FROM THE PRESIDENT

Better safe than sorry is an adage old but true. Since we all subscribe to the philosophy that being prepared is better than being caught off guard, it's understandable that many of us feel unsettled by what happened almost three months ago when floodwaters from Tropical Storm Allison created hardships we never imagined.

The logical response to such an event is to question why this happened and if it could happen again. I'd like to take a moment to address these concerns and offer information regarding the status of each.

The simplest answer to why flooding occurred in the Texas Medical Center is not due to circumstances in the Texas Medical Center alone, but instead can be traced to what occurred north of Highway 59, as far northwest as Westheimer at Buffalo Speedway. During storms, rainwater from these neighborhoods is funneled underground into two 15-by-15 foot concrete box culverts. Think of the culverts as two very large side-by-side underground ditches. The culverts carry the rainwater from north of Highway 59 steadily downhill, eventually flowing under the Rice University and Texas Medical Center campuses, and ultimately emptying into Brays Bayou on MacGregor. If the bayou is already swollen with rainwater, as it was during Tropical Storm Allison, the water from the culverts has nowhere to go. Consequently, it backs up into the culverts, then backs up into the storm drains in the Texas Medical Center. Water flows into the streets through the storm drains, and flooding occurs.

Could this situation happen again? Absolutely, yes, unless we identify alternatives to deal with the problem of incoming stormwater from neighborhoods north of Highway 59. Currently, a Texas Medical Center Hazard Mitigation Master Plan is being formulated to provide options for improved flood control in the future. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, the firm that drafted the Texas Medical Center's 50-year Master Plan, has been enlisted to provide expertise in formulating the hazard mitigation plan. The first draft of the plan will be completed by late September. A front-page article in this issue of Texas Medical Center News features more about this endeavor.

Much discussion about flood prevention has focused on basic, local-level initiatives such as flood doors, flood gates, sand bags, and moving electrical control rooms to a higher level. While all of these initiatives have merit and deserve consideration, it's important to think bigger. Much of what needs to change lies beyond the boundaries of the Texas Medical Center campus.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/09_01_01/page_32.html