Can Houston's infrastructure withstand severe weather? Beryl's aftermath has residents concerned

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- In a city known for its grit, Houston's roads can test even the grittiest of us.

"We live and stay in Houston for the people, not the roads," Houstonian Tyler Burke said. "When it doesn't stop raining, and we are at sea level, the situation is what it is. We can't change that. But, yeah, of course, 'Houston Strong,' right? So, we'll get through it."

Thursday was another wet day in southeast Texas. Due to a washout, TxDOT crews are rebuilding FM 1097 West over Atkins Creek in Montgomery.

On Blossom Street in Rice Military, neighbors watched the road open up.

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"They've just paved it over two times, and it's sunk both times, so I think we need a little more engineering and a little more attention," neighbor Ruby Powers said.

Houston Public Works said it was working to repair two wastewater issues on Blossom:

• 6035 Blossom - Crews are repairing a cave-in due to a builder's unauthorized connection to a wastewater main.

• 5510 Blossom - Crews are repairing a cave-in due to damage to a wastewater pipe deep underground. This will need extensive trenchless repairs.

Public Works said none of the issues were related to infrastructure damage from Hurricane Beryl.

But it's been a wet and wild few months.

In May, we saw a severe wind storm that taught us all the word "derecho."

Then, Beryl hit in early July.

"You cannot keep repairing and repairing and repairing," Jim Blackburn, Rice University environmental law professor, said. "At some point, you are going to have to say, 'Enough of this, let's change the way we're thinking.' And that's what we need to do that we have not done as a community."

Blackburn said roads, buildings, and chemical plants must be designed differently if they're expected to last.

"All of our design is based on statistics, so engineers use data from the past to basically determine what they need to build," he said. "The problem with climate change is that you can't rely on the past anymore. The future, it's like the goalposts keep moving."

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