12/7/24 – One of the leading environmental groups in the Houston region is the Bayou Land Conservancy (BLC). Their motto: “We preserve land along streams for flood control, clean water, and wildlife.” Last year, BLC volunteers logged thousands of hours maintaining and improving natural areas and trails that help others appreciate nature’s wonders. One such […]
12/6/24 – When you look at Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) spending figures, it’s clear they are making a major flood-mitigation investment along Cypress Creek. At the end of the third quarter this year, HCFCD had spent more than $190 million on Cypress Creek projects since Hurricane Harvey. That was enough to rank it […]
12/5/2024 – Tsunamis are huge waves caused by earthquakes. Storm surge is a huge wave caused by hurricane winds. Both have unimaginable destructive power. West Coast Tsunami Warning This Morning This morning, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Northern California. That caused the National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings from Oregon down to San Francisco […]
12/2/24 – System capacity maps for each of Harris County’s 23 watersheds show widespread problems and raise questions about whether the county’s most severe needs are confined to historically underserved areas. Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) released the maps in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. What “System Capacity” Means System […]
12/1/24 – The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season ended yesterday. The season predicted to be “extreme” turned out to be “above average,” according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The Atlantic basin, which includes the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, saw 18 named storms in 2024. Of the 18, 11 became hurricanes and five became major […]
11/30/24 – On November 26, 2024, the Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas dismissed homeowners’ claims in the long-running SJRA Takings Case. The case arose from Hurricane Harvey flood damage. Downstream homeowners alleged that San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) releases from Lake Conroe significantly exacerbated their flooding. The resulting damage, they claimed, […]
11/27/24 – Montgomery County is operating off a 1989 Drainage Criteria Manual that received minor updates in 2019. MoCo still has not finalized its new drainage criteria manual, a process it began in August 2022. In February 2024, Montgomery County published a draft of a comprehensive new update to its drainage criteria manual. The draft brought the […]
11/26/24 – Flooding in Harris County could use more people like Judy Cox. I attended her memorial service this afternoon and my eyes misted up when hundreds of people sang, “Down By The Riverside.” I dedicate this post to Judy’s memory because of her leadership style. She had no real involvement in flood mitigation. But […]
11/25/24 – This flood digest contains brief summaries of five recent flood-related news items. GLO Launches Disaster Recovery Reallocation Program A month ago, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) announced the creation of a Disaster Recovery Reallocation Program (DRRP). The purpose: to utilize unused and de-obligated Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds […]
11/23/24 – Callan Marine now has a dredge in place to begin the City of Houston’s latest dredging operation. Last month, the City said it hoped its latest Lake Houston dredging program would start in December and now it looks like it will. Callan’s dredge, the General Pershing, is currently anchored on the West Fork […]