Researchers studied why Houston is so vulnerable to flooding, but things may not be changing anytime soon

Alexis Obregon drives his ATV through high water on West Mount Houston Road, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017, in Houston. Torrential rains have brought more flooding to the Houston area as emergency officials urge motorists to stay home until the water recedes. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

According to experts, Houston is a “sitting duck” for massive storms, like Ike and now Harvey.

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As widespread destruction and devastating imagery makes its way across headlines nationwide, people around the country are asking what makes the Bayou City so open to the effects of storms, and why isn’t Texas doing more to prepare?

RELATED: Here’s the First Look at the Devastation Caused by Harvey’s Texas Landfall

A  report published last year by the Texas Tribune and Pro Publica detailed the shortcomings of Houston’s infrastructure when it comes to flooding, warning that “it is not if, but when Houston’s next perfect storm will hit.”

One of the authors of that report, Kiah Collier, recently spoke with PBS News Hour about Harvey’s impact on Houston:

“Flooding kills more people here than anywhere else in the US,” said Collier during the interview.

She cited a lack of building restrictions as one reason flooding impacts so many areas.

She further discussed how developers also often pave over low-lying and vulnerable areas to build businesses without considering the impact during a flood.

Harvey marks the third major flood event in Houston in as many years; past data for “100-year” and “50-year” floods correlates and shows which areas are at greatest risk.

Furthermore, a signification portion of the flooding from powerful storms, like Harvey, is occurring outside the areas FEMA considers most likely to flood, according to Collier:

“Today we’re seeing flooding that exceeds 500 year flood levels, which is really rare.”

RELATED: Loyal Dog Carrying Bag of Food During Harvey Goes Viral

Ultimately, major, costly upgrades will be required to proactively prepare Houston from the Harveys of the future, but a structural commitment to these changes will likely take several years.

What do you think?

With flooding a continued concern, the Corps of Engineers is releasing water from Houston dams and reservoirs

Officials: If your house is flooding, go to the roof, not the attic