I currently live in Dallas, but I grew up in Houston and have spent most of my life there.
Two things,
1. The dramatic pictures you are seeing in the news this weekend- notably the one of 610 flooded up to the freeway overhead signs, and Memorial Park along Allen and Memorial Parkways are nothing new or unusual. That piece of freeway is set about 30 feet below ground level, and the park is also very low-lying along the bayou in that area. You can get photos like that every few years for one reason or another- even just after a hard day's rain.
2. The real danger is that Houston is currently at that state, and unlike what we saw with Alicia or Allison- the rain is not over. This has the potential to get much worse, and quite frankly we will not know how much worse with regards to central Houston for another 48 hours.
I have tons of friends and family down there and am getting regular updates. River Oaks, Memorial and West U/Medical Center are generally okay in terms of homes not flooding- but a few spots in Memorial have flooded homes- which is highly unusual- and last I heard one major hospital in the Medical Center is evacuating patients which is also highly unusual.
North of town, as of tonight a few friends report water within a couple of feet of the front door on their lawns. So that is very touch and go.
South it is a mixed bag- many are just fine, but a few others are close to flooding.
East- as has always been the case since it is a lower lying area is in bad shape. Extensive flooding.
Latest word is that the storm is headed back to sea and will hit Houston again in a couple of days- a more direct hit. As is usually the case, winds are not much a concern as flooding.
Also, the "dirty side" of the storm is to the east- ie the side that will dump the most rain. And so a direct hit will take less of a toll on the West side of town, but East of Houston would be even worse than now potentially.
Let us see what happens- but for the moment I would say Houston is currently about what one would expect immediately AFTER a major hurricane hit, yet with rains continuing tonight and a chance of another hit in a couple of days which gives the streets time to drain, but is not enough time for the bayou and its various tributaries to get back to normal levels.
I fear we are not done yet