The map below shows active HCFCD projects for January 2021. HCFCD says it updates the maps in the first week of each month. Projects that start after that may not show up until the following month. Active projects include both capital (new construction) and maintenance projects.
Click on the map to launch the app. Click on any project listed on the left or corresponding number on the map to review project description, budget and location in all Harris County Commissioners Court Precincts.
You will find both the legend and filters in the upper right corner. Red circles represent capital projects and black circles represent maintenance projects. To focus only on one type, click the layer icon in the far upper right. Press one type of project or the other to deselect it.
Capital projects include major projects that reduce flooding risks and damages by:
Increasing stormwater conveyance capacity in bayous and drainage channels
Excavating stormwater detention basins.
Stormwater detention basins reduce flooding risks and damages during heavy rain events by safely storing excess stormwater and slowly releasing it back to the bayou when the threat of flooding has passed.
More About Maintenance Projects
Maintenance projects include repair projects aimed at returning flood damage reduction channels and other infrastructure to their original designed level of performance by:
Repairing sinkholes, slope failures and other damage caused by erosion
Removing sediment that can reduce stormwater conveyance capacity.
Smaller maintenance projects grouped together under one construction contract are often given both individual Project Identification Numbers and an umbrella number that begins with the letter “Z,” since there is often more than one watershed involved in the group. “Z-packages” have numbers such as Z100-00-00-X223.
What Map Does NOT Include
This map does not include flood damage reduction studies or projects in other preliminary phases; smaller maintenance projects performed by Flood Control District work crews; or completed construction projects.
Equity?
One of the first things that strikes me about the January map is the lack of projects in the northeastern portion of the county. To be fair, two small maintenance projects have started in Kingwood since the map above was compiled. But still, a glance at the map shows that projects are heavily skewed toward the south, central and western sides of the county.
Example: The construction projects now underway on Brays, White Oak, and Hunting Bayous total more than $100 million. But there are ZERO construction projects underway in Kingwood, Humble, Huffman, Atascocita, Spring, Tomball, and Crosby – all areas hard hit by Harvey.
Commissioner’s Court has pushed the Flood Control District to start projects in lower income areas first based. A majority of commissioners worry that low income residents are less able to recover from floods. They also worry that money in the flood bond won’t cover all projects identified in the 2018 flood bond. Some have even talked about floating another bond.
Good luck with that if they don’t adopt a more equitable definition of “equity” which the 2018 flood bond promised!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/25/2021 based on public information provided by HCFCD
1145 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-25-at-11.31.31-AM.jpg?fit=1200%2C791&ssl=17911200adminadmin2021-01-25 12:56:142021-07-29 16:15:19How to Find Active HCFCD District Capital and Maintenance Projects
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) announced last week that it has successfully completed its Reimbursement Program from Hurricane Harvey. It was a first-of-its-kind program and concluded after providing nearly $86 million to almost 3,000 Texas homeowners. The GLO also announced that it had reconstructed its 2,500th home under its Harvey Homeowner Assistance Program.
Two Major Milestones Reached in Same Week
The two GLO disaster recovery programs are helping Texans across 48 counties (outside of Harris County and the city of Houston) whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. The two programs have now helped nearly 5,500 Texas homeowners recover from Harvey.
The GLO’s reimbursement program concluded after assisting 2,961 Texans with a total of $85,989,042 in reimbursements for out-of-pocket home repair expenses. In the same week, the GLO reached another milestone – reconstruction of 2,500 homes damaged during Harvey.
Texas General Land Office
“Every day at the General Land Office we work to help improve the lives of Texans,” said Commissioner Bush. “The GLO is proud to be setting a record pace in disaster recovery while helping thousands of Texas families rebuild their lives and their homes. The GLO continues to leverage federal dollars efficiently and effectively to help Texas families and communities rebuild and mitigate against future storms.”
This week the Texas General Land Office completed its Homeowner Reimbursement Program (HRP) when it approved the final reimbursements for eligible homeowners.
The HRP program provided reimbursements up to $50,000 for Hurricane Harvey-impacted homeowners who used their life savings or other personal funds to pay out-of-pocket for disaster recovery repairs. The program’s efficiency yielded an additional $3 million in costs savings, which enabled the program to provide reimbursements for all applicants eligible under U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) rules for the available Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding.
Homeowner Assistance Program Details
In the same week that the GLO successfully completed its Reimbursement Program, the GLO handed keys to a fully rebuilt home to the 2,500th Homeowner Assistance Program (HOAP) recipient. So far, approximately 4,300 HOAP applicants have been approved for assistance by the GLO. Of those, about 1,400 applications are in pre-construction (awaiting applicant approval of final design plans and permits). Four hundred more homes are currently under construction in addition to those already completed.
Before the HOAP program concludes, GLO anticipates that it will help rebuild more than 6,000 homes. It will do so using more than $1.3 billion in available Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR). The GLO will also use an additional $500 million in Community Development Block Grants for Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department statistics as of 1.20.21
During the period that the GLO reimbursed 2961 homeowners, Houston reimbursed 119. And while the GLO reconstructed 2500 homes, the City reconstructed only 117.
Thus, the GLO was 20-25X more effective in finding and helping applicants than the City of Houston. And the GLO covered a 48-county area.
Possible Reasons for Huge Disparity
The GLO reviews City applications before forwarding them to HUD for final approval and funding. In trying to explain possible reasons for the disparity in results, a GLO spokesperson pointed to the needlessly complex structure of the City’s program.
The City set up a two-tier application process in which people filled out a screening survey before filling out an application.
Then the City divided survey respondents into six priority groups, trying to exhaust possibilities in one before inviting applications from the next.
The City of Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department still has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/24/2021 based on data published by the Texas GLO and Houston Housing and Community Development
1244 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-24-at-12.13.35-PM.jpg?fit=1200%2C670&ssl=16701200adminadmin2021-01-24 13:06:192021-01-24 13:49:59GLO Reimbursement Program Helped Rebuild 2961 Homes While Houston’s Helped Only 119
Late yesterday (1.22.21), Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) contractors scraped the last remains of the townhomes on Timberline Drive in Forest Cove off the ground. Harvey destroyed the townhomes when more than 20 feet of water rushed through them. It rendered them structurally unfit for habitation. Since then, they have been an eyesore and the gathering place for drug dealers, arsonists, graffiti artists and illegal dumpers.
Cleanup Just in Time for New Projects
The demolition is welcome and will open the door to reclaiming the area as park and green space. Last month, both Harris County Precinct 4 announced plans to begin construction of its new Edgewater park and boat launch on the West Fork just east of US59. And the Houston Parks board announced plans to begin building a hike-and-bike trail connecting the new park with KSA’s River Grove Park and the Kingwood trail network.
Removing the remains of the townhomes and oil-production assets will help restore the natural beauty of area. The added recreational amenities will also help attract new residents.
The townhomes demolished this week include those in the large red circle. The flood-damaged oil storage tanks in the small circle were also removed this week by the Texas Railroad Commission. They also plan to plug the two remaining wells in this area within weeks.
Site of the now-gone townhomes at 4PM on 1.22.21.
Before demolition in February 2020. Note: buildings in background had burned in 2019 and building in foreground had been partially demolished by Harvey.
After the first building to burn had been demolished, the second one burned, too, in September 2020. This is the area that HCFCD cleaned up this week.
Status of Remaining Townhomes
Beth Walters, a spokesperson for HCFCD, said, “All remaining townhomes have been assigned to the agent to be appraised. The timeframe to purchase depends on the owners’ willingness to sell. If the owners refuse to sell and take the case to litigation, it is possible for the acquisition to take a year or more. If the owners are willing to sell, we could purchase by the end of February.”
On January 5, 2021, Harris County Commissioners Court approved a declaration deeming the acquisition of the remaining townhomes a public necessity. This is the first step in possible condemnation of the any remaining properties. Here is the a document by the Texas Attorney General that explains a landowner’s bill of rights.
The Problem with Building Multi-Owner Units near Rivers
Multi-owner units, such as the Forest Cove townhomes, present special challenges for buyouts. Before a building with eight townhomes, for instance, can be torn down, HCFCD must buy out every unit in the complex. But many owners simply abandoned their properties after Harvey. Locating them became a time consuming task. Some cannot be found. For instance, a company in the Bahamas owned one unit. The company has gone bankrupt since Harvey, leaving the ownership in limbo. Hence, the demolition delays.
As you can see in the Google Earth image above, four structures remain to be demolished. The one closed to the river appears to have collapsed already on its own, but the debris remains.
The two structures removed on Timberline Drive had previously burned: one on the 4th of July in 2019 and the other last year. So the HCFCD work this week was really more rubble removal than demolition. Regardless of what you call it, it’s an improvement.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1.23.21 with thanks to Harris County Flood Controland Beth Walters
1123 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/20210122-DJI_0105.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2021-01-23 11:52:392021-01-23 12:09:07Last Remaining Townhomes on Timberline Drive in Forest Cove Demolished
How to Find Active HCFCD District Capital and Maintenance Projects
If you’ve been wondering what Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) is up to, check out this interactive GIS Map on HCFCD.org. It shows all active capital and maintenance projects, their exact locations, and budgets. It’s one of several interactive GIS maps that can give you critical information about flood risks, flood maps, mowing schedules, and more.
Active Projects for January 2021
The map below shows active HCFCD projects for January 2021. HCFCD says it updates the maps in the first week of each month. Projects that start after that may not show up until the following month. Active projects include both capital (new construction) and maintenance projects.
Click on the map to launch the app. Click on any project listed on the left or corresponding number on the map to review project description, budget and location in all Harris County Commissioners Court Precincts.
You will find both the legend and filters in the upper right corner. Red circles represent capital projects and black circles represent maintenance projects. To focus only on one type, click the layer icon in the far upper right. Press one type of project or the other to deselect it.
What Capital Projects Include
Capital projects include major projects that reduce flooding risks and damages by:
Stormwater detention basins reduce flooding risks and damages during heavy rain events by safely storing excess stormwater and slowly releasing it back to the bayou when the threat of flooding has passed.
More About Maintenance Projects
Maintenance projects include repair projects aimed at returning flood damage reduction channels and other infrastructure to their original designed level of performance by:
Smaller maintenance projects grouped together under one construction contract are often given both individual Project Identification Numbers and an umbrella number that begins with the letter “Z,” since there is often more than one watershed involved in the group. “Z-packages” have numbers such as Z100-00-00-X223.
What Map Does NOT Include
This map does not include flood damage reduction studies or projects in other preliminary phases; smaller maintenance projects performed by Flood Control District work crews; or completed construction projects.
Equity?
One of the first things that strikes me about the January map is the lack of projects in the northeastern portion of the county. To be fair, two small maintenance projects have started in Kingwood since the map above was compiled. But still, a glance at the map shows that projects are heavily skewed toward the south, central and western sides of the county.
Example: The construction projects now underway on Brays, White Oak, and Hunting Bayous total more than $100 million. But there are ZERO construction projects underway in Kingwood, Humble, Huffman, Atascocita, Spring, Tomball, and Crosby – all areas hard hit by Harvey.
Fairness to all?
Commissioner’s Court has pushed the Flood Control District to start projects in lower income areas first based. A majority of commissioners worry that low income residents are less able to recover from floods. They also worry that money in the flood bond won’t cover all projects identified in the 2018 flood bond. Some have even talked about floating another bond.
Good luck with that if they don’t adopt a more equitable definition of “equity” which the 2018 flood bond promised!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/25/2021 based on public information provided by HCFCD
1145 Days since Hurricane Harvey
GLO Reimbursement Program Helped Rebuild 2961 Homes While Houston’s Helped Only 119
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) announced last week that it has successfully completed its Reimbursement Program from Hurricane Harvey. It was a first-of-its-kind program and concluded after providing nearly $86 million to almost 3,000 Texas homeowners. The GLO also announced that it had reconstructed its 2,500th home under its Harvey Homeowner Assistance Program.
Two Major Milestones Reached in Same Week
The two GLO disaster recovery programs are helping Texans across 48 counties (outside of Harris County and the city of Houston) whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. The two programs have now helped nearly 5,500 Texas homeowners recover from Harvey.
“Every day at the General Land Office we work to help improve the lives of Texans,” said Commissioner Bush. “The GLO is proud to be setting a record pace in disaster recovery while helping thousands of Texas families rebuild their lives and their homes. The GLO continues to leverage federal dollars efficiently and effectively to help Texas families and communities rebuild and mitigate against future storms.”
Details of Reimbursement Program
This week the Texas General Land Office completed its Homeowner Reimbursement Program (HRP) when it approved the final reimbursements for eligible homeowners.
The HRP program provided reimbursements up to $50,000 for Hurricane Harvey-impacted homeowners who used their life savings or other personal funds to pay out-of-pocket for disaster recovery repairs. The program’s efficiency yielded an additional $3 million in costs savings, which enabled the program to provide reimbursements for all applicants eligible under U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) rules for the available Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding.
Homeowner Assistance Program Details
In the same week that the GLO successfully completed its Reimbursement Program, the GLO handed keys to a fully rebuilt home to the 2,500th Homeowner Assistance Program (HOAP) recipient. So far, approximately 4,300 HOAP applicants have been approved for assistance by the GLO. Of those, about 1,400 applications are in pre-construction (awaiting applicant approval of final design plans and permits). Four hundred more homes are currently under construction in addition to those already completed.
Before the HOAP program concludes, GLO anticipates that it will help rebuild more than 6,000 homes. It will do so using more than $1.3 billion in available Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR). The GLO will also use an additional $500 million in Community Development Block Grants for Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Results Invite Comparison to City of Houston’s
The City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department updates its comparable statistics weekly.
During the period that the GLO reimbursed 2961 homeowners, Houston reimbursed 119. And while the GLO reconstructed 2500 homes, the City reconstructed only 117.
Possible Reasons for Huge Disparity
The GLO reviews City applications before forwarding them to HUD for final approval and funding. In trying to explain possible reasons for the disparity in results, a GLO spokesperson pointed to the needlessly complex structure of the City’s program.
The GLO also pointed out that many of the applications submitted by the City were incomplete and that the City’s data formatting was inconsistent.
When the GLO sent a team to Houston to help train City employees handling applications, GLO helpers were not allowed to enter City offices.
Harvey damaged more than 96,000 homes in Houston.
The City of Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department still has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/24/2021 based on data published by the Texas GLO and Houston Housing and Community Development
1244 Days after Hurricane Harvey
Last Remaining Townhomes on Timberline Drive in Forest Cove Demolished
Late yesterday (1.22.21), Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) contractors scraped the last remains of the townhomes on Timberline Drive in Forest Cove off the ground. Harvey destroyed the townhomes when more than 20 feet of water rushed through them. It rendered them structurally unfit for habitation. Since then, they have been an eyesore and the gathering place for drug dealers, arsonists, graffiti artists and illegal dumpers.
Cleanup Just in Time for New Projects
The demolition is welcome and will open the door to reclaiming the area as park and green space. Last month, both Harris County Precinct 4 announced plans to begin construction of its new Edgewater park and boat launch on the West Fork just east of US59. And the Houston Parks board announced plans to begin building a hike-and-bike trail connecting the new park with KSA’s River Grove Park and the Kingwood trail network.
The Texas Railroad Commission also cleaned up the first portion of the Noxxe Oil & Gas lease near the townhomes this week.
Removing the remains of the townhomes and oil-production assets will help restore the natural beauty of area. The added recreational amenities will also help attract new residents.
Status of Remaining Townhomes
Beth Walters, a spokesperson for HCFCD, said, “All remaining townhomes have been assigned to the agent to be appraised. The timeframe to purchase depends on the owners’ willingness to sell. If the owners refuse to sell and take the case to litigation, it is possible for the acquisition to take a year or more. If the owners are willing to sell, we could purchase by the end of February.”
On January 5, 2021, Harris County Commissioners Court approved a declaration deeming the acquisition of the remaining townhomes a public necessity. This is the first step in possible condemnation of the any remaining properties. Here is the a document by the Texas Attorney General that explains a landowner’s bill of rights.
The Problem with Building Multi-Owner Units near Rivers
Multi-owner units, such as the Forest Cove townhomes, present special challenges for buyouts. Before a building with eight townhomes, for instance, can be torn down, HCFCD must buy out every unit in the complex. But many owners simply abandoned their properties after Harvey. Locating them became a time consuming task. Some cannot be found. For instance, a company in the Bahamas owned one unit. The company has gone bankrupt since Harvey, leaving the ownership in limbo. Hence, the demolition delays.
As you can see in the Google Earth image above, four structures remain to be demolished. The one closed to the river appears to have collapsed already on its own, but the debris remains.
The two structures removed on Timberline Drive had previously burned: one on the 4th of July in 2019 and the other last year. So the HCFCD work this week was really more rubble removal than demolition. Regardless of what you call it, it’s an improvement.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1.23.21 with thanks to Harris County Flood Control and Beth Walters
1123 Days after Hurricane Harvey