Protesters Disrupt Crenshaw Town Hall in Kingwood on Harvey’s 8th Anniversary
8/30/25 – On the eighth anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, more than 400 residents crowded into the Kingwood Community Center to hear Congressman Dan Crenshaw talk. Unfortunately, a group of unruly agitators wouldn’t let the Congressman speak about flood mitigation to an audience whose lives had been upended by flooding.
They kept shouting questions about random, unrelated topics, such as lactation consulting. And before Crenshaw could answer one question, attackers would cut him off with another. Sometimes the attackers even stepped on each other.
Check out this representative 50-second clip of the hour-long audio recording I made…from the FRONT row. Transcription was hopeless.
It appeared as though the provocateurs were trying to get the police to eject them. That would have given them ammunition to slime Crenshaw further on social media.
The experience was an hour-long dystopian view of mob rule. Disruption, disturbance and disparagement replaced civilized discourse and debate. The volume of protesters’ voices drowned out Crenshaw’s attempts to illuminate issues.
That’s a real shame because he has a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard. Crenshaw is smart. Plus…
He has a deep understanding of issues and a gift for explaining them in ways that help people find common ground.
Bob Rehak
Shouts Overpower Microphone
Even though Crenshaw had a microphone, I had trouble hearing him. So, for those who attended hoping to hear what Crenshaw has done for flood mitigation in the area, here is partial text of his remarks obtained later from his staff.
Crenshaw’s Remarks on Flood Mitigation
“Through my work in Washington, I’ve been able to pull down federal dollars to help our local communities here in Lake Houston.”
“As you probably know, earlier this year we finally wrapped up a project that I had advocated for since I took office. The complete restoration of Lake Houston to pre-Harvey conditions. To date, over $150 million of federal funds have been used to dredge Lake Houston. The last $30 plus million project was completed near the convergence of the East Fork, West Fork and the lake.”
“I look forward to seeing the City maintain the lake with the newly approved Lake Houston Dredging District. This project was a long-fought effort by Charles Cunningham, Fred Flickinger and Twila Carter. It was unfortunate that my opponent, Steve Toth, voted against helping this community.
“While the Lake Houston Dam is long overdue, I feel confident that we are on a good path and I am committed to expediting any federal permits required to get this project completed. For updates on the project, you should subscribe to Fred Flickinger’s newsletter.”
“Some other projects in the area that I secured Community Project Funding for are as follows:”
FY26 Projects -Submitted but Not Yet Approved
Woodridge Stormwater Detention Basin – $ 1M (We asked for $3 million.)
Purpose: The project aims to decrease flooding elevation within the San Jacinto watershed. It supplements funding obtained in previous years. [See below.]
Designed as a wet-bottom basin with a permanent pool of water and constructed with native wetland vegetation and features, this stormwater detention basin will function to treat and clean stormwater. The permanent pool of water will settle out solids, while the native vegetation will provide habitat for aquatic species that filter and clean stormwater.
FY24 Community Projects Signed into Law
Ford Road Improvement Project – $7 million
Purpose: This request will support Ford Road improvements from US 59 in Montgomery County to the Harris County line. The current road is undersized and serves as one of only three evacuation routes for the Kingwood area. Commissioner Gray is currently constructing this project.
Kingwood Diversion Channel – Walnut Lane Bridge Project- $4 million
Purpose: The project includes the widening and reconstruction of Walnut Lane Bridge in Kingwood. This bridge, in its current configuration, will restrict flood flows unless widened to accommodate the future expansion of the Kingwood Diversion Channel currently being designed by the Harris County Flood Control District.
Taylor Gully Channel Conveyance Improvements Project-$1.75 million
Purpose: This project is designed to reduce flood risk in the Kingwood area. This project will create a detention basin and improve stormwater conveyance to minimize flood risks. Engineering studies show that completion of this project will result in substantial reductions in flooding along Taylor Gully. The studies show that this project will remove the 100-year floodplain from over 115 acres of flood area and from 276 structures.
FY23 Community Projects Signed into Law
Lake Houston Dam Spillway Project – $8 million
Purpose: This recently completed project reinforced the existing dam structure. The aging structure needed reinforcement and a project to replace this structure is underway. The dam gates will not be using this structure.
Woodridge Stormwater Detention Basin Project – $5 million
Purpose: The project involves creating a detention basin to alleviate flood risks in the Kingwood area. This project is critical for flood mitigation efforts in the district.
Harris County Municipal Utility District (HCMUD) 468 Stormwater Detention Basin Project-$2 million
Purpose: This project is for the excavation of a stormwater detention basin located in the Cypress Creek watershed. The Cypress Creek watershed is highly developed and has a lack of regional stormwater detention basins for flood mitigation. This project is critical for flood mitigation efforts in the district and provides upstream detention to Kingwood
FY22 Community Projects Signed Into Law
Kingwood Diversion Channel – $1.6 million
Purpose: The Kingwood Diversion Channel improvements are proposed to divert stormwater runoff from the Bens Branch channel to lower the risk of structural flooding along the portion of Bens Branch within the Kingwood area. This project will also provide capacity to allow for future local City of Houston neighborhood drainage improvements to outfall into the Kingwood Diversion Channel.
Taylor Gully Channel Conveyance Improvements – $1.6 million
This project will mitigate flooding on the north side of Kingwood.
TC Jester Stormwater Detention Basin Project – $9.96 million
Purpose: This request is for TC Jester Detention Basin, which is a stormwater detention mitigation project within the Cypress Creek Watershed that is intended to address current flood damage reduction needs within the Cypress Creek Watershed. This project will provide upstream detention to Kingwood.
Westador Stormwater Detention Basin Project – $8.85 million
Purpose: This project will also provide upstream detention to Kingwood.
Each of these wins – border security funding, energy permitting, flood infrastructure – came from listening to our community and then acting decisively.
Crenshaw Deserves Even More Credit
Crenshaw didn’t say it, but the money he helped obtain for the Woodridge and Taylor Gully Projects also helped those projects qualify for $33 million dollars in CDBG-MIT grants. Harris County Flood Control District obtained those through the Texas General Land Office and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In contrast, Crenshaw’s primary opponent, State Representative Steve Toth, voted against the bill to create a Lake Houston Dredging District, even though it would not have raised taxes.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/30/2025
2923 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
