Are Natural Disasters Getting Worst?

It does appear that natural disasters are getting worst because of constant news coverage, there seem to be more disasters, or disasters are getting larger and more intense. We will provide analysis and consider the factual data that can prove or disprove that disasters are getting worst or not getting worst.

For this argument, we will look at two Texas cities, Houston and San Antonio, if disasters are getting worst. San Antonio in the late 1970's started to plan for more flood control's by building elevated roads, so the road would not get flooded. More money and grant proposals were voted on by citizens to improve drainage and expand flood control systems. The City of San Antonio began to create stricter building codes and where structures could not be built in previously flooded areas.

The Northwest Shopping Center on 8110 Fredericksburg Road was always flooding during heavy rains, and the flood area would get up to four to five feet high. Many high-water rescues being conducted by the San Antonio Fire Department and some people drowned in that same area. Another dangerous place was the five-point area near San Antonio College, where Culebra, Cypress, Evergreen, Fredericksburg, and N. Flores. Fast running flood water swept a young college student's car; after the flood water receded, her vehicle was found, with her body still inside. Flooding is the number one cause of death in the United States according to Center for Disease Control and Texas Department of Public Safety/Highway Patrol.

The City of San Antonio has been developing flood control plans, improving drainage, building new water sheds to retain flood water from business and residential areas. Like the 8110 Fredericksburg road area, the city decided to buy out the property and tear down all the building, building a deep water shed, and the area was turned into a green belt to help route heavy flood waters in the greenbelt. The greenbelt also acts as a park where people can enjoy the outdoors for recreation. Bexar County completed a flood control project along the San Antonio River at the cost of $187,000, 000 dollars, to help reduce and control flooding in the city. San Antonio sits at an elevation of about 730 feet above sea line shore level. Even with all the water sheds, flood controls, drainage, and new dams, the city still is not a 100% flood proof.

The change in the climate and change in weather patterns, it is difficult for communities to protect themselves from floods at 100%. The City of Houston has more serious flood problems when tropical storms or hurricanes strike the city. Houston is at a sea line shore level; the city is about 27 feet above sea level. Houston has numerous creeks, rivers, 11 water sheds, bayous, and the Houston Ship canal that is about 45 feet wide and 50 miles long, starting from the Galveston Bay area. Houston area businesspeople wanted Houston to be the largest seaport in Texas and not Galveston. Group of wealthy businessmen started the Houston ship channel project and was completed by 1914; soon became a world class commercial port. The City of Houston is the capital of oil production, manufacturing, transportation, banking, and various commerce. Houston is the fourth largest city, a world class city.

Because of the booming oil industry, banking, manufacturing, and shipping, earlier city officials allow for commercial development and residential development with very little urban city planning. Developers were given a go by Houston City officials to build just about anywhere there was open land, and natural disasters were less intense. The City of Houston grew so much in new businesses coming to the city and more people moving in to take those news jobs. The infrastructure of public safety services, roads, transportation, and utilities was not keeping up with the demand because of the population increase.

The City of Houston Metro Area extends in about five counties, and many of the smaller cities make up the metro area of Houston. Hurricane Ike 12 years ago, in 2008 should have been a wakeup call for city and county officials to consider some serious disaster planning to prepare for an evacuation. Hurricane Harvey has struck the Texas coast that could make it the most costly hurricane damage. Many small communities like Rockport were wiped out. Hurricane Harvey hit Houston with over 50 inches of rain. Houston received about one trillion gallons of rain in four days; the rain was non-stop for several more days. Texas and Louisiana received about 33 trillion gallons of water.

Former Director of FEMA, William Craig Fugate, are disasters getting worst, was the question asked? He stated even that the storms are intensifying, dangerous city development planning is also adding to multiply the emergency event. The Federal Flood Insurance cannot forever continue to pay to rebuild in areas that are prone to flooding or reoccurring flooding. City and County officials need to be held accountable for improving urban and infrastructure planning to help reduce and eliminate structures from being flooded. Like Mr. Fugate stated there should be new zoning codes to prevent rebuilding in flood prone areas, their news to be advanced building codes to help reduce or prevent structural damage.

We need to have Smart city planning to help design zoning laws where structures can or cannot be built. We need to implement new building codes and construction plans in the Houston area, and other cities can be affected by heavy tropical rain storms or hurricanes. Some cities in Florida had required the structure to design and built to withstand a Category 5 Hurricane. It will be impossible to create a whole green belt or water shed areas like Houston because it would be costly and wreck the economy in creating cascade effects after a disaster.

We need smart city planning that will make neighborhood communities into islands when floods do occur and keep people safe and sustainable with storm shelters. Emergency radio communications and emergency provisions that could be stored and used by residents during a tropical storm or hurricane, in case the people cannot evacuate. If we could develop buildings that can withstand a Category 5 hurricane in an elevated structure, with the first three levels dedicated to parking at the first three or four levels, levels three and up could be used for residential and commercial purposes; this would keep people safer from these impending natural disasters.

The problem with a catastrophe occurring in Cities like Houston is bad development planning like Mr. Fugate stated in a recent article in Linkedin. Also, more people are moving into larger cities like Houston for better job opportunities and pay; the problem is the population growth is staying ahead of what officials can provide in city services and infrastructure. When Hurricane Harvey strikes a city like Houston, not all 56,000 9-11 calls will have enough first responders to rescue everyone. The 9-11 emergency call center was not overwhelmed, there just was not enough first responders to make the calls. What people do not understand about public safety, as to why I am getting a busy signal and cannot reach a 9-11 operator.

Local public safety systems are designed to handle calls and respond to calls on a twenty-four-hour basis, but when a significant emergency or disaster strikes places like Houston, areas flooded, flooded roads, it makes it difficult for first responders to get to the person who needs help.

It should be every citizen's responsibility or the head of a family to prepare ahead of an emergency or disaster, by learning first aid, CPR, get your amateur radio technician radio license, and take a Community Emergency Response Team(CERT) training to safeguard yourself and your family. By taking training and being prepared, you have peace of mind in knowing what to do. People rely too much on hoping local government first responders will arrive and they will work during daily operation, but in a disaster, help may never come, until hours or days later, like the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Harvey, soon found out.

We need to build neighbor sub-divisions with the idea they can be self-sustaining during and after a disaster; there would be less property damage and more lives saved. Local officials need to rethink on how to plan for future new commercial and residential development with a natural disaster in mind.