In the private sector, it can take just days to buy a home. In the public sector, it can take years. Here’s why buyouts take so long. Major Steps in Process The graphic above outlines the major steps in the buyout process. The linked video provides more detail. The Forest Cove Townhomes illustrate some of […]
Have you ever walked up a down escalator? I’m sure that’s what it must feel like to work for the Harris County Flood Control District at times. As you work to improve public safety, you sometimes fight others eroding it in the process of making a buck. Consider this comparison. Forest Cove Buyouts V. Wanbridge […]
Now that we’re past the third anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, some developers would like to pretend the storm never happened. Where money can be made, they have memory loss in abundance and common sense in short supply. New Townhomes Feet from West Fork in Kings Harbor I previously blogged about new townhomes under construction in […]
Earlier this month, the City of Houston announced that FEMA would pay to dredge another million cubic yards of sediment from the West Fork Mouth Bar. What does that mean in practical terms? What are the objectives of the program? How wide and deep will they go? Neither the objectives, nor a dredging plan, have […]
Developed after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, the Harris County Flood Control District Flood Education Mapping Tool’s purpose was to help Harris County residents learn the location of their properties in relation to mapped 1-percent (100-year), 0.2-percent (500-year) and coastal floodplains. The Flood Education Mapping Tool includes regularly-updated floodplain information from the Flood Insurance Rate […]
Because of low interest rates, new developments seem to pop up weekly around the Lake Houston Area. The question often arises, “How will the development of new flood maps affect the development of new subdivisions?” Most people by now have heard that City building code revisions now require elevation at least two feet above the […]
In the Harris County Commissioners Court meeting on 8/25/2020, Commissioners again considered the purchase of Woodridge Village from Perry Homes – at least one small aspect of it that would have allowed them to lock in the price while other details are worked out. For months, the County has considered purchasing the property to create […]
After a week of worry! After adrenaline-fueled prep for two back-to-back hurricanes that could have wreaked havoc on Houston…I woke up refreshed this morning, walked to my weather window, and saw…nothing unusual. What happened? I checked my weather gauge. It read 0.00 inches of rain. Max winds since midnight: 3 mph. It would appear the […]
Based on recent Hurricane Hunter aircraft measurements, the National Hurricane Center reported at 1 p.m. that Hurricane Laura’s maximum sustained winds have increased to near 140 mph with higher gusts. Laura is an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Maximum winds could reach 145 mph. Laura is forecast to remain […]
Many people mistake the cone of uncertainty associated with a hurricane as the width of a storm. It’s not. It merely shows likely paths the hurricane’s eye could take as it comes ashore. There’s an equal probability of any path within the cone. Cones expand with more distant projections because uncertainty increases. But as forecasters […]