5/19/26 – Contractors working on the Woodridge Village-Taylor Gully Project finally appeared yesterday and started working today. Construction on the site had been paused since November, 2023. That’s when Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) cancelled an Excavation and Removal Contract with Sprint Sand & Clay to apply for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) […]
5/17/26 – According to Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist, a wet and stormy period mid to late week could bring heavy rainfall, severe thunderstorms, flash flooding, and riverine flooding. The wet and stormy pattern will likely last through the Memorial Day weekend. Weather Pattern A slow-moving, upper-level trough will blanket the southwest through much of […]
5/15/2026 – At their 5/14/2026 meeting, Harris County Commissioners discussed the job performance of the Flood Control District Executive Director, Tina Petersen, Ph.D. After coming out of executive session, Commissioners announced that they were taking “no action” re: Dr. Petersen. Petersen has come under increasing pressure to produce results on $322 million worth of projects […]
5/14/26 – Homes in floodplains typically sell at discounts compared to safer homes on higher ground. Therefore, they tend to attract a higher proportion of first-time home buyers. Why? For the vast majority of first-time buyers, affordability drives buying decisions more than other considerations, especially since flood risk is hard to understand. Let’s look at […]
The Houston Chronicle published an editorial about the leader of the Harris County Flood Control District, Tina Petersen, Ph.D., this morning. Harris County Commissioners will discuss her job performance tomorrow in executive session. The move was prompted by the detailed disclosure on May 1, 2026, of the status of Community Development Block Grant Projects (CDBG). […]
5/11/2026 – Since my last update in April on the Northpark Drive expansion project, the most visible changes have occurred at the south entry pond on US59 and at the approach for the eastern ramp for the bridge over the UnionPacific Railroad Tracks. Contractors have excavated the south pond deeper and paved up to the […]
5/9/2026 – During the 5/14/2026 Harris County Commissioner’s Court Meeting, Commissioners will discuss Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Dr. Tina Petersen in Executive Session with an eye to taking possible action. Item #490 on the Agenda reads: Request by the Commissioner of Precinct 3 for an Executive Session pursuant to Texas Government Code […]
5/8/26 – The Texas General Land Office (GLO), despite all the good it does, has a serious conflict of interest under Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, MD. Administratively, the Texas Permanent School Fund Corporation resides within the GLO and Buckingham has a seat on its board. The Permanent School Fund has reportedly invested $140 million in a […]
5/6/27 – Montgomery County Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray addressed a packed East Montgomery County Chamber luncheon today about the often conflicting issues of property rights, growth, flooding and public safety. Both during the meeting and in an hour-long, one-on-one interview after it, he stressed the need for responsible development that mitigated downstream flooding impacts. […]
5/5/26 – Hurricane forecast cones will have a new look for 2026 according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). As part of a suite of product improvements, NHC will implement two new tropical products and services: “These improvements empower communities to prepare earlier and more effectively for dangerous hazards from tropical storms and hurricanes,” said Michael Brennan, […]