Assistance is still available for those who live in Harris County if you have not yet repaired or rebuilt your home damaged in Hurricane Harvey. Applications are NOT for reimbursement.
They are for repairs and rehab handled through U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) contractors, that meet HUD specs. So forget about marble floors and countertops, adding garages or extra bedrooms, or upgrading to top-of-the-line appliances.
As long as you live in Harris County and you meet the requirements, you can still submit an application. However, understand that Harris County (compared to the City) has far more funding available than applications in its pipeline. Also understand that you can apply through the Texas General Land Office (GLO), which now handles applications for HUD; you don’t need to go through the City or County directly.
Download and complete a paper application below. Applications can be submitted by email at harriscounty.glo@recovery.texas.gov or mail to Homeowner Assistance Program 2100 Space Park Drive, Suite 104, Houston, TX 77058.
Call 346-222-4686 or 1-866-317-1998 (toll free) and a regional office team member will assist with the application process.
If you live in Harris and are INSIDE the City of Houston:
Download and complete a paper application below. Applications can be submitted by email at houston.glo@recovery.texas.gov or mail to Homeowner Assistance Program 2100 Space Park Drive, Suite 104, Houston, TX 77058.
Call 346-222-4686 or 1-866-317-1998 (toll free) and a regional office team member will assist with the application process.
All Documents Necessary Before Apps Will Be Processed
Applications, including all necessary documentation, must be completed and submitted BEFORE the GLO and its partners will begin processing it for eligibility. Each application submitted must be individually evaluated to determine eligibility. Please use this checklist for reference whether you live inside or outside of the City.
Without enough qualified applicants, GLO will be forced to send the money back to Washington. So hurry, before the money goes away or runs out.
What to Expect
Potential applicants can watch this video about What to Expect.
The GLO created this video about homeowners who received assistance through this program. Here’s another showing a homeowner who just received keys to a rebuilt home.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/15/2021
1295 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screen-Shot-2021-03-15-at-3.58.22-PM.jpg?fit=1200%2C769&ssl=17691200adminadmin2021-03-15 16:10:272021-03-15 18:48:50Harvey Repair, Rebuild Assistance Still Available for Harris County Residents
According to Jose Pedraza who works for Stuart Consulting, the contractor began work at the upstream/Rocky Woods Drive end of the site and is moving downstream. So far, they have completed about 1500 linear feet of work on both sides of the stream.
At the start of the project, surveyors found that accumulated sediment had severely constricted the conveyance of the channel.
Ben’s Branch at start of project in January. The area between the red lines filled with sediment since Friendswood first constructed the ditch in the 1970s.Looking south from between Rocky Woods and Valley Way Drive.This is how the section above looks today from a drone.Photo taken 3/13/2021.Note Kingwood High School in upper right.Farther downstream, looking east toward Kingwood Town Center in background. Contractors have just started working on this reach of the stream.Looking back upstream toward the west and Kingwood High School, you can see same reach from the opposite direction.
Work to Date Has Included…
So far, the contractor has:
Conducted excavation and off-site disposal
Installed import fill, 3×5 granular fill, and grade 1 riprap
Graded channel side slopes on both sides of the channel for 1500 linear feet.
Expected Completion by July 4 or Earlier
Due to weather and other small delays, projected duration of the job increased from 150 to 168 days. Expected completion was extended to July 4, 2021. However, based on recent on-site inspection reports, work is now moving faster. So, with luck, the finish date may be pushed forward into June once more.
Preserving Property, Tax Dollars
Homes on both sides of this stream flooded during Harvey. So did Kingwood High School. The building flooded to the second floor. It suffered $67 million dollars in damages and lost another $10 million in contents.
Hopefully, this project will reduce flood risk. Conveyance of the channel had been reduced from a 100-year level of service to a 2-year level in some places. A 2-year level of service means that the creek will flood in a 2-year rain. The goal of this project is to restore the channel to its original conveyance capacity. That includes straightening, widening and deepening clogged parts of the channel.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/15/2021
1294 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/20210313-DJI_0295.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2021-03-15 12:34:582021-03-15 12:43:32Bens Branch Clean-out North of Kingwood Drive Already 40% Complete
The reason for the low risk has to do with a below-average rainfall pattern across much of Texas. The Texas Water Development board posted two stories in the Texas Water Newsroom last week about the potential for drought. Large parts of the state are already severely behind on rainfall for the year and the pattern is expected to continue through May when weakening La Niña conditions could return us to normal.
The map above shows that most of the Houston area has received about 90% of expected rainfall year to date. But large parts of the state have received less than 20%. TWDB predicts those dark areas on the map will expand at least through May. At that point, TWDB predicts only the extreme eastern part of the state will not be in some kind of drought condition.
Says Dr. Mark Wentzel, Texas Water Development Board Hydrologist, “The National Weather Service anticipates drought expansion across all but the eastern edge of the state by the end of May. Looking a little farther out there is some good news. La Niña conditions, that are at least partially responsible for drought in Texas, are expected to dissipate after April.”
So, the river flooding outlook could be very different by Hurricane season this year.
Did snow in February not help? Not really. Wentzel points out that snow is mostly air. It takes up to a foot of snow to equal and inch of rain.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/14/2021
1293 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screen-Shot-2021-03-14-at-3.57.49-PM.jpg?fit=1200%2C780&ssl=17801200adminadmin2021-03-14 16:54:292021-03-18 22:10:43NWS Says Chance of San Jacinto River Flooding in Next Three Months is Minor
Harvey Repair, Rebuild Assistance Still Available for Harris County Residents
Assistance is still available for those who live in Harris County if you have not yet repaired or rebuilt your home damaged in Hurricane Harvey. Applications are NOT for reimbursement.
They are for repairs and rehab handled through U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) contractors, that meet HUD specs. So forget about marble floors and countertops, adding garages or extra bedrooms, or upgrading to top-of-the-line appliances.
As long as you live in Harris County and you meet the requirements, you can still submit an application. However, understand that Harris County (compared to the City) has far more funding available than applications in its pipeline. Also understand that you can apply through the Texas General Land Office (GLO), which now handles applications for HUD; you don’t need to go through the City or County directly.
Types of Help Available
The GLO can provide homeowner assistance through:
How to Apply
How and where to apply depends on whether you live inside the City of Houston or out.
If you live in Harris County but OUTSIDE the City of Houston:
If you live in Harris and are INSIDE the City of Houston:
This page explains all the necessary steps and documents: https://recovery.texas.gov/hap/houston. You also have three easy options.
All Documents Necessary Before Apps Will Be Processed
Applications, including all necessary documentation, must be completed and submitted BEFORE the GLO and its partners will begin processing it for eligibility. Each application submitted must be individually evaluated to determine eligibility. Please use this checklist for reference whether you live inside or outside of the City.
What to Expect
Potential applicants can watch this video about What to Expect.
The GLO created this video about homeowners who received assistance through this program. Here’s another showing a homeowner who just received keys to a rebuilt home.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/15/2021
1295 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Bens Branch Clean-out North of Kingwood Drive Already 40% Complete
As of this morning, Stuart Consulting Group (a project manager for Harris County Flood Control) estimates that clean-out of Bens Branch between Kingwood Drive and Rocky Woods Drive is 40% complete.
1500 Feet Complete from Upstream Starting Point
According to Jose Pedraza who works for Stuart Consulting, the contractor began work at the upstream/Rocky Woods Drive end of the site and is moving downstream. So far, they have completed about 1500 linear feet of work on both sides of the stream.
At the start of the project, surveyors found that accumulated sediment had severely constricted the conveyance of the channel.
Work to Date Has Included…
So far, the contractor has:
Expected Completion by July 4 or Earlier
Due to weather and other small delays, projected duration of the job increased from 150 to 168 days. Expected completion was extended to July 4, 2021. However, based on recent on-site inspection reports, work is now moving faster. So, with luck, the finish date may be pushed forward into June once more.
Preserving Property, Tax Dollars
Homes on both sides of this stream flooded during Harvey. So did Kingwood High School. The building flooded to the second floor. It suffered $67 million dollars in damages and lost another $10 million in contents.
Hopefully, this project will reduce flood risk. Conveyance of the channel had been reduced from a 100-year level of service to a 2-year level in some places. A 2-year level of service means that the creek will flood in a 2-year rain. The goal of this project is to restore the channel to its original conveyance capacity. That includes straightening, widening and deepening clogged parts of the channel.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/15/2021
1294 Days after Hurricane Harvey
NWS Says Chance of San Jacinto River Flooding in Next Three Months is Minor
The National Weather Service (NWS) predicts only minor flood risk for both the West and East Forks of the San Jacinto through the end of May. That’s the good news.
Drought Conditions Expanding Across Texas
But there is a downside: potential drought.
The reason for the low risk has to do with a below-average rainfall pattern across much of Texas. The Texas Water Development board posted two stories in the Texas Water Newsroom last week about the potential for drought. Large parts of the state are already severely behind on rainfall for the year and the pattern is expected to continue through May when weakening La Niña conditions could return us to normal.
The map above shows that most of the Houston area has received about 90% of expected rainfall year to date. But large parts of the state have received less than 20%. TWDB predicts those dark areas on the map will expand at least through May. At that point, TWDB predicts only the extreme eastern part of the state will not be in some kind of drought condition.
At the end of February, drought covered just over half the state, according to the TWDB. Statewide storage in our water-supply reservoirs is at 82 percent of capacity, about three and a half percentage points less than normal for this time of year.
Drought Relief Could Come as La Niña Fades
Says Dr. Mark Wentzel, Texas Water Development Board Hydrologist, “The National Weather Service anticipates drought expansion across all but the eastern edge of the state by the end of May. Looking a little farther out there is some good news. La Niña conditions, that are at least partially responsible for drought in Texas, are expected to dissipate after April.”
So, the river flooding outlook could be very different by Hurricane season this year.
Did snow in February not help? Not really. Wentzel points out that snow is mostly air. It takes up to a foot of snow to equal and inch of rain.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/14/2021
1293 Days since Hurricane Harvey