Permeable pavers look like ordinary pavers, but the joints are wider and filled with small clean stone, and the base under them is built from open-graded stone with voids that store water. Rain passes through the joints into that base and then soaks slowly into the soil or leaves through an underdrain. The pavers alone do nothing; it is the whole assembly that works.
Heights clay drains slowly, so a permeable surface here is usually designed with enough base storage and, often, a perforated underdrain to a legal outlet. It can meaningfully reduce runoff from the paved area itself. It does not protect a property from street or bayou flooding, and it needs occasional joint cleaning to keep working.
