed” with our own home in June. NOW it’s November...last week I was served with eviction court Paper work for Nov. 29th. Why??? Because my job stayed closed 6 weeks after Harvey, reopened for a week then closed down for good. Finding a new job has been close to impossible up till a couple weeks ago!
Why a landlord would evict a single mother (that kept in contact) and her 3 children after a Hurricane?!?! BECAUSE, she said, “there are a lot of needy families without homes right now.”
AND SO NOW WHAT ABOUT MINE?!?? Not to mention 6 days after Thanksgiving/A few weeks before Christmas?!?! Just wow man.
(Sorry to vent all this, I had no idea my reply would be this lengthy...haven’t watched the Harvey videos on purpose so it’s bringing a lot of feelings)
It's really hard to believe that decision makers would neglect to warn people of the additional areas likely to flood!
two or more days of preparation could have made a big difference for those affected
the flood maps are public information... the fact that the argument is used that these people don't know they live in a flood plane is BS.
Nick Liffrig if you have nothing productive to say....stfu
@@victoriahale5254 If you can't handle the truth then...stfu
he should sue
you live by the coast will flood so sad to watch these people to rebuild in these areas over and over and never learn there lesson
At least this time around they are not lying and saying the levy broke.
When you have almost ZERO regulations. TEXAS.
may God bless you all...we are so sorry
What really bothers me is did he really have to open those reservoirs!!!??? Couldn't he keep it there!!!??? How would he feel if it was his house!!!???
This is what happens when you have money in politics.
Can't believe I was there
3:43 Damn that is close.
That's the problem in general. We're reactive, not proactive. Being
proactive costs money and resources so we only wait until shit hits the
fan to take action.
SOMEONE SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE...FLOOD ZONES--THATS SHAMEFUL---TOO GREEDY THE PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET.
I live in lake Jackson Texas I've been to Houston a bunch of times it is a clusterfuck of buildings and always building more
Buy low sell high. Real estate opportunity arise with these kinds of flooding. That reservoir release is pretty much under one's paycheck.
It's Texas we already started.
someone give Mr. Cho a house.
Seems like the government owns Mr. chow a new house.
Wait til next hurricane season
Don't leave by the river , lake bayou , ocean
Not sound rude or anything but I'd feel bad for these ppl if we here in Louisiana got this much coverage
the american/texan way: we're go back and not only build, but build bigger, right where we were before. f regulations. f nature. f climate change.
It's still not back to normal down here 😞
It was either flood the less populated rich area or flood the much more populated poor area..... it was a tough decision either way.
yeah I am going to buy a house on a floodplain next to a reservoir in a rainy city that gets a hurricane every decade. Nothing will go wrong.
It's time to trade that old clunker in for a new ride.
Mr. Cho is the kind of immigrant we need more of (PhD, English-speaking, cool).
Garry Perkins he immigrated over 40 yrs ago. Got citizenship
You guys need to change your paradigm. Bag the water. Quick! In the future, water is a critical resource.
4:40.. he were right...this is just the beginning of the end..will come stronger tornadoes and very often one after another.....this
Perched more than a foot of the ground to be safe.... LOL... requirements where I used to live asked for 8 feet if we ever built a new building.
DAMN.
here is the real story , it was a biblical deluge.
Very expensive
These people are stuck with these properties because no one will buy them. How sad that profits over people.
well yeah, no one will buy them because they're *FLOODED*
Their homes have flooded at less 3 times in parts of Houston and they don't have to tell you if your buying a home that's flooded before.
Very nice neighborhoods
The Corps of Engineers pulled this stunt in Bartlesville , OK.. The let huge amounts of water out of a dam, because they held on to lots of water in the lake, hope for a different outcome.
Real talk Texas need to start paying state income tax this shit wouldn't have happen or happen this bad
It will repeat ! No one ever learn !
Well at least he knew he might be flooded out they warned him