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 flood mitigation in the Lake Houston Area could certainly use more people like her. And we can learn from her example.
Judy Cox, an advocate for domestic violence victims. Hundreds of people attended her memorial service today at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Kingwood.
A Transformative Leader
I knew Judy Karns Cox for more than 20 years. On one hand, she was quiet, modest, and self-effacing. On the other, she was a fearless, tireless, transformative leader who made a huge difference in the lives of thousands of Lake Houston Area residents, mostly women and children.
Judy was the retired executive director of Family Time. Family Time runs a crisis and counseling center for battered women. She gave 32 years of her life to the group and 110% of her energies to improving the lives of her clients.
She had an enduring commitment to supporting and uplifting those in need. Perhaps her quiet ways made her successful in her chosen mission. She kept the spotlight on those in need, not herself.
Judy was never pushy, but always pushing.
She took on a job that most would not and became a relentless advocate and educator for her cause.
Judy taught me that the scourge of family violence cuts across all segments of society – rich and poor. Rural and urban. Mainstream and minorities. Old and young. Male, female, LGBTQ+. No group is immune though some are definitely at higher risk.
Judy Cox also taught me that the key to addressing domestic violence lies in recognizing the underlying factors, providing education, reducing stigma, and increasing access to supportive resources and services for all affected individuals.
In that spirit, Family Time provides confidential crisis intervention, counseling, and emergency shelter to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
One Person at a Time
Judy didn’t change the world. But in her quiet way, she changed the lives of thousands of abused people over the years. One person at a time.
As someone who has advocated for flood mitigation since retiring, she was both a hero and a role model to me. I am grateful that I knew her.
The measure of a woman or man is not how much wealth they accumulate in a lifetime. It’s how much better they make other people’s lives and how much they improve their communities. Judy not only understood that, she lived by the principle.
We need more people like her who are willing to throw themselves into the breach and advocate for their respective causes.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/26/24
2646 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Judy-Cox.jpg?fit=1440%2C1440&ssl=114401440adminadmin2024-11-26 18:01:192024-11-26 18:05:59Tribute to Judy Cox, A Transformative Community Leader
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 from disasters dating back to 2008. See:
The GLO administers U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds in Texas. And in keeping with HUD’s mission, grant scoring for the reallocated funds gives preference to low-to-moderate income areas. Also, project evaluation criteria include feasibility of completing the proposed project(s) within two years. Communities can use the reallocated funds for:
Flood and drainage improvements
Water and wastewater improvements
Street improvements
Rehabilitation, reconstruction, and new construction of affordable multifamily projects
Permanently affixed emergency communication equipment.
Approximately 15 entities in or related to Harris County submitted projects. They include Harris County Housing Authority, City of Houston and Harris County plus a dozen or more other entities in Harris County.
Unused funds from the disasters currently total about $130 million. Grants will range from $500,000 to $20 million. For more details, see this PowerPoint presentation.
“Dam Project that Never Was” Might Have Prevented Helene Deaths
A reader sent me a link to a news story called The Dam Project that Never Was published in The Dispatch by Will Rinehart. It’s about the present day implications of a dam project in North Carolina scuttled more than 50 years ago.
The article begins with a quote from a news article in the July 17, 1916, edition of The Asheville Citizen. “Asheville today is absolutely isolated from the outside world, is a city of darkness void of ordinary transportation facilities, and finds herself helpless in the grasp of the most terrible flood conditions ever known here.”
The article then draws eerie parallels between Hurricane Helene in 2024 and the 1916 flood. After additional Ashville floods in 1949, 1961, and 1964, the Tennessee Valley Authority proposed a dam project to protect Ashville. The City sits in a mountain bowl which makes it flood prone.
In the late 1960’s, Congress allocated $3.3 billion to build dams that could have prevented future flooding. But they would have displaced 60 families.
The families organized opposition that killed the project. More time passed. Helene struck and became the second deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland since Katrina.
Hurricane Helene shortly after formation
It’s a powerful story filled with irony. Rinehart laments a technical gap in the discourse about such floods. “Very little of the coverage of Helene’s aftermath that I’ve seen discusses the technical aspects of the flooding and what might be done to limit it in the future.”
“We aren’t even talking about dams and flood management,” he concludes.
So sad. After Harvey, the Lake Houston Area Flood Task Force began a search for solutions. More than seven years later, authorities have identified several upstream dam sites, but begun construction on none. We saw where that got us this May.
Judges Hear Oral Arguments in Upstream Addicks Barker Case
Law firm McGehee ☆ Chang, Landgraf, Feiler wrote that oral arguments in the upstream Addicks Barker case concluded on November 8, 2024.
The government claimed that Harvey was a disaster that was a once in one-thousand-year occurrence, and that the government should not be penalized for such an extremely rare event.
However, the lawyers for the plaintiffs say they refuted that claim. “Our side also pointed out that while Harvey was a significant rain event – it was not as infrequent as the government claimed.”
McGehee et. al. say they expect the appeals court to issue its ruling in approximately six months.
Addicks Repairs Costing $9.3 million Substantially Completed
In the meantime, Harris County Flood Control District says it has completed a $9.3 million project to repair channels in the Addicks Reservoir. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said, “The Flood Control District has learned near five miles of ditches and removed more than 2,000 dump trucks of silt.”
HCFCD Project ID: Z100-00-00-X308 – Bond Project ID: F-53
Repairs also included work on concrete structures and storm outfall failures.
Repairs Totaling $6.46 Million in Barker Reservoir Completed
On November 20, 2024, Harris County Flood Control announced substantial completion of a similar package of repairs in the Barker Reservoir, which is in Precinct 4.
HCFCD Project ID: Z100-00-00-X310 – Bond Project ID: F-52
Repairs took two years and cost $6.46 million.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/25/24
2645 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Hurricane-Helene.jpg?fit=1100%2C740&ssl=17401100adminadmin2024-11-25 17:39:092024-11-25 17:44:29Flood Digest: Brief Summaries of Five Flood-Related News Items
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 San Jacinto south of where the previous Mouth Bar dredging program ended. And this morning, I spotted a tug pulling lengths of dredge pipe into position.
Program First Announced in 2023
The City of Houston first announced its new Lake Houston dredging program last year. The focus: between Kings Point and FM1960 where the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto come together.
For months, Callan’s General Pershing dredge, was anchored south of the Forest Cove Pool on the West Fork San Jacinto at the old Army Corps mobilization site. Yesterday, Callan moved the General Pershing and its dredge pipe downriver to the starting point of the dredging program.
See the photos below taken this morning with the exception of the last one, which I shot last night.
Start of 2024 dredging between Kings Point (right) and Atascocita Point (left). Looking upstream toward West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge in far upper left.Looking downstream toward FM1960 bridge and Lake Houston Dam in distance.Tug pulling sections of dredge pipe into positionfor use.Reverse angle showing pipe and dredge.Only two or three sections of pipe remained upstream last night at the mobilization site south of the Forest Cove Pool.Area between FM1960 and Kings Point currently has one of the largest sediment build-upson the lake.
The dredge program was first announced in October 2023 at former City Council Member Dave Martin’s last town hall meeting.
Former City Flood Czar Stephen Costello outlined the program at that time. East of Atascocita and south of the convergence of the East and West Forks, the City plans to spend another $34 million to remove almost 900,000 cubic yards of sediment.
At the time, Costello said the City hoped to recoup some of its costs by reselling sand that it recovers from “hilltops” in the lake. Dredging will target areas that have sand which can be used for concrete, agriculture and other beneficial uses. At one point, the City reportedly also considered using spoils in the Ike Dike.
Costello showed the heat map above. Notice the heavy sediment concentrations in the lake’s headwaters. This is because sediment drops out of suspension where rivers slow down as they meet standing bodies of water.
Increasing Water Supply Capacity, Reducing Flood Risk
In addition to reducing the water storage capacity of Lake Houston, the sediment increases flood risk. It reduces conveyance of the rivers and lake forcing water up and out during floods.
According to a City of Houston source, the contractor will reportedly pipe the spoils south and east to an area near Spanish Cove. See map below.
The new disposal site (bottom right) is closer to the dredging than another site south of River Grove Park previously used for disposing of the spoils. That should reduce pumping costs.Location is approximate.
Since its construction in the mid-1950s, Lake Houston has lost nearly 20% of its capacity due to sedimentation. The City estimates it currently loses another 360 to 460 acre-feet per year.
This dredging program will help restore some of that capacity and create more room for floodwaters.
Tribute to Judy Cox, A Transformative Community Leader
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 flood mitigation in the Lake Houston Area could certainly use more people like her. And we can learn from her example.
A Transformative Leader
I knew Judy Karns Cox for more than 20 years. On one hand, she was quiet, modest, and self-effacing. On the other, she was a fearless, tireless, transformative leader who made a huge difference in the lives of thousands of Lake Houston Area residents, mostly women and children.
Judy was the retired executive director of Family Time. Family Time runs a crisis and counseling center for battered women. She gave 32 years of her life to the group and 110% of her energies to improving the lives of her clients.
She had an enduring commitment to supporting and uplifting those in need. Perhaps her quiet ways made her successful in her chosen mission. She kept the spotlight on those in need, not herself.
She took on a job that most would not and became a relentless advocate and educator for her cause.
Judy taught me that the scourge of family violence cuts across all segments of society – rich and poor. Rural and urban. Mainstream and minorities. Old and young. Male, female, LGBTQ+. No group is immune though some are definitely at higher risk.
Judy Cox also taught me that the key to addressing domestic violence lies in recognizing the underlying factors, providing education, reducing stigma, and increasing access to supportive resources and services for all affected individuals.
In that spirit, Family Time provides confidential crisis intervention, counseling, and emergency shelter to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
One Person at a Time
Judy didn’t change the world. But in her quiet way, she changed the lives of thousands of abused people over the years. One person at a time.
As someone who has advocated for flood mitigation since retiring, she was both a hero and a role model to me. I am grateful that I knew her.
The measure of a woman or man is not how much wealth they accumulate in a lifetime. It’s how much better they make other people’s lives and how much they improve their communities. Judy not only understood that, she lived by the principle.
We need more people like her who are willing to throw themselves into the breach and advocate for their respective causes.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/26/24
2646 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Flood Digest: Brief Summaries of Five Flood-Related News Items
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 from disasters dating back to 2008. See:
The GLO administers U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds in Texas. And in keeping with HUD’s mission, grant scoring for the reallocated funds gives preference to low-to-moderate income areas. Also, project evaluation criteria include feasibility of completing the proposed project(s) within two years. Communities can use the reallocated funds for:
Approximately 15 entities in or related to Harris County submitted projects. They include Harris County Housing Authority, City of Houston and Harris County plus a dozen or more other entities in Harris County.
Unused funds from the disasters currently total about $130 million. Grants will range from $500,000 to $20 million. For more details, see this PowerPoint presentation.
“Dam Project that Never Was” Might Have Prevented Helene Deaths
A reader sent me a link to a news story called The Dam Project that Never Was published in The Dispatch by Will Rinehart. It’s about the present day implications of a dam project in North Carolina scuttled more than 50 years ago.
The article begins with a quote from a news article in the July 17, 1916, edition of The Asheville Citizen. “Asheville today is absolutely isolated from the outside world, is a city of darkness void of ordinary transportation facilities, and finds herself helpless in the grasp of the most terrible flood conditions ever known here.”
The article then draws eerie parallels between Hurricane Helene in 2024 and the 1916 flood. After additional Ashville floods in 1949, 1961, and 1964, the Tennessee Valley Authority proposed a dam project to protect Ashville. The City sits in a mountain bowl which makes it flood prone.
In the late 1960’s, Congress allocated $3.3 billion to build dams that could have prevented future flooding. But they would have displaced 60 families.
The families organized opposition that killed the project. More time passed. Helene struck and became the second deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland since Katrina.
It’s a powerful story filled with irony. Rinehart laments a technical gap in the discourse about such floods. “Very little of the coverage of Helene’s aftermath that I’ve seen discusses the technical aspects of the flooding and what might be done to limit it in the future.”
“We aren’t even talking about dams and flood management,” he concludes.
So sad. After Harvey, the Lake Houston Area Flood Task Force began a search for solutions. More than seven years later, authorities have identified several upstream dam sites, but begun construction on none. We saw where that got us this May.
Judges Hear Oral Arguments in Upstream Addicks Barker Case
Law firm McGehee ☆ Chang, Landgraf, Feiler wrote that oral arguments in the upstream Addicks Barker case concluded on November 8, 2024.
The government claimed that Harvey was a disaster that was a once in one-thousand-year occurrence, and that the government should not be penalized for such an extremely rare event.
However, the lawyers for the plaintiffs say they refuted that claim. “Our side also pointed out that while Harvey was a significant rain event – it was not as infrequent as the government claimed.”
McGehee et. al. say they expect the appeals court to issue its ruling in approximately six months.
Addicks Repairs Costing $9.3 million Substantially Completed
In the meantime, Harris County Flood Control District says it has completed a $9.3 million project to repair channels in the Addicks Reservoir. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said, “The Flood Control District has learned near five miles of ditches and removed more than 2,000 dump trucks of silt.”
Repairs also included work on concrete structures and storm outfall failures.
Repairs Totaling $6.46 Million in Barker Reservoir Completed
On November 20, 2024, Harris County Flood Control announced substantial completion of a similar package of repairs in the Barker Reservoir, which is in Precinct 4.
Repairs took two years and cost $6.46 million.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/25/24
2645 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Ready, Set, Dredge!
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 San Jacinto south of where the previous Mouth Bar dredging program ended. And this morning, I spotted a tug pulling lengths of dredge pipe into position.
Program First Announced in 2023
The City of Houston first announced its new Lake Houston dredging program last year. The focus: between Kings Point and FM1960 where the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto come together.
For months, Callan’s General Pershing dredge, was anchored south of the Forest Cove Pool on the West Fork San Jacinto at the old Army Corps mobilization site. Yesterday, Callan moved the General Pershing and its dredge pipe downriver to the starting point of the dredging program.
See the photos below taken this morning with the exception of the last one, which I shot last night.
The dredge program was first announced in October 2023 at former City Council Member Dave Martin’s last town hall meeting.
Former City Flood Czar Stephen Costello outlined the program at that time. East of Atascocita and south of the convergence of the East and West Forks, the City plans to spend another $34 million to remove almost 900,000 cubic yards of sediment.
At the time, Costello said the City hoped to recoup some of its costs by reselling sand that it recovers from “hilltops” in the lake. Dredging will target areas that have sand which can be used for concrete, agriculture and other beneficial uses. At one point, the City reportedly also considered using spoils in the Ike Dike.
Costello showed the heat map above. Notice the heavy sediment concentrations in the lake’s headwaters. This is because sediment drops out of suspension where rivers slow down as they meet standing bodies of water.
Increasing Water Supply Capacity, Reducing Flood Risk
In addition to reducing the water storage capacity of Lake Houston, the sediment increases flood risk. It reduces conveyance of the rivers and lake forcing water up and out during floods.
According to a City of Houston source, the contractor will reportedly pipe the spoils south and east to an area near Spanish Cove. See map below.
Since its construction in the mid-1950s, Lake Houston has lost nearly 20% of its capacity due to sedimentation. The City estimates it currently loses another 360 to 460 acre-feet per year.
This dredging program will help restore some of that capacity and create more room for floodwaters.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/23/24
2643 Days since Hurricane Harvey