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
The Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC) completed the first part of the Noxxie Oil & Gas post-Harvey cleanup on Tuesday, 1/19/21, just hours after the operation started. TRRC contractors began early in the morning near the Forest Cove Townhomes on Marina Drive. By 11 a.m., they had removed the heater treater; begun dismantling two storage tanks; and loaded up rusted pipe and twisted scaffolding. Before the end of the day, they had scarified the site and cleaned up after themselves. Scarification involves cutting and removing debris by breaking up the surface of the soil.
Before, During, After Pictures
Here’s what the Marina Drive area looked like before, during and after the cleanup there.
Noxxe Tanks by townhomes in Forest Cove before cleanup.June 27, 2020.
Removal of Noxxe Tanks by townhomes in Forest Cove on Tuesday morning. 1/19/2021
Removal of Noxxe Tanks by townhomes in Forest Cove. 1/19/2021.
Removal of pipes at same location. 1/19/2021.
Cleanup complete of Noxxe Tanks by townhomes in Forest Cove. 1/20/2021.
Plugging of Old Wells Scheduled in Two Weeks
Two pump jacks near the tanks remain. TRRC plans to remove those and plug the wells with a separate crew in a couple weeks, depending on the crew’s availability. That crew was responding to an emergency involving a potential blowout with some wells near Corpus Christi this week.
One of two remaining pump jacks near the Forest Cove Townhomes.
By Wednesday morning, operations had shifted to the far larger portion of the Noxxe field south and east of the Forest Cove little league fields. Dean Southward, a TRRC spokesperson and project manager, estimates cleanup of that area will take approximately two weeks.
The wells on the eastern portion of Noxxe’s lease will be plugged at the same time as the others near Marina Drive.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/22/2021
1242 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/20210119-DJI_0041.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2021-01-22 08:56:102021-01-22 19:15:56Railroad Commission Completes First Part of Noxxe Cleanup in Forest Cove Already
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
Railroad Commission Completes First Part of Noxxe Cleanup in Forest Cove Already
The Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC) completed the first part of the Noxxie Oil & Gas post-Harvey cleanup on Tuesday, 1/19/21, just hours after the operation started. TRRC contractors began early in the morning near the Forest Cove Townhomes on Marina Drive. By 11 a.m., they had removed the heater treater; begun dismantling two storage tanks; and loaded up rusted pipe and twisted scaffolding. Before the end of the day, they had scarified the site and cleaned up after themselves. Scarification involves cutting and removing debris by breaking up the surface of the soil.
Before, During, After Pictures
Here’s what the Marina Drive area looked like before, during and after the cleanup there.
Plugging of Old Wells Scheduled in Two Weeks
Two pump jacks near the tanks remain. TRRC plans to remove those and plug the wells with a separate crew in a couple weeks, depending on the crew’s availability. That crew was responding to an emergency involving a potential blowout with some wells near Corpus Christi this week.
By Wednesday morning, operations had shifted to the far larger portion of the Noxxe field south and east of the Forest Cove little league fields. Dean Southward, a TRRC spokesperson and project manager, estimates cleanup of that area will take approximately two weeks.
The wells on the eastern portion of Noxxe’s lease will be plugged at the same time as the others near Marina Drive.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/22/2021
1242 Days since Hurricane Harvey