This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
A couple of weeks ago I shared a project by Andrew David Thaler called Drown Your Town that used Google Earth to show what cities around the world would look like under water.
Well, we got a real life dose of that here in Austin, Texas last night. A massive storm system traveled along the I-35 corridor and dumped up to 11 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. Unfortunately, Austin does not have a flood control system like Tokyo (see "This massive underground complex protects Tokyo from floods").
Here are some pics from around town:
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Another one of Pleasant Valley Rd. and William Cannon. #atxfloods pic.twitter.com/rcDNfqWWnW— Austin Police Dept (@Austin_Police) October 31, 2013
View of Burleson Rd/183 at bridge over Onion Creek from Air 1. #atxfloods pic.twitter.com/G8Kxkzgvi1
— Austin Police Dept (@Austin_Police) October 31, 2013
Photo at Burleson/Emma Browning Rd. entrance to Richard Moya Park. #atxfloods pic.twitter.com/MCOjg371ZM— Austin Police Dept (@Austin_Police) October 31, 2013
In @austin_police Air 1 w/Marc Ott & Fire Chief assessing Floods. More to follow. pic.twitter.com/NTB4iilydZ
— Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) October 31, 2013
Again? Waller Creek Tunnel Outlet construction site filled with water last night. pic.twitter.com/iyDXYT8H0V
— Waller Creek (@WallerCreek) October 31, 2013
Thanks to Reagan Hackleman and the Austin Police Department for the photos.