2024 Tropical Weather Thread

efil4stnias said
With development happening in areas that were once off limits, due to demand, folks HAVE to now inquire about watersheds/drainage. AND WHEN BUYING, WHO THINKS ABOUT ASKING THESE QUESTIONS? Shoot, they hardly understand watersheds, flow, basins etc. ( especially if you arent from the area )

Over development wreaks havoc on drainage infrastructure ( natural and man-made ) especially when NO IMPROVEMENTS ( new canals, new drainage areas ) are made to get the water to where it wants to go, with minimal property loss.

We have a subdivision not far from where i am going up on land that was deemed "uninhabitable" by USACOE. The developer is going to reclaim it thru bringing in soil, build it up. So 10-15 acres of land that was once a "drainage path" with 1000s of oaks/pines etc that would swallow up the water, clear cut and built up. So now that same water has to find ANOTHER way to watershed, putting other established neighborhoods at risk since they were built based on prior topography.

Developers are changing the landscape, literally.

I live on a creek and was an X zone. in 2024, FEMA remapped me and now im A15. Went from $697 to $2800 for flood insurance. With all the NEW development DOWNSTREAM from my home/creek and development further up St. Tammany that the creek is drainage to take to Tchefucnte River, its a matter of when, not if any longer.

I got insanely lucky in 2020- within 6 inches of my home that sits 25ft above sea level. I suspect that we ever get another 10 inch rain event in 8 hrs, ill be filing a claim.

I met with a friend last week in Wilmington for lunch. We went by his house in Carolina Beach. The whole way he was discussing how the property value in the area has been on a rocket. I’m seeing new construction booming everywhere. He kept telling me how great of an investment the real estate is in the area. The sun was setting, the sawgrass was blowing as the Cape Fear River gently swept through the marshes filled with grey remains of trees that somehow made the landscape even prettier.

Then I got ruthless. Asked him if he knew why the trees all in the area were void of branches, bark and left grey? Had to explain to him that it is from salt water intrusion and usually found in places with rapid sea level rise and subsidence, extremely prone areas for hurricane surge, areas impacted by frequent tsunamis or earthquake prone areas that subside from subduction zone faults.

Obviously, he wasnt quite sure what that meant so I had to really spell it out. If a large hurricane were to hit between there and Myrtle Beach the water would be up to the power lines. Hope he never experiences it but the developers have to be in the pockets of the government zoning this crap out so they can peddle the dream to unsuspecting people.

He blew me off, said his house was good that he isnt even required to have flood insurance. Meanwhile, I added another mark on my map app marked “surge” so I can go shoot video when it does happen.

I don’t understand how people can invest without looking into this stuff. Then again, I just see skeletons everywhere I drive so maybe it is just me.