The Gist

The Flood Trap That Houston Built

How unchecked development in the Houston suburbs added to the nightmare of Tropical Storm Harvey.

A Houston resident waits to be rescued from his flooded home on Monday.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Listen to Episode 817 of Slate’s The Gist:

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Slate’s Henry Grabar explains how rampant building in the Houston suburbs have made the area worse for wear during Tropical Storm Harvey. And in the Spiel, guest-host Osita Nwanevu breaks his self-imposed moratorium against criticizing columnist David Brooks.

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