Since 2000, White Oak Bayou has received $386.8 million in Harris County Flood Control (HCFCD), federal, and local partner funding. That ranks it #2 in dollars received among all 23 Harris County Watersheds, second only to Brays Bayou at $544.5 million. Data received via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, showed that these two watersheds alone have received close to a billion dollars out of $3 billion spent between 1/1/2000 and the end of the third quarter this year. Said another way…
Two watersheds out of 23 received about a third of all HCFCD flood-mitigation spending in the last 22 years.
White Oak is difficult to photograph. As with Brays, homes and apartments back up to White Oak almost the entire way. They largely conceal most of it from public view except near bridges. Those homes and apartments also conceal the magnitude of construction from public view.
A Low-to-Moderate Income Watershed
Within the watershed, White Oak has slightly more low-to-moderate income (LMI) residents (51%) than those who earn above the average for the region. Other interesting stats:
It comprises 111.1 square miles. That ranks #6 among all watersheds.
White Oak has 468,214 people. That ranks #3 among all watersheds.
White Oak ranks #3 in total damage and #5 in damage per square mile.
Continuous Improvement for Decades
Money has poured into the White Oak watershed – as it has for Brays – because of the large number of flooded structures and associated damage. White Oak has had almost 26,000 structures flooded in the last five major storms – Allison, Tax Day, Memorial Day, Harvey and Imelda. That ranks it #3 in total damage among all 23 Harris County Watersheds.
The 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act helped fund the latest round of construction shown below on White Oak as well as Hunting and Brays Bayous. All three started more than 20 years ago and advance sporadically as more money becomes available.
Fighting Constrictions of Development to Make Room for More Floodwater
The photos below show HCFCD’s and the Army Corps’ commitment to completing a number of major projects along White Oak. Residential and commercial developments pressing against the bayou along its length make that difficult. They leave little room for widening to accommodate more floodwater. As a consequence, HCFCD is forced to buy out whole subdivisions to make room for detention basins.
Regardless, I photographed an impressive amount of construction along the length of White Oak between FM1960 and West Little York. Below are 10 out of more than 120 photographs. I took them all on 12/17/2021.
White Oak Bayou widening and deepening. Photographed from Kari Court.
Note how close houses are to the channel. Making more “room for the river,” as the Dutch say, would require buying out many of the homes you see below.
White Oak Bayou photographed from over Lewis Street.
Looking upstream at White Oak from Gessner
Looking downstream from Gessner. Another example of not leaving “room for the river.” t
Looking SW across large detention basin. White Oak cuts through top of frame from left to right. Fairbanks North Houston cuts through top of frame on right.
Looking NE from over Fairbanks North Houston. White Oak cuts through center of frame. Note Greenspoint on horizon, right of center.
White Oak near Antoine, looking S toward downtown and Galleria on horizon.
White Oak from Tall Pines Drive looking SE.
White Oak from Deep Forest Drive looking downstream.
HCFCD currently has $45 million in ACTIVE construction projects underway in White Oak Bayou. But many more construction projects along the bayou are still pending buyouts to make way for more detention basins.
Of the $386 million spent on White Oak in the last 23 years, $235 million has gone to buyouts and right-of-way acquisition compared to $90 million so far for construction. White Oak buyouts have cost 2.6X more than construction. Normally, buyout and construction costs differ by only a few percentage points.
That tells you how how many homes and businesses are overcrowding the flood plain!
And that brings to mind my grandmother’s favorite saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/20211217-DJI_0098.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-12-17 20:42:492021-12-19 11:24:48White Oak Bayou Gets A Makeover…Again
Jeff, Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist, predicts strong to severe storms Saturday that could bring heavy rains. He says most locations will receive .50 to 1.5 inches of rain. But some isolated areas could see 2- 3 inches.
According to Lindner, record and near record warmth will continue for one more day across the area before a cold front arrives on Saturday bringing temperatures back to near normal.
The combination of moist onshore flow and a warm start to today should elevate temperatures into the low 80s this afternoon. That will be at or near record highs again.
“Records have fallen at local climate sites nearly each day this week as the incredibly warm December continues,” says Lindner.
Colliding Cold Front from North
As a cold front from north Texas moves south tonight and into Saturday, widespread showers and thunderstorms will develop along and ahead of it. The very moist air ahead of the front will cause instability when it arrives. A few of the storms on Saturday could become strong to severe.
Heavy rainfall will be possible with the stronger storms. It currently appears that most locations will receive anywhere from .50-1.5 inches with some isolated totals of 2-3 inches.
Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist
The front should move out into the Gulf by Saturday evening and temperatures will fall into the 40s, says Lindner.
Second Disturbance Arriving Sunday from Mexico
Yet another disturbance moving northeastward out of Mexico on Sunday will increase cloud cover and bring more light rains. But Lindner thinks most of the heavy rains will remain offshore. He predicts drizzle for much of the region on Sunday and Monday with temperatures holding in the forties and fifties. After that temperatures should increase again.
The current forecast for Christmas looks warm.
La Niña Likely Affecting Current Weather
Daily temperature records continue to fall at several climate sites both for highs and “warm” lows. This December is among the top five warmest Decembers at all local climate monitoring stations. And this is THE warmest December ever at Galveston.
Many records also fell on Wednesday across the central plains and Midwest. Wisconsin had the warmest December temperature ever recorded in modern times at 72.
The powerful storms that swept across the plains on Wednesday also brought the first ever recorded tornadoes in the month of December to Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Posted by Bob Rehak on December 17, 2021, based on a report by Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner
1672 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DJI_0366.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-12-17 09:32:402021-12-17 09:47:03Strong to Severe Storms Could Bring 2 – 3 Inches Saturday
On December 13 – 1567 days after Hurricane Harvey – President Biden issued an executive order to improve disaster relief by the federal government. The order covers a range of other government services, too. It aims to improve service service to citizens with the ultimate goals of improving customer satisfaction and restoring trust in government.
The White House says 25 million individuals, families, and small businesses live through a Federally recognized natural disaster each year. This should be great news for all of them. In the last four years, I have posted about the disaster called disaster relief more than once.
FEMA Mandate: Streamline Applications and Rules Re: Documentation
Specifically, the order states that theDepartment of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shall “design and deliver a streamlined, online disaster assistance application. It also requires FEMA to “work with States to proactively update existing rules and policies on supporting documentation needed for disaster assistance processes to reduce burden and increase accessibility.”
Forest Cove Townhome destroyed by Harvey. What happens when 240,000 cubic feet per second roar through your home. When residents evacuated, survival was uppermost on their minds, not finding documents they might need for disaster-relief applications.FEMA chose this location to film a video about the destructiveness of Harvey.
HUD Required to Inventory Ways to Improve Customer Service
Unfortunately, the Order only mentions Housing and Urban Development (HUD) once and doesn’t offer many specifics. It requires HUD to submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget that assesses improvements needed in the department’s customer experience management and service design capabilities to comply with the order. The report must also prioritize improvements within available and budgeted resources.
Types of improvements mentioned throughout the order include:
Streamlining and improving accessibility
Improving digital experiences
Eliminating unnecessary administrative burdens on customers
Ensuring accessibility for those with disabilities
Ensuring access for those with limited English proficiency
Coordinating between agencies to reduce the need for customers to interact separately with multiple agencies.
“After a disaster,” it says, “more survivors will be able to focus on helping their families, businesses, and communities because of streamlined assistance processes, rather than having to navigate a complex Government bureaucracy to get the help they need.”
“Disaster survivors will no longer need to navigate multiple assistance forms across multiple agencies to get the help they need, saving time and energy to allow them to focus on their recovery and well-being.”
“Survivors will have access to more flexible mechanisms to provide supporting documentation, such as virtual inspections and submitting photos of disaster damage from a mobile phone.”
The press release concludes: “The Government’s primary mission is to serve. By placing people at the center of everything we do, the Government will be able to deliver timely, modern, and secure services to you – the people. We will rebuild trust in our Government, ensure no one is left behind, and inspire others to join us in serving future generations of Americans.”
President Clinton had similar ambitions in the early days of the digital revolution. His plan helped transform government, but there’s still a long way to go. This sounds like a good deal if it works. But it will be a massive undertaking that takes place in stages over years, not overnight.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/16/2021
1570 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SJR_305_019.jpg?fit=1800%2C1200&ssl=112001800adminadmin2021-12-16 19:39:412021-12-16 19:41:04Biden Orders Simplification of Disaster Relief
White Oak Bayou Gets A Makeover…Again
Since 2000, White Oak Bayou has received $386.8 million in Harris County Flood Control (HCFCD), federal, and local partner funding. That ranks it #2 in dollars received among all 23 Harris County Watersheds, second only to Brays Bayou at $544.5 million. Data received via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, showed that these two watersheds alone have received close to a billion dollars out of $3 billion spent between 1/1/2000 and the end of the third quarter this year. Said another way…
I flew over Brays Bayou earlier this year and documented all the construction there. Friday, I droned White Oak Bayou from FM1960 to south of West Little York, a distance of more than 11 miles.
White Oak is difficult to photograph. As with Brays, homes and apartments back up to White Oak almost the entire way. They largely conceal most of it from public view except near bridges. Those homes and apartments also conceal the magnitude of construction from public view.
A Low-to-Moderate Income Watershed
Within the watershed, White Oak has slightly more low-to-moderate income (LMI) residents (51%) than those who earn above the average for the region. Other interesting stats:
Continuous Improvement for Decades
Money has poured into the White Oak watershed – as it has for Brays – because of the large number of flooded structures and associated damage. White Oak has had almost 26,000 structures flooded in the last five major storms – Allison, Tax Day, Memorial Day, Harvey and Imelda. That ranks it #3 in total damage among all 23 Harris County Watersheds.
And as we have seen repeatedly, funding flows to damage.
The 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act helped fund the latest round of construction shown below on White Oak as well as Hunting and Brays Bayous. All three started more than 20 years ago and advance sporadically as more money becomes available.
Fighting Constrictions of Development to Make Room for More Floodwater
The photos below show HCFCD’s and the Army Corps’ commitment to completing a number of major projects along White Oak. Residential and commercial developments pressing against the bayou along its length make that difficult. They leave little room for widening to accommodate more floodwater. As a consequence, HCFCD is forced to buy out whole subdivisions to make room for detention basins.
Regardless, I photographed an impressive amount of construction along the length of White Oak between FM1960 and West Little York. Below are 10 out of more than 120 photographs. I took them all on 12/17/2021.
Note how close houses are to the channel. Making more “room for the river,” as the Dutch say, would require buying out many of the homes you see below.
Many Project Along Bayou Still Pending Buyouts
HCFCD currently has $45 million in ACTIVE construction projects underway in White Oak Bayou. But many more construction projects along the bayou are still pending buyouts to make way for more detention basins.
Of the $386 million spent on White Oak in the last 23 years, $235 million has gone to buyouts and right-of-way acquisition compared to $90 million so far for construction. White Oak buyouts have cost 2.6X more than construction. Normally, buyout and construction costs differ by only a few percentage points.
That tells you how how many homes and businesses are overcrowding the flood plain!
And that brings to mind my grandmother’s favorite saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
The 2018 Flood Bond allocated more than $490 million for 16 projects in the White Oak Watershed. However, only $88 million has been spent since Harvey. So, White Oak will receive another $402 million before bond projects are completed. Eventually, White Oak conveyance improvements between 2000 and the end of the bond fund will total $788 million!
But at this point, we’re less than halfway there.
To learn more about HCFCD’s active projects in the White Oak Watershed, visit this page.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/18/2021
1672 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Strong to Severe Storms Could Bring 2 – 3 Inches Saturday
Jeff, Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist, predicts strong to severe storms Saturday that could bring heavy rains. He says most locations will receive .50 to 1.5 inches of rain. But some isolated areas could see 2- 3 inches.
Near Record Warmth Again with Moist, Onshore Flow
According to Lindner, record and near record warmth will continue for one more day across the area before a cold front arrives on Saturday bringing temperatures back to near normal.
The combination of moist onshore flow and a warm start to today should elevate temperatures into the low 80s this afternoon. That will be at or near record highs again.
“Records have fallen at local climate sites nearly each day this week as the incredibly warm December continues,” says Lindner.
Colliding Cold Front from North
As a cold front from north Texas moves south tonight and into Saturday, widespread showers and thunderstorms will develop along and ahead of it. The very moist air ahead of the front will cause instability when it arrives. A few of the storms on Saturday could become strong to severe.
The front should move out into the Gulf by Saturday evening and temperatures will fall into the 40s, says Lindner.
Second Disturbance Arriving Sunday from Mexico
Yet another disturbance moving northeastward out of Mexico on Sunday will increase cloud cover and bring more light rains. But Lindner thinks most of the heavy rains will remain offshore. He predicts drizzle for much of the region on Sunday and Monday with temperatures holding in the forties and fifties. After that temperatures should increase again.
The current forecast for Christmas looks warm.
La Niña Likely Affecting Current Weather
Daily temperature records continue to fall at several climate sites both for highs and “warm” lows. This December is among the top five warmest Decembers at all local climate monitoring stations. And this is THE warmest December ever at Galveston.
Many records also fell on Wednesday across the central plains and Midwest. Wisconsin had the warmest December temperature ever recorded in modern times at 72.
The powerful storms that swept across the plains on Wednesday also brought the first ever recorded tornadoes in the month of December to Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The cyclical La Niña weather pattern that we are now in likely contributes to the record temperatures. La Niñas are typically warmer than El Niño patterns. The two alternate in the Pacific and influence patterns of the jet stream. NOAA and the National Weather service predict the current La Niña will continue through spring next year.
Posted by Bob Rehak on December 17, 2021, based on a report by Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner
1672 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Biden Orders Simplification of Disaster Relief
On December 13 – 1567 days after Hurricane Harvey – President Biden issued an executive order to improve disaster relief by the federal government. The order covers a range of other government services, too. It aims to improve service service to citizens with the ultimate goals of improving customer satisfaction and restoring trust in government.
The White House says 25 million individuals, families, and small businesses live through a Federally recognized natural disaster each year. This should be great news for all of them. In the last four years, I have posted about the disaster called disaster relief more than once.
FEMA Mandate: Streamline Applications and Rules Re: Documentation
Specifically, the order states that theDepartment of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shall “design and deliver a streamlined, online disaster assistance application. It also requires FEMA to “work with States to proactively update existing rules and policies on supporting documentation needed for disaster assistance processes to reduce burden and increase accessibility.”
HUD Required to Inventory Ways to Improve Customer Service
Unfortunately, the Order only mentions Housing and Urban Development (HUD) once and doesn’t offer many specifics. It requires HUD to submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget that assesses improvements needed in the department’s customer experience management and service design capabilities to comply with the order. The report must also prioritize improvements within available and budgeted resources.
Types of improvements mentioned throughout the order include:
Goal: Help People Focus on Recovery
This fact sheet prepared by the White House staff elaborates on disasters.
“After a disaster,” it says, “more survivors will be able to focus on helping their families, businesses, and communities because of streamlined assistance processes, rather than having to navigate a complex Government bureaucracy to get the help they need.”
“Disaster survivors will no longer need to navigate multiple assistance forms across multiple agencies to get the help they need, saving time and energy to allow them to focus on their recovery and well-being.”
“Survivors will have access to more flexible mechanisms to provide supporting documentation, such as virtual inspections and submitting photos of disaster damage from a mobile phone.”
The press release concludes: “The Government’s primary mission is to serve. By placing people at the center of everything we do, the Government will be able to deliver timely, modern, and secure services to you – the people. We will rebuild trust in our Government, ensure no one is left behind, and inspire others to join us in serving future generations of Americans.”
President Clinton had similar ambitions in the early days of the digital revolution. His plan helped transform government, but there’s still a long way to go. This sounds like a good deal if it works. But it will be a massive undertaking that takes place in stages over years, not overnight.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/16/2021
1570 Days since Hurricane Harvey