Last week, the White House announced a government-wide initiative to make climate information more accessible and actionable. The effort targets individuals and communities hit by flooding, drought, wildfires, extreme heat, coastal erosion, and more.
Not everyone agrees on climate change. But we have all observed what happens when people fail to sufficiently heed climate risk. This effort to make climate information and science more accessible to the public is long overdue and welcome.
A better understanding of climate risks will empower communities to better prepare for them.
Below are 15 websites, reports and initiatives that may help those making important decisions about starting a business, buying a home, or protecting their communities.
NOAA’s redesignedClimate.gov. Upgrades to this website will better connect Americans to climate explainers, data dashboards, and classroom-ready teaching resources. It now better provides the public with clear, timely, and science-based information about climate. Climate.gov’s Global Climate Dashboard gives a data-driven readout on the state of the climate system with public-friendly explainers and answers to frequently asked questions. Climate.gov also provides access to commonly requested climate data and tools hosted by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
Using an artificial intelligence platform to improve the search tool, allowing queries based on location so that users can find city and state-specific maps and data;
Cross-linking content to highlight all available resources sitewide that are relevant to each visitor’s unique interests;
Improving the mobile experience on tablets and smartphones; and
Redesigning pages with user experience and accessibility in mind.
These efforts build on FEMA’s announcement earlier this year of nearly $5 billion in funding available for community projects to prepare for extreme weather.
AnOffice of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP), NOAA, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) report on expanding and improving climate information and services for the public.
A Federal Geographic Data Committee report focusing on opportunities to enhance climate planning.
A FEMA initiative will assess National Flood Insurance Program standards to help communities update minimum floodplain management standards—which makes them eligible for federal flood insurance. The standards have not been substantially updated since 1976. But through a Request for Information, FEMA will gather stakeholder input to make communities more resilient while saving lives, homes, and money.
A report titled “Opportunities for Expanding and Improving Climate Information and Services for the Public,” charts a course for expanding accessibility and use of the federal government’s climate information to support all communities, including those who have been historically underserved, on climate planning and resilience activities. The report lays out opportunities to:
Focus climate services on the challenges that pose the greatest risks and opportunities
Foster interagency coordination and public-private partnerships
Enhance the usability of climate services for all Americans
The National Science Foundation will leverage its Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN) to support the work of National Climate Task Force’s Interagency Working Groups on Drought, Flood, Coastal, Extreme Heat, and Wildfire Resilience.
This information is a dream come true for weather wonks, science teachers and flood victims.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/17/2021 based on information provided by the White House, and thanks to FEMA’s Diane Innes Cooper for the heads up.
1510 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/20211017-Screen-Shot-2021-10-17-at-1.39.06-PM.jpg?fit=1200%2C724&ssl=17241200adminadmin2021-10-17 13:43:552021-10-17 14:59:27Government Moves to Make Climate Information, Decision Tools More Accessible
Location of HCFCD’s Cutten Floodwater Detention Basin
The basin includes 5 separate Basin Compartments (BCs). One is on the north side of the Bayou (BC5) and four are on the south side (BC1-4).
The $16.2 million expansion will add 866 acre-feet of stormwater storage capacity to the previous 677 acre-feet. That’s enough to lower the water surface elevation by .36 feet throughout the surrounding floodplain.
When complete, the 235-acre complex will have enough capacity to hold a foot of stormwater falling over 2.4 square miles.
Photos Taken 10/15/2021 Show Current Construction Status
Looking E at the extension of Greens Road between BC3 (right) and BC4 (left). Red line indicates path of culvert under roadbed.Looking W in opposite direction. Greens Bayou is on right. Greens Road (coming from top of frame) will be extended south along ridge that bisects BC3 and BC4 in foreground. BC1 and BC2 are in background on either side of Greens Road. Hollister cuts through the frame from left to right.Looking NW across Hollister toward yet another detention pond, BC5.Looking SW across the intersection of Hollister (left) and Greens Road (right). Excavation of BC1 still has a way to go. On Friday, muddy conditions were slowing down the work, but if you look closely, you can still see heavy equipment working in the distance.
How Ponds Will Work with Bayou, Surrounding Developments
These ponds will function two ways. They will take stormwater:
Out of Greens Bayou when it starts to overflow.
Directly from surrounding subdivisions before it gets into the bayou.
It’s important to understand that County/Municipal neighborhood drainage and HCFCD infrastructure often pre-date current building and development codes, as they do in this area.
As cities and precincts re-grade and reconstruct streets with more and bigger storm sewers that get water out of neighborhoods faster, that water needs a place to go – without flooding others downstream.
In this area, these ponds will be that place. Everything has to work together. The very first sentence of the Texas Water Code Section 11.086 states, “No person may divert … surface waters in this state … in a manner that damages the property of another…”
Stormwater detention basins like these also provide greenspace and recreational opportunities, such as public parks.
HCFCD expects to complete the Cutten Project in the summer of 2022.
The Woodridge site already contains five small detention ponds and HCFCD has room in the center to add more. Perhaps the Woodridge site will look somewhat like this one before things are all over.
The basin sits east of Aldine-Westfield Road at Beltway 8 North just south of Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Aldine-Westfield Basin location
Photos from April and October
Here’s how that looks from the air.
Looking NE from over Beltway 8 and Aldine-Westfield Road in a helicopter in May. Phase 1 in foreground had just been completed. Red rectangle indicates approximate location of Phase 2 which had not yet started. Note airport in backgroundand Greens Bayou in foreground.
I didn’t have a helicopter this morning and I wasn’t able to safely launch a drone because of air traffic. However, I did manage to grab some ground-level shots from the entrance to the Phase 2 construction site on Aldine-Westfield road.
Photo taken on 10/15/2021 from Aldine-Westfield Road shows that clearing of Phase 2 has begun.The site is currently in the clearing phase.
The photo above was actually stitched together from seven shots in Photoshop. In person, the area cleared looks much larger than it does above. Here’s another shot of the area taken from the air back in April that better shows its size.
Photo of Phase 2 area (right) taken in April this near. Note the pipeline corridor (left of center) that bisects the property.
About HCFCD’s Excavation and Removal Program
HCFCD has owned both portions of this site for years. They have been part of the District’s Excavation & Removal Program since 2005. The program lets contractors take and use dirt from the site for other projects outside of the floodplain – at no cost to the District or taxpayers.
Now, however, the Aldine-Westfield project is kicking into higher gear thanks to 2018 flood-bond dollars.
Details About Aldine Westfield Project
This two-phase stormwater detention basin will reduce the risk of flooding in the mid-reach stretch of Greens Bayou by taking in excess stormwater during heavy rain events and then releasing it slowly back to the channel when the threat of flooding has passed.
Phase 1 holds approximately 667 acre-feet of stormwater and Phase II will hold another 600 acre-feet. Two 5’x4′ reinforced concrete boxes will connect the two phases and outfalls into Greens Bayou.
Together, the two basins will have enough capacity to hold a foot of rain falling over 2 square miles.
Phase 1 cost $7.4 million and Phase 2 will cost $12.2 million, for a total of almost $20 million.
Part of Larger Greens Bayou Plan
The Aldine Westfield Stormwater Detention Basin is part of a comprehensive flood risk reduction plan for the mid-reach stretch of Greens Bayou. That plan includes construction of 11 miles of channel conveyance improvements and four stormwater detention basins:
Aldine Westfield (Phase I complete; Phase II under construction)
The subdivision drainage improvements will be handled by the Harris County Engineering Department. They include increasing the capacity of storm sewers and curb inlets, repairing outfall pipes, and reconstructing roadside ditches. In the Humble area, subdivisions scheduled for the improvements include Fountainview Sections 1 & 2, Humble Road Place, and Parkland Estates. These subdivisions are just south of Beltway 8 near US59.
Government Moves to Make Climate Information, Decision Tools More Accessible
Last week, the White House announced a government-wide initiative to make climate information more accessible and actionable. The effort targets individuals and communities hit by flooding, drought, wildfires, extreme heat, coastal erosion, and more.
Not everyone agrees on climate change. But we have all observed what happens when people fail to sufficiently heed climate risk. This effort to make climate information and science more accessible to the public is long overdue and welcome.
From Climate.gov’s Data Snapshot Page
For instance, did you know that La Niña—the cool phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate pattern—has returned to the tropical Pacific this month. NOAA gives it an 87 percent chance to last through Northern Hemisphere winter. Here’s what that could mean for us.
List of New Websites, Reports, Initiatives
Below are 15 websites, reports and initiatives that may help those making important decisions about starting a business, buying a home, or protecting their communities.
This information is a dream come true for weather wonks, science teachers and flood victims.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/17/2021 based on information provided by the White House, and thanks to FEMA’s Diane Innes Cooper for the heads up.
1510 Days since Hurricane Harvey
HCFCD Continues Relentless Expansion of Cutten Basin on Greens Bayou
Where Greens Bayou cuts across the northwest corner of Beltway 8 and 249, Harris County Flood Control District is expanding its Cutten Regional Stormwater Detention Basin.
The $16.2 million expansion will add 866 acre-feet of stormwater storage capacity to the previous 677 acre-feet. That’s enough to lower the water surface elevation by .36 feet throughout the surrounding floodplain.
Photos Taken 10/15/2021 Show Current Construction Status
How Ponds Will Work with Bayou, Surrounding Developments
These ponds will function two ways. They will take stormwater:
This presentation describes more about the Cutten Basin.
It’s important to understand that County/Municipal neighborhood drainage and HCFCD infrastructure often pre-date current building and development codes, as they do in this area.
In this area, these ponds will be that place. Everything has to work together. The very first sentence of the Texas Water Code Section 11.086 states, “No person may divert … surface waters in this state … in a manner that damages the property of another…”
Stormwater detention basins like these also provide greenspace and recreational opportunities, such as public parks.
HCFCD expects to complete the Cutten Project in the summer of 2022.
Cutten Basin Size in Perspective
To put the size of this basin in perspective, it roughly equals the size of Woodridge Village. Woodridge is the aborted Perry Homes development in Montgomery County. HCFCD purchased it earlier this year to build a regional Stormwater Detention Basin on Taylor Gully in the Porter/Kingwood area.
The Woodridge site already contains five small detention ponds and HCFCD has room in the center to add more. Perhaps the Woodridge site will look somewhat like this one before things are all over.
Cutten is one of six detention basins (Cutten, Antoine, Kuykendahl, Glen Forest, Aldine-Westfield, Lauder) either recently constructed or almost constructed by the Army Corps and HCFCD in the mid and upper reaches of Greens Bayou. HCFCD is also studying a number of flood mitigation projects on the lower reaches of Greens.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/16/2021
1509 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 758 since Imelda
Aldine-Westfield Detention Basin Phase 2 Construction Starting Along Greens Bayou
In April this year, I posted about Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) completion of the Aldine-Westfield Detention Basin Phase 1 along Greens Bayou. Now construction of Phase 2 is starting. It’s currently in the clearing phase.
The basin sits east of Aldine-Westfield Road at Beltway 8 North just south of Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Photos from April and October
Here’s how that looks from the air.
I didn’t have a helicopter this morning and I wasn’t able to safely launch a drone because of air traffic. However, I did manage to grab some ground-level shots from the entrance to the Phase 2 construction site on Aldine-Westfield road.
The photo above was actually stitched together from seven shots in Photoshop. In person, the area cleared looks much larger than it does above. Here’s another shot of the area taken from the air back in April that better shows its size.
About HCFCD’s Excavation and Removal Program
HCFCD has owned both portions of this site for years. They have been part of the District’s Excavation & Removal Program since 2005. The program lets contractors take and use dirt from the site for other projects outside of the floodplain – at no cost to the District or taxpayers.
Now, however, the Aldine-Westfield project is kicking into higher gear thanks to 2018 flood-bond dollars.
Details About Aldine Westfield Project
This two-phase stormwater detention basin will reduce the risk of flooding in the mid-reach stretch of Greens Bayou by taking in excess stormwater during heavy rain events and then releasing it slowly back to the channel when the threat of flooding has passed.
Phase 1 holds approximately 667 acre-feet of stormwater and Phase II will hold another 600 acre-feet. Two 5’x4′ reinforced concrete boxes will connect the two phases and outfalls into Greens Bayou.
Phase 1 cost $7.4 million and Phase 2 will cost $12.2 million, for a total of almost $20 million.
Part of Larger Greens Bayou Plan
The Aldine Westfield Stormwater Detention Basin is part of a comprehensive flood risk reduction plan for the mid-reach stretch of Greens Bayou. That plan includes construction of 11 miles of channel conveyance improvements and four stormwater detention basins:
This presentation, created a little more than a year ago, describes how the improvements discussed above will work in conjunction with several other subdivision and bayou drainage improvements.
The subdivision drainage improvements will be handled by the Harris County Engineering Department. They include increasing the capacity of storm sewers and curb inlets, repairing outfall pipes, and reconstructing roadside ditches. In the Humble area, subdivisions scheduled for the improvements include Fountainview Sections 1 & 2, Humble Road Place, and Parkland Estates. These subdivisions are just south of Beltway 8 near US59.
Areas Removed from 10- and 25-Year Floodplains
This community presentation from 2019 explains more about the benefits. It includes the two maps below.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/15/2021
1508 days since Hurricane Harvey and 757 since Imelda