Skyline photos taken near Buffalo Bayou provide outlook on Hurricane Harvey flooding of Houston
Buffalo Bayou snakes past downtown Houston, Texas,. Walkways and parks line the waterway, and the two sides are connected by pedestrian bridges like this one near The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. This bridge is now under water after the deluge of Hurricane Harvey.
The nation has been captivated by the awful news coming out of Houston, which has been swamped by Hurricane Harvey. The slow-moving storm has dumped feet of water on the nation’s fourth-largest city and its surrounding region, which is home to some 8 million people. As much as 50 inches of rain could fall on some parts of the region. For those not familiar with Houston, the sheer amount of water inundating the city is hard to fathom, but these skyline photos provide some perspective.
Each image on this page was captured along Buffalo Bayou, which snakes along Houston’s downtown district and has been a major player in the flooding. Scroll down to see the rest of the images from my fine-art gallery or click here to see my full Texas Collection.
Along with the skyline images, I’ve provided a screen capture showing the location from which one of the photos was taken. That location is now under water.
But here’s what many don’t know: Buffalo Bayou is normally a pretty tranquil, slow-moving bayou that is many feet below the level of the surface streets. At least 20 feet separates the bayou at normal water level from the top of the embankment on which I was standing to capture the first image below.
The bayou is lined with amazing green spaces and concrete paths that fill with runners, bikers and couples just out for walks. It’s picturesque, when rains don’t swell the bayou out of its banks.
The down side of the Houston area is found in the amount of concrete in the region, which means water pours into drainages like Buffalo Bayou. So flash flooding isn’t unusual — but Hurricane (now Tropical Storm) Harvey has dumped so much rain on the area that the waters have spilled out and flooded homes and businesses throughout the greater Houston area.Thousands of people are being pulled from their flooded homes by first responders and volunteers like Louisiana’s Cajun Navy.
Click here for a perspective from a Houston resident who is stuck in his second-floor apartment about 600 yards from Buffalo Bayou.
The situation is sure to be one of the worst natural disasters in the United States. News reports are that fourteen people have died in the flooding as of early Aug. 29, 2017, but rescue operations were ongoing.
Houston’s skyline shines brightly during the night. I was standing on the edge of Interstate 45 where it passes Buffalo Bayou at Sabine Promenade and Sam Houston Park, and now the area where I set up is covered with water dumped on the region by Hurricane Harvey.
My vantage point now under water
I was standing on the edge of this leg of the Interstate 45 exchange at Buffalo Bayou when I took the first image attached to this blog. Where I was standing is now under water after Hurricane Harvey swamped the Houston area.
Click here to see the area above after Buffalo Bayou was flooded by Hurricane Harvey’s torrential rainfall.
A view from Buffalo Bayou’s Sabine Promanade
A pedestrian bridge connects the Sabine Promenade on either side of Buffalo Bayou near the Houston downtown district. This area has beencovered with many feet of water by the deluge associated with Hurricane Harvey.
A look down Buffalo Bayou
Houston was built on the banks of Buffalo Bayou, which is normally a tranquil waterway. However, heavy rains from Hurricane Harvey pushed the bayou more than 20 feet higher, spilling over the banks and inundating the area. At least 14 people have died in the catastrophic event.