With Hurricane Delta behind us, now we face a political storm. KPRC Channel 2 News reported earlier this week that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is putting the State of Texas back in charge of the City of Houston’s $1.3 billion Harvey relief dollars. That wouldn’t happen unless something was seriously wrong with City’s program.
Home destroyed by Harveyand rebuilt by owners/friends. No insurance. And no government help so far.
HUD Eliminates Direct Funding to City
According to KPRC, Acting HUD Assistant Secretary John Gibbs said this “… eliminates direct allocation funding to the City of Houston. The City’s sub-recipient agreement will be terminated, and the funding used for State-run programs to support recovery efforts within the City. The General Land Office (GLO) will administer homeowner assistance, rental, and economic revitalization programs to serve eligible City of Houston residents.”
The switch will not affect whether the $1.3 billion dollars allocated to the City will be distributed, just who will distribute it.
One Home per Week
The state said the City has only been able to address 163 homes to date that Harvey damaged. That’s exactly one per week since the storm. Even considering that the City didn’t get the money immediately, the rate still averages less than two per week.
3+ Years in a Black Hole then a Start Over
I know one family – neighbors – who applied for a grant to help rebuild their home after Harvey. They waited more than 18 months for a call back. When one didn’t come, they called the State’s General Land office, the agency taking over the funds. With a nudge from the GLO, the City finally returned the family’s calls. The City requested more information which the family supplied. Then came another long wait. The case fell into another black hole. The neighbor called two or three times a day, then learned that the lady managing the case was no longer in her job. They had to start over with another case worker. Now it appears they will have to “start over” again – three years after Harvey.
The lengthy wait for help has been doubly disappointing for my neighbors.
Not only were their lives destroyed; now their hopes are dashed.
The family cashed in their kids’ college funds and 401Ks to rebuild their home when help never materialized. Those kids will soon be in high school. And how the family will pay for their college is another source of worry.
The family is still waiting with a shoebox full of receipts and photographs of the damage – for a call that may take years to come.
Unanswered Questions
In trying to figure out why this happened, I talked to several sources familiar with City government. The answers I usually got involved “complex process,” “under-qualified staff,” “set up in a hurry,” and “inadequate supervision,” “contractor issues,” and “lack of accountability.”
One went so far as to predict, “Most of this money will never get to recipients. It will get ground up in overhead.” Meanwhile…
“Many poor families don’t have college funds to tap. Many still live in mold-infested homes without wallboard. Or they’ve just abandoned their homes.”
As I said in 2018 – 276 Days after Harvey – there’s definitely an opportunity for business-process re-engineering here. Simplifying the process will help more people.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/10/2020
1138 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Cart-in-Living-Room.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2020-10-10 14:21:272020-10-10 16:11:34HUD Orders State to Take Over CoH’s Harvey Relief Funds
Borenstein says, “Over the past couple decades, meteorologists have been increasingly worried about storms that just blow up from nothing to a whopper, just like Delta. They created an official threshold for this dangerous rapid intensification — a storm gaining 35 mph in wind speed in just 24 hours.”
This NOAA water vapor image of Hurricane Delta makes the storm look like a giant splash in the atmosphere.
Delta was the sixth storm this year and the second in a week to reach that threshold for rapid intensification. Harvey was also such a storm.
Borenstein interviewed an MIT hurricane scientist named Kerry Emanuel. “This is not only happening more often, it is more dangerous,” said Emanuel. ““If you go to bed and there’s a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico and you wake up the next morning with a Category 4 about to make landfall, there’s no time to evacuate.”
Why So Many?
Some scientists attribute the trend to global warming, which they say increases sea-surface temperatures and makes rapid intensification possible.
Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Linder said, “Rapid intensification is due to a number of possible local factors. They include warm sea surface temperatures, light upper level winds, high moisture levels and storm structure. Some of this, especially sea surface temperatures, could be affected by climate change. El Niño and La Niña could affect the wind shear patterns making such intensification more likely at certain times. However, much of this is storm dependent on conditions with a particular storm.”
Whatever the reason, rapid intensification is an alarming trend. As our neighbors in Louisiana will confirm, it calls for a higher level of alertness.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/9/2020
1137 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 386 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1000x1000-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=110001000adminadmin2020-10-09 07:28:502020-10-09 07:37:59NOAA Now Tracking Rapid Intensification of Storms
At 4 AM Friday, Delta, as predicted, is headed for Louisiana. Houston will, however, feel some wind. The National Weather Service forecast for the Lake Houston Area today indicates showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. Cloudy, with a steady temperature around 74. Breezy, with a northeast wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. I already have .2 inches of rain in my gage. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch are possible today, says the NWS.
Friday night the chance of showers decreases to 40 percent, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Breezy, with a northwest wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Outer bands of Hurricane Delta are already reaching the Houston Area.
Houston has a 30-40% chance of experiencing tropical-storm-force winds, i.e., greater than 39 mph.
If those winds arrive, expect them between late morning and early afternoon.
By tomorrow, Hurricane Delta should be a memory for us. Saturday will be sunny, with a high near 86. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
STORM SURGE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…HIGH ISLAND TEXAS TO MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER LOUISIANA
HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…HIGH ISLAND TEXAS TO MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA
TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…WEST OF HIGH ISLAND TO SARGENT TEXAS
Hurricane Delta Status
At 400 AM CDT, Delta is moving toward the north near 12 mph. National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects this motion to continue today followed by a north-northeastward motion by tonight. On the forecast track, the center of Delta will move inland within the hurricane warning area this evening. Maximum sustained winds approach 120 mph with higher gusts.
Note the wind extents.
Delta is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Slow weakening is expected to begin as Delta approaches the northern Gulf coast later today, with rapid weakening expected after the center moves inland.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure 953 mb (28.15 inches).
Not A Good Day to Travel East
The further east you go today toward Louisiana, the more danger. The core of the hurricane will strike the Louisiana coast this evening. Hazards include:
STORM SURGE:
A combination of dangerous storm surge and high tides will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground.
Port O’Connor, TX to High Island, TX including Galveston Bay…1-3 ft
High Island, TX to Sabine Pass…2-4 ft
Sabine Pass to Holly Beach, LA…4-7 ft
Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, LA to Morgan City, LA including Vermilion Bay…7-11 ft
Small changes in Delta could have large impacts on where the highest storm surge occurs. The deepest water will occur along the coast near and to the east of the landfall location. Large and dangerous waves will accompany surge. Stay tuned for possible changes and updates.
Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.
WIND:
Hurricane conditions are expected within the hurricane warning area by this afternoon, with tropical storm conditions expected within this area later this morning. Tropical storm conditions are expected within the tropical storm warning areas later today.
RAINFALL:
Today through Saturday, Delta is expected to produce 5 to 10 inches of rain, with isolated maximum totals of 15 inches, from southwest into central Louisiana. These rainfall amounts will lead to significant flash, urban, small stream flooding, along with minor to major river flooding.
For extreme east Texas into northern Louisiana, southern Arkansas, and western Mississippi, Delta is expected to produce 3 to 6 inches of rain, with isolated maximum totals of 10 inches.
SURF:
Swells from Delta will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/9/2020 based on data from NWS and NHC
1137 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 386 after Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HGX_loop.gif?fit=600%2C550&ssl=1550600adminadmin2020-10-09 06:26:072020-10-09 07:49:56Worst of Delta Will Miss Lake Houston Area to East
HUD Orders State to Take Over CoH’s Harvey Relief Funds
With Hurricane Delta behind us, now we face a political storm. KPRC Channel 2 News reported earlier this week that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is putting the State of Texas back in charge of the City of Houston’s $1.3 billion Harvey relief dollars. That wouldn’t happen unless something was seriously wrong with City’s program.
HUD Eliminates Direct Funding to City
According to KPRC, Acting HUD Assistant Secretary John Gibbs said this “… eliminates direct allocation funding to the City of Houston. The City’s sub-recipient agreement will be terminated, and the funding used for State-run programs to support recovery efforts within the City. The General Land Office (GLO) will administer homeowner assistance, rental, and economic revitalization programs to serve eligible City of Houston residents.”
One Home per Week
The state said the City has only been able to address 163 homes to date that Harvey damaged. That’s exactly one per week since the storm. Even considering that the City didn’t get the money immediately, the rate still averages less than two per week.
3+ Years in a Black Hole then a Start Over
I know one family – neighbors – who applied for a grant to help rebuild their home after Harvey. They waited more than 18 months for a call back. When one didn’t come, they called the State’s General Land office, the agency taking over the funds. With a nudge from the GLO, the City finally returned the family’s calls. The City requested more information which the family supplied. Then came another long wait. The case fell into another black hole. The neighbor called two or three times a day, then learned that the lady managing the case was no longer in her job. They had to start over with another case worker. Now it appears they will have to “start over” again – three years after Harvey.
The lengthy wait for help has been doubly disappointing for my neighbors.
The family cashed in their kids’ college funds and 401Ks to rebuild their home when help never materialized. Those kids will soon be in high school. And how the family will pay for their college is another source of worry.
The family is still waiting with a shoebox full of receipts and photographs of the damage – for a call that may take years to come.
Unanswered Questions
In trying to figure out why this happened, I talked to several sources familiar with City government. The answers I usually got involved “complex process,” “under-qualified staff,” “set up in a hurry,” and “inadequate supervision,” “contractor issues,” and “lack of accountability.”
One went so far as to predict, “Most of this money will never get to recipients. It will get ground up in overhead.” Meanwhile…
“Many poor families don’t have college funds to tap. Many still live in mold-infested homes without wallboard. Or they’ve just abandoned their homes.”
As I said in 2018 – 276 Days after Harvey – there’s definitely an opportunity for business-process re-engineering here. Simplifying the process will help more people.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/10/2020
1138 Days since Hurricane Harvey
NOAA Now Tracking Rapid Intensification of Storms
Earlier this week, Hurricane Delta blew up from an unnamed tropical depression into a hurricane in a matter of hours. An Associated Press story by Seth Borenstein discussed a possible trend of rapid intensification of storms. Delta set a record, going from a 35 to 140 mph storm in just 36 hours.
Storms Gaining 35 mph in < 24 hrs
Borenstein says, “Over the past couple decades, meteorologists have been increasingly worried about storms that just blow up from nothing to a whopper, just like Delta. They created an official threshold for this dangerous rapid intensification — a storm gaining 35 mph in wind speed in just 24 hours.”
Delta was the sixth storm this year and the second in a week to reach that threshold for rapid intensification. Harvey was also such a storm.
Borenstein interviewed an MIT hurricane scientist named Kerry Emanuel. “This is not only happening more often, it is more dangerous,” said Emanuel. ““If you go to bed and there’s a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico and you wake up the next morning with a Category 4 about to make landfall, there’s no time to evacuate.”
Why So Many?
Some scientists attribute the trend to global warming, which they say increases sea-surface temperatures and makes rapid intensification possible.
Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Linder said, “Rapid intensification is due to a number of possible local factors. They include warm sea surface temperatures, light upper level winds, high moisture levels and storm structure. Some of this, especially sea surface temperatures, could be affected by climate change. El Niño and La Niña could affect the wind shear patterns making such intensification more likely at certain times. However, much of this is storm dependent on conditions with a particular storm.”
Whatever the reason, rapid intensification is an alarming trend. As our neighbors in Louisiana will confirm, it calls for a higher level of alertness.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/9/2020
1137 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 386 since Imelda
Worst of Delta Will Miss Lake Houston Area to East
At 4 AM Friday, Delta, as predicted, is headed for Louisiana. Houston will, however, feel some wind. The National Weather Service forecast for the Lake Houston Area today indicates showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. Cloudy, with a steady temperature around 74. Breezy, with a northeast wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. I already have .2 inches of rain in my gage. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch are possible today, says the NWS.
Friday night the chance of showers decreases to 40 percent, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Breezy, with a northwest wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
By tomorrow, Hurricane Delta should be a memory for us. Saturday will be sunny, with a high near 86. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
So what’s happening with Hurricane Delta at the moment? For those traveling south or east today, here’s the latest from the National Hurricane Center.
Summary of Watches and Warnings in Effect
STORM SURGE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…HIGH ISLAND TEXAS TO MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER LOUISIANA
HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…HIGH ISLAND TEXAS TO MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA
TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…WEST OF HIGH ISLAND TO SARGENT TEXAS
Hurricane Delta Status
At 400 AM CDT, Delta is moving toward the north near 12 mph. National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects this motion to continue today followed by a north-northeastward motion by tonight. On the forecast track, the center of Delta will move inland within the hurricane warning area this evening. Maximum sustained winds approach 120 mph with higher gusts.
Delta is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Slow weakening is expected to begin as Delta approaches the northern Gulf coast later today, with rapid weakening expected after the center moves inland.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure 953 mb (28.15 inches).
Not A Good Day to Travel East
The further east you go today toward Louisiana, the more danger. The core of the hurricane will strike the Louisiana coast this evening. Hazards include:
STORM SURGE:
A combination of dangerous storm surge and high tides will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground.
Small changes in Delta could have large impacts on where the highest storm surge occurs. The deepest water will occur along the coast near and to the east of the landfall location. Large and dangerous waves will accompany surge. Stay tuned for possible changes and updates.
Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.
WIND:
Hurricane conditions are expected within the hurricane warning area by this afternoon, with tropical storm conditions expected within this area later this morning. Tropical storm conditions are expected within the tropical storm warning areas later today.
RAINFALL:
Today through Saturday, Delta is expected to produce 5 to 10 inches of rain, with isolated maximum totals of 15 inches, from southwest into central Louisiana. These rainfall amounts will lead to significant flash, urban, small stream flooding, along with minor to major river flooding.
For extreme east Texas into northern Louisiana, southern Arkansas, and western Mississippi, Delta is expected to produce 3 to 6 inches of rain, with isolated maximum totals of 10 inches.
SURF:
Swells from Delta will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/9/2020 based on data from NWS and NHC
1137 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 386 after Imelda