8/6/2026 – One of the strongest El Niños ever is suppressing tropical activity in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf. El Niños create wind shear that disrupts the formation of tropical storms and hurricanes. As a result, forecasters have lowered their estimates which were already below normal to begin with. NOAA Updates Seasonal Forecast In an […]
8/5/2026 – In 2020 – three years after Hurricane Harvey – the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) applied for $500,000 grant from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to study Joint Reservoir Operations between Lake Conroe and Lake Houston. They hoped they could reduce flooding through better coordination of releases from the two dams. March […]
7/4/2026 – Yesterday, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) posted Amendment 22 to its Hurricane Harvey $5.6 billion State Action Plan for public comment. That began a 30-day public comment period is required under federal law. The GLO administers disaster aid for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development in Texas. Allocation and Language […]
8/1/26 – A transmittal from Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to Commissioners Court for their 8/6/26 meeting shows the updated status of all Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Projects. Since Dr. Tina Petersen’s last update on 5/1/2026, the new schedule shows that, of 28 projects in the Disaster Relief (DR) and Mitigation (MIT) groups, […]
7/31/2026 – For the last few years, I’ve posted about the slowdown in the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD). Based on a tip, I recently explored contract awards taking up to 20 months to get through the Purchasing Department. So, the slowdown appears to extend beyond just HCFCD. Bonfire, the County’s purchasing portal, shows […]
7/30/2026 – A new 4-minute video shows flood destruction in communities immediately downstream from the proposed 5,300-acre Scarborough development at the confluence of the San Jacinto West Fork with Spring, Cypress and Turkey Creeks. It illustrates the risks of development in that area. It is one of the most flood-prone properties in the San Jacinto […]
7/29/2026 – The allure of living near water is both primal and spiritual. Water is soothing, refreshing, sustaining, beautiful, comforting and necessary. For much of human history, people HAD to live near water. Rivers became cradles of civilization. But occasionally, river flooding also brings destruction. And when modern engineering and infrastructure made it possible to […]
07/28/2026 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has released new figures showing where it has spent money through 2026 Q2. The County has spent only $49.15 million dollars in the entire San Jacinto Watershed since passage of the 2018 Flood Bond eight years ago. That compares with $367,450,000 worth of projects advertised for the […]
07/27/26 – New spending figures are available from Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) through the end of 2026 Q2. This quarter marks the end of Dr. Tina Petersen’s administration and the start of new Executive Director Marcus Stuckett’s. In that sense, it represents (pardon the pun) a watershed moment. HCFCD spending data shows that […]
7/25/2026 – Last Thursday, a meteorological fluke spared the Lake Houston Area from the worst of Tropical Storm Bertha. Others nearby were not so lucky. The lopsided nature of Bertha, the collapse of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) at Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD), the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in […]