If you live in Kingwood, you likely have noticed new construction in Town Center on the southwest corner of Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway. For almost three years after Harvey, the Chase Bank on that corner sat vacant. Now it’s being replaced by a new freestanding CVS Pharmacy…but built up a little higher than the bank was.
Looking NW from over West Lake Houston Parkway toward the old H-E-B center in the background, new CVS under construction in foreground.
A Move Across WLHP for CVS
The new CVS Pharmacy will replace the CVS in the old Randall’s center across West Lake Houston Parkway. A CVS spokesman said the company hopes to have the new store open by spring of next year.
Looking straight down on the new construction. Kingwood Drive on left, WLHP at top.
The new CVS will definitely enhance the image of Kingwood’s busiest intersection. Unfortunately, two other shopping centers at that intersection have lost their anchor stores (Randall’s and the old H-E-B).
Rumors Regarding Randalls and Old H-E-B Centers
Merchants in the area say both shopping centers could soon be renovated. The old H-E-B center has a new owner who plans to reconfigure the shopping center and has reportedly been showing plans to prospective tenants.
The old H-E-B center on the NW corner still struggles without an anchor store. Only a handful of pre-Harvey merchants remain: Dominos, Hallmark, Hunan, Pet Ranch, and Subway. More than 30 stores are vacant.The Randall’s center lost its anchor last year. The CVS store that’s moving across WLHP is on the right end of the strip center.
Rumors also suggest that Randall’s may be split into two smaller stores, adding new life to that center.
Chase continues to offer service from two other locations in Kingwood. One at Chestnut Ridge and Kingwood Drive. The other just three blocks south of the new CVS location.
No doubt, some of the vacancies are due to general weakness in demand due to COVID. But I also suspect many merchants have taken a wait-and-see attitude before signing leases. They want to see if flood-mitigation efforts are real.
Town Center Flood Risk Reduction Since Harvey
The return of commercial activity to Town Center will be an even stronger sign of recovery. Since Harvey, flood risk in Town Center has been greatly reduced with:
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/20201117-DJI_0246.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2020-11-17 17:53:342020-11-17 21:28:07One of Harvey’s Most Visible Scars Being Replaced in Kingwood Town Center
…CATEGORY 5 IOTA HEADED FOR NICARAGUA… …EXPECTED TO BRING CATASTROPHIC WINDS, LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL TO CENTRAL AMERICA…
Ironic Meaning of Iota
Iota is anything but. The word itself is synonymous with “bit, mite, speck, scrap, shred, ounce, scintilla, little bit, particle, smidgen, and tad.” Instead it’s a monster Category 5 hurricane with winds exceeding 160 mph. And the storm is still strengthening.
Iota is in the left of the image, halfway down.
How ironic! Iota is a very impressive hurricane, especially for this late in the year, with a distinct, warm eye on satellite images. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft found maximum flight-winds of about 147 kt and a central pressure of about 917 mb. 147 knots equals 169 mph.
And that makes Iota the latest category 5 on record for the Atlantic basin. A little more strengthening is possible today with fairly light shear and warm waters before Iota makes landfall tonight.
National Hurricane Center
Strike 2
Rapid weakening is anticipated over central America, and Iota should dissipate in a couple of days. The hurricane is moving westward at 9 kt. After landfall, the cyclone should move a little faster, and dissipate over the higher terrain of central America.
The new forecast is a little south of the previous one, mostly owing to the initial position.
This is a catastrophic situation unfolding for northeastern Nicaragua with an extreme storm surge of 15-20 ft forecast along with destructive winds and potentially 30 inches of rainfall. It is exacerbated by the fact that it should make landfall in almost the exact same location that category 4 Hurricane Eta did about two weeks ago.
Iota should strike the eastern coast of Nicaragua later today as a Category 5 hurricane.
Posted by Bob Rehak based on National Hurricane Center Data
1175 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/1800x1080.jpg?fit=1800%2C1080&ssl=110801800adminadmin2020-11-16 13:11:082020-11-16 13:12:01Iota is Anything But, Now Cat 5 and Getting Stronger
Chris Bloch, an engineer and Kingwood resident, has become a flood-control activist in his retirement. I often run into Chris inspecting ditches, streams and culverts for blockages and collapsed outfalls. Chris also works with the Bear Branch Trail Association which owns property along many of the channels and streams cutting through Kings Forest, Bear Branch, and Hunters Ridge.
Activist Extraordinaire
For the last several months, Chris has focused intensely on blocked channels that contributed to the flooding of 110 homes in Kings Forest during Harvey. Where the channels cross under Kingwood Drive, three had become almost totally blocked by vegetation and silt. That contributed to backing water up into homes. See below.
Ditch at Shady Run and Kingwood Drive before clean-out.Photo courtesy of Chris Bloch.
Chris meticulously photographed the problems, began researching which entities were responsible for which portions of the channels, and in the case above, contacted the City of Houston. The City has responsibility for the medians and sides of Kingwood Drive and other streets. His persistence paid off.
In October, the City began cleaning out the ditch near Shady Run and Kingwood Drive.
Vacuum truck photographed at same location on 10/3/2020
Here’s what that part of the channel looks like today.
Same ditch after clean-out. Photo courtesy of Chris Bloch.
End-to-End Inspections
Chris is tenacious, tireless, and wide ranging. He looks at ditches from end to end. In this case, he’s also trying to get the Flood Control District to escalate clean-out of the ditch south of Kingwood Drive. Reduced conveyance through that reach could also have contributed to flooding in Kingwood Lakes.
Bloch says he has also identified twenty storm-drain outfalls that need repair. “It doesn’t make any difference if the storm sewers are clear if the water in them can’t get to ditches and streams,” he says.
You Be an Activist, Too
Activists like Chris make Kingwood the great place it is. They help identify local problems for government and make the case for addressing them.
As you hike through our greenbelts and along channels, keep your eyes open for developing problems:
Collapsed outfalls into ditches
Eroded banks
Vegetation and silt blocking culverts
Developing sinkholes
Fallen trees damming streams
Be an activist like Chris. Take pictures and report them to the appropriate authorities. That will usually be the City or Flood Control.
You, too, can make a difference.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/15/2020
1174 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Shady-Run-Ditch-After.jpg?fit=1200%2C838&ssl=18381200adminadmin2020-11-15 14:56:562020-11-15 14:57:00City Quietly Cleaning Out Culverts Under Kingwood Drive Thanks to Local Activist
One of Harvey’s Most Visible Scars Being Replaced in Kingwood Town Center
If you live in Kingwood, you likely have noticed new construction in Town Center on the southwest corner of Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway. For almost three years after Harvey, the Chase Bank on that corner sat vacant. Now it’s being replaced by a new freestanding CVS Pharmacy…but built up a little higher than the bank was.
A Move Across WLHP for CVS
The new CVS Pharmacy will replace the CVS in the old Randall’s center across West Lake Houston Parkway. A CVS spokesman said the company hopes to have the new store open by spring of next year.
The new CVS will definitely enhance the image of Kingwood’s busiest intersection. Unfortunately, two other shopping centers at that intersection have lost their anchor stores (Randall’s and the old H-E-B).
Rumors Regarding Randalls and Old H-E-B Centers
Merchants in the area say both shopping centers could soon be renovated. The old H-E-B center has a new owner who plans to reconfigure the shopping center and has reportedly been showing plans to prospective tenants.
Rumors also suggest that Randall’s may be split into two smaller stores, adding new life to that center.
Chase continues to offer service from two other locations in Kingwood. One at Chestnut Ridge and Kingwood Drive. The other just three blocks south of the new CVS location.
No doubt, some of the vacancies are due to general weakness in demand due to COVID. But I also suspect many merchants have taken a wait-and-see attitude before signing leases. They want to see if flood-mitigation efforts are real.
Town Center Flood Risk Reduction Since Harvey
The return of commercial activity to Town Center will be an even stronger sign of recovery. Since Harvey, flood risk in Town Center has been greatly reduced with:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/17/2020
1146 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Iota is Anything But, Now Cat 5 and Getting Stronger
…CATEGORY 5 IOTA HEADED FOR NICARAGUA… …EXPECTED TO BRING CATASTROPHIC WINDS, LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL TO CENTRAL AMERICA…
Ironic Meaning of Iota
Iota is anything but. The word itself is synonymous with “bit, mite, speck, scrap, shred, ounce, scintilla, little bit, particle, smidgen, and tad.” Instead it’s a monster Category 5 hurricane with winds exceeding 160 mph. And the storm is still strengthening.
How ironic! Iota is a very impressive hurricane, especially for this late in the year, with a distinct, warm eye on satellite images. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft found maximum flight-winds of about 147 kt and a central pressure of about 917 mb. 147 knots equals 169 mph.
Strike 2
Rapid weakening is anticipated over central America, and Iota should dissipate in a couple of days. The hurricane is moving westward at 9 kt. After landfall, the cyclone should move a little faster, and dissipate over the higher terrain of central America.
The new forecast is a little south of the previous one, mostly owing to the initial position.
This is a catastrophic situation unfolding for northeastern Nicaragua with an extreme storm surge of 15-20 ft forecast along with destructive winds and potentially 30 inches of rainfall. It is exacerbated by the fact that it should make landfall in almost the exact same location that category 4 Hurricane Eta did about two weeks ago.
Posted by Bob Rehak based on National Hurricane Center Data
1175 Days since Hurricane Harvey
City Quietly Cleaning Out Culverts Under Kingwood Drive Thanks to Local Activist
Chris Bloch, an engineer and Kingwood resident, has become a flood-control activist in his retirement. I often run into Chris inspecting ditches, streams and culverts for blockages and collapsed outfalls. Chris also works with the Bear Branch Trail Association which owns property along many of the channels and streams cutting through Kings Forest, Bear Branch, and Hunters Ridge.
Activist Extraordinaire
For the last several months, Chris has focused intensely on blocked channels that contributed to the flooding of 110 homes in Kings Forest during Harvey. Where the channels cross under Kingwood Drive, three had become almost totally blocked by vegetation and silt. That contributed to backing water up into homes. See below.
Chris meticulously photographed the problems, began researching which entities were responsible for which portions of the channels, and in the case above, contacted the City of Houston. The City has responsibility for the medians and sides of Kingwood Drive and other streets. His persistence paid off.
In October, the City began cleaning out the ditch near Shady Run and Kingwood Drive.
Here’s what that part of the channel looks like today.
End-to-End Inspections
Chris is tenacious, tireless, and wide ranging. He looks at ditches from end to end. In this case, he’s also trying to get the Flood Control District to escalate clean-out of the ditch south of Kingwood Drive. Reduced conveyance through that reach could also have contributed to flooding in Kingwood Lakes.
Bloch says he has also identified twenty storm-drain outfalls that need repair. “It doesn’t make any difference if the storm sewers are clear if the water in them can’t get to ditches and streams,” he says.
You Be an Activist, Too
Activists like Chris make Kingwood the great place it is. They help identify local problems for government and make the case for addressing them.
As you hike through our greenbelts and along channels, keep your eyes open for developing problems:
Be an activist like Chris. Take pictures and report them to the appropriate authorities. That will usually be the City or Flood Control.
You, too, can make a difference.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/15/2020
1174 Days since Hurricane Harvey