This is the story of a first responder who helped rescue dozens of families during Harvey. His own home later flooded during Imelda. Then he was the one calling for help. But that’s just the start of this gripping story. A house he rented (next to Woodridge Village) had flooded months earlier in May 2019, but Camillo Properties, the management company, said it had not. Within days of moving in last September, it flooded again. And that was after being in the emergency room most of the previous night with his stepson, who was diagnosed with pneumonia. Then the management company sued him for non-payment of rent – which he had paid. You don’t want to stand next to this guy in a lightning storm. Despite all his troubles, though, he says his relationship with his fiancé is stronger than ever. For job reasons, he needs to remain anonymous. I will refer to him only as John.
Rescue of Friend Turns into 12-Hour Marathon
Rehak: You had worked for a fire department in Montgomery County before Harvey. During the storm, you got a call from a terrified friend in the Barrington who was trapped in rising floodwaters. Tell me what happened.
John: Six to eight hours before calling me, she posted to Facebook saying she was in her living room, watching a movie, sipping wine, and “Everything is normal.” Then she called at 2 a.m. asking if I had any contacts who could rescue her.
Every back-channel contact was overwhelmed. So, I went down there in my Jeep to see if I could make it in. When I arrived, it was a lot deeper than I thought. Then a gentleman showed up with a huge aluminum boat – the kind that HFD uses for water rescues.
He said, “Hey, I’ve got a couple of friends back here, too. Let’s go see what we can find.” This was just before dawn. We got everyone into the boat. Then we started looking and realized, “It’s not just a few people who didn’t evacuate.” There were hundreds upon hundreds back there.
That’s about when rescue organizations started showing up. Eventually, there were dozens of boats pulling people out.
Rehak: How many times did you go back in?
John: I couldn’t say. But I didn’t leave till about four that afternoon.
Rehak: You evacuated people for 12 hours!
John: We had to stop when we ran low on fuel.
Rehak: Could you estimate the speed of the current in the Barrington?
John: No. But I’ll tell you that it got real hairy, real quick, even with a 150 horsepower motor.
Delayed Emotional Impact and Navigating Hidden Dangers
Rehak: What was it like emotionally as the day wore on?
John: After the fact, it was like…”Holy crap! How many people just lost everything that they had?” But at the time, we were too busy to think about it.
Coast Guard Rescue in Barrington filmed by Johnduring boat rescue.
John: Coast Guard Seahawks were doing hoist rescues in areas boats couldn’t get to. And we were dodging submerged obstacles. We hit a couple of communal mailboxes. Those aren’t typical hazards you think about when operating a boat.
Rehak: Were there any other dangers that made things hairy?
John: Desperate people. Many weren’t thinking clearly. Some families didn’t want to leave, including those with kids.
Rehak: Were they in two-story homes?
John: Yes. But they had no access to resources past the initial push. Food, fresh water, working toilets.
Rehak: It was unsafe.
John: And water was creeping up to power meters. CenterPoint had not yet killed the area.
Rehak: Were there cars under water, too?
John: Oh, yeah. You could barely see the tops of some.
Rehak: Any other stories stand out in your mind?
John: Some families with kids had to make decisions about who would get in the lifeboat first and who would stay behind. It was heartbreaking.
“No. No. No. That House Never Flooded”
Rehak: Let’s talk about YOUR flood experience now in September of 2019 during Imelda.
John: We had been leasing an apartment at the front of Kingwood. The lease was coming up for renewal. So, we started looking at houses to lease and found one in North Kingwood Forest. It looked brand new even though the neighborhood was several years old. Looking back, that should’ve been a red flag.
Camillio owned many properties on the street where John lived. Photo taken 12/22/2019, after homes had been repaired from Imelda on 9/19/2019.
Rehak: What attracted you?
John: It had more space. It was affordable, and there were many young families with kids. We applied, were approved within a couple of days, and set a move in date. As luck would have it, that turned out to be just SEVEN days before Imelda.
Rehak: Your pictures looked as though you weren’t even fully unpacked when the flood hit.
Still unpacking after move when flood hit.
John: We had only unpacked essentials. And we had just done a big Costco run with cases of water, six-packs of chili, everything you need to stock a pantry. And then…
Rehak: Before you signed the lease, did you ask whether this place flooded before?
John: Unfortunately, we asked just after signing. My dad talked to our neighbor next door when we were moving in. She asked him whether they told us that the house had flooded in May.
View of street from John’s garage during Imelda
Rehak: Surprise!
John: So, I called the landlord and asked, “Did that house ever flood?” I was told, “Oh, no, no, no. That never flooded. Only the other side of the neighborhood flooded.”
8 days after the flood
Relocation to Spring Triggers Landlord Lawsuit
Rehak: Did that become a point of contention between you and the owners?
John: Not immediately. The landlord offered us another place in Spring. It seemed like they were trying to be accommodating. So, I didn’t really call out their lie at the time.
Rehak: What happened later to change your mind?
John: Towards the end of October, beginning of November, we got a letter from them saying that we had not paid our rent at the Spring location. Of course, we had, so I called them and said, “Hey, this is an error.” I sent them copies of bank statements showing the rent payments cleared. We had even paid through their online portal. They said, “OK, we’ll look into it.”
Fast forward, two weeks later, a Constable serves us with an eviction lawsuit. This was a couple months after losing 70 percent of everything we owned.
Rehak: What did you do?
John: I contacted an attorney friend and he began calling them. They fed him the same line, “Oh, we will need to look into it.”
My attorney called me two days before court and said, “I have not gotten any response from them. We’ll have to go to court.”
There, we met Camillo’s representative from Nationwide Evictions. We showed her our bank statements. But their paperwork showed only a move in and then nothing being paid. The judge found our evidence overwhelming and ruled in our favor. That was the end of that. But it left a sour taste.
At that point, I thought to myself, “As soon as our lease is up and we can get away from this management company, we’re going to.” And we did.
Impact on Relationship
Rehak:. You have a fiancé who is a paramedic. How did this affect your relationship?
John: I tell people, “After two moves in 10 days, on top of a flood, you’re either going to split up or you’re going to last a lifetime. We’re still together!
Trip to Emergency Room Night Before Imelda
John: To top it off, the night before Imelda, he developed pneumonia. We were in the Kingwood Emergency Room with him until the wee hours. Fast-Forward to 9:30 or 10 the next morning. My fiancé woke me up and said, “We’re flooding.”
View out front door when John woke up.
Rehak: What went through your mind?
John: I felt this has got to be a nightmare. That’s what she told to me later – that I rolled out of bed half awake and said, “This has got to be a nightmare.” Then I stepped down into water. That woke me up real fast!
Water flowing between John’s house and neighbor’s during Imelda.
From Pneumonia to “Water Park”
John: You’d think my stepson would have been sad or scared. But like a typical 4-year old, he thought it was a freakin’ WATER PARK! I can’t help but think that contributed to his pneumonia. It took him two weeks to get over that. There were a lot of sleep-deprived nights for us. We were mentally drained.
Rehak: So, on top of the flood, you’ve got a sick kid during your second move in two weeks! How did the people at your workplace react?
John: They came together. I have to say. They gave me time off work. They established a “go fund me.” Financially, they took care of us. They did right by us.
“Start Taking Out Fence Pickets”
Rehak: Tell me more about what happened during the Imelda flood after you woke up.
John: We reached out to family and friends and started stacking things on couches, countertops, anything to get stuff up off the floor. Then we called Camillo and said, “We are actively flooding. What do we do?”
She said to start taking out fence pickets to allow the water to flow around the house versus through the house. That’s when I suspected that they knew this house had a tendency to flood. Otherwise, why would you say, “Take out fence pickets”?
Fence slats removed from neighbor’s house in May 7th flood. Photo taken May 24, 2019.
Water Coming From Back, Not Street
Rehak: Your video shows water flowing quickly from the back yard toward the street. How deep was the water in your back yard?
John: About a foot above my knees. It was that much higher in the back than on the street side. There was sand and silt throughout the house after the water receded.
Sand and silt in garage as flood receded.
Rehak: That didn’t come from the street.
House where John lived in relation to Woodridge Village construction in background. Photo taken 7/15/2020. Note fence repairs. Every home in this photo flooded.
John: Nope. There was only one place it could have come from.The 268-acres they had just cleared next to us.
Woodridge Village on 11/4/2019. Arrow shows approximate location of John’s home. In this photo you can feel the slope in the land that funneled water toward Taylor Gulley behind the twin culverts near the far tree line.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/18/2020
1054 Days after Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_7350.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2020-07-18 07:45:222020-07-19 20:12:43The First Responder During Harvey Who Flooded During Imelda
It’s a minor victory. And it may not actually change anything on the ground. But the City of Houston today sent a signal to developers, who now have to identify flood prone areas on their general plans.
The move should eliminate any doubt among bankers, buyers and real estate agents as to whether a particular property is in a floodway or flood plain.
By following all the other guidelines, developers can still get their plans approved. This change helps people seeking truth and full disclosure in the sales process.
There’s one other key change. Another new requirement is that, as each section of a general plan is platted, it has to adhere to the then current standards. That is important so that the entire development isn’t grandfathered by the approval date of the general plan.
These changes may make some developers think twice about buying and developing flood-prone property. Especially if they target unknowledgeable buyers, such as young people or foreigners, who may be unfamiliar with American flood standards.
Today’s press release by the City of Houston’s Planning and Development department says the changes will go into effect July 24, 2020.
The release is being blasted out to developers also. It’s titled “Platting Updates for Flood Prone Areas.” I have reprinted the full text verbatim below.
IDENTIFICATION OF FLOOD PRONE AREAS ON GENERAL PLAN
Effective July 24, 2020
Flooding events have been increasingly severe in the City of Houston and our region. The 2018 amendment to Chapter 19 City of Houston Code of Ordinances mandated that it was necessary to evaluate development within the 100-year and 500-year floodplains to protect investments made by residents and business owners in real property within the City. Harris County and others have developed their own needs in improving the drainage in their regions.
To mitigate and reduce the risk of flood loss for future development, the 100-year, 500-year floodplains and floodway will be required to be identified on all General Plans submitted to the Department with the Plat Tracker application. Applicants will be required to graphically depict the location of the floodplains and or floodway on their General Plans and provide related note.
This information must be provided as part of initial submittal of a General Plan for Planning Commission consideration. The General Plan application will be marked incomplete if this information is not included as part of the initial submittal.
HOW TO ILLUSTRATE
The way to depict this information correctly is to go to the FEMA website through the following link: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search#searchresultsanchor.Enter the address, place, or coordinates. The site will produce a map that will identify whether the property is located in the 100-year, 500-year flood plains or floodway. Provide a dashed line on your General Plan identifying the 100-year, 500-year flood plains or floodway as depicted on the FEMA map.
GENERAL PLAN RELATED NOTE
Also, include on the face of the General Plan the following related note as follows: Portions of the property included in this General Plan lie within the known floodway and the 100 and 500-year floodplains. As each section or parcel is platted and developed, the then-current standards of City of Houston [or if ETJ: Harris County] drainage, elevation, and building regulations must be adhered to.
For additional information contact Dipti Mathur at 832-393-6560.
Imagine how the general plan of “Orchard Seeded Ranches” would look. It would clearly show that virtually every property was subject to severe flooding. Also imagine now how those new townhomes in Kings Harbor will look to Chinese investors.
Developers who specialize these types of distress properties may have to rethink their marketing strategies.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/17/2020
1053 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screen-Shot-2020-07-17-at-4.56.38-PM.png?fit=810%2C404&ssl=1404810adminadmin2020-07-17 17:12:202020-07-18 06:48:48City of Houston Will Now Require Developers to Identify Flood-Prone Areas on Their General Plans
Note: the post below was condensed and adapted from a longer USGS article. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) records continuous stream stage (height of a river) and streamflow (how much water is flowing) with thousands of gages throughout the nation. But how can they determine flood height where no gages exist?
Simple, USGS correlates high water marks after floods with peak gage heights during floods.
“If, for example, records show that stream stage reached 17 feet during a storm, a high-water mark will show the hydrologist what a stage of 17 feet means in terms of how high the water was on the riverbanks and surrounding land.”
Finding high water marks on or near buildings is easy. You look for the mud line or the edge of debris fields. The same principle applies in nature. Sometimes it’s easy.
Think of high water marks like a bathtub ring around a flooded area. Shown here: East End Park after Imelda.
But they’re not always that obvious.
Can You Spot High Water Marks In Pictures Below?
Below are two pictures used by USGS for demonstration purposes. They took the pictures a few days after a record storm. High-water marks show in both pictures, although a hydrologist would only regard one of the marks as being reliable.
Spot the high water marks.
The pictures below are close-ups of the high-water indicators in the top pictures. Did you spot them?
The left picture shows a poison ivy vine with the bottom leaves covered in dried mud. Where the mud stops shows how high the floodwaters reached.
The right-side picture shows a limb that hangs over the same creek. During a flood, rapidly-moving water carries leaves and pine needles, etc.! They stick on limbs that are partially submerged. When the stream recedes the signs remain. The top of the leaves and pine straw indicate how high the creek was during the storm.
The mud on the vine is a much better high-water mark than the tree limb, though. During high water, the fast-moving water will cause partially submerged limbs to move up and down. Therefore, hydrologists would not use the limb to estimate high water.
How High Water Marks Are Used
Planning Development
Documenting high water marks helps plan development near floodplains. If you know that water reaches a certain mark on the bank every few years, you certainly don’t want people building homes and businesses there.
Determining Extent and Severity of Flooding
Gages can determine the height of a flood. But high water marks can also show the width and extent relative to topography.
After most major flood events, USGS partners with FEMA and other state and federal agencies to flag and survey high water marks in areas that flooded. USGS did so here after Harvey to determine the extent and severity of the flooding.
Prediction of Future Floods
Forecasters can use the data associated with high-water marks to predict the severity of future floods, delineate flood zones, and update current maps that may account for changes in upstream conditions.
Flood Frequency Calculations
High-water mark data is also part of the flood-frequency (or recurrence interval) calculations that FEMA uses to identify areas that are likely to experience a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year. These floods, known as 100-year floods, serve as the foundation for flood management planning.
Inundation Mapping
Another significant use: Flood-Inundation Mapping. A flood-inundation map shows the extent and depth of flooding that occurred in various communities as a result of a major storm or flood event. Inundation maps help determine things like:
Changes needed in building codes
Evacuation routes
Heights of bridges and roads.
Once inundation maps are complete, USGS documents them and makes them publicly available online.
Recreating Data from Damaged Gages
If a flood knocks out a gage, as it did with the one at US59 bridge and the Kingwood Country Club on the San Jacinto West Fork, high-water marks can provide maximum height of a flood after the fact. If the cross section of the river is known (or surveyed), hydrologists can even back-calculate the flow rate.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/16/2020 with thanks to USGS and Diane Cooper
1052 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 301 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20170915-San-JacintoRJR_3366_308.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-07-16 19:57:082020-07-16 20:23:08How High Water Marks Help Fill Gaps in Flood Knowledge
The First Responder During Harvey Who Flooded During Imelda
This is the story of a first responder who helped rescue dozens of families during Harvey. His own home later flooded during Imelda. Then he was the one calling for help. But that’s just the start of this gripping story. A house he rented (next to Woodridge Village) had flooded months earlier in May 2019, but Camillo Properties, the management company, said it had not. Within days of moving in last September, it flooded again. And that was after being in the emergency room most of the previous night with his stepson, who was diagnosed with pneumonia. Then the management company sued him for non-payment of rent – which he had paid. You don’t want to stand next to this guy in a lightning storm. Despite all his troubles, though, he says his relationship with his fiancé is stronger than ever. For job reasons, he needs to remain anonymous. I will refer to him only as John.
Rescue of Friend Turns into 12-Hour Marathon
Rehak: You had worked for a fire department in Montgomery County before Harvey. During the storm, you got a call from a terrified friend in the Barrington who was trapped in rising floodwaters. Tell me what happened.
John: Six to eight hours before calling me, she posted to Facebook saying she was in her living room, watching a movie, sipping wine, and “Everything is normal.” Then she called at 2 a.m. asking if I had any contacts who could rescue her.
Every back-channel contact was overwhelmed. So, I went down there in my Jeep to see if I could make it in. When I arrived, it was a lot deeper than I thought. Then a gentleman showed up with a huge aluminum boat – the kind that HFD uses for water rescues.
He said, “Hey, I’ve got a couple of friends back here, too. Let’s go see what we can find.” This was just before dawn. We got everyone into the boat. Then we started looking and realized, “It’s not just a few people who didn’t evacuate.” There were hundreds upon hundreds back there.
That’s about when rescue organizations started showing up. Eventually, there were dozens of boats pulling people out.
Rehak: How many times did you go back in?
John: I couldn’t say. But I didn’t leave till about four that afternoon.
Rehak: You evacuated people for 12 hours!
John: We had to stop when we ran low on fuel.
Rehak: Could you estimate the speed of the current in the Barrington?
John: No. But I’ll tell you that it got real hairy, real quick, even with a 150 horsepower motor.
Delayed Emotional Impact and Navigating Hidden Dangers
Rehak: What was it like emotionally as the day wore on?
John: After the fact, it was like…”Holy crap! How many people just lost everything that they had?” But at the time, we were too busy to think about it.
John: Coast Guard Seahawks were doing hoist rescues in areas boats couldn’t get to. And we were dodging submerged obstacles. We hit a couple of communal mailboxes. Those aren’t typical hazards you think about when operating a boat.
Rehak: Were there any other dangers that made things hairy?
John: Desperate people. Many weren’t thinking clearly. Some families didn’t want to leave, including those with kids.
Rehak: Were they in two-story homes?
John: Yes. But they had no access to resources past the initial push. Food, fresh water, working toilets.
Rehak: It was unsafe.
John: And water was creeping up to power meters. CenterPoint had not yet killed the area.
Rehak: Were there cars under water, too?
John: Oh, yeah. You could barely see the tops of some.
Rehak: Any other stories stand out in your mind?
John: Some families with kids had to make decisions about who would get in the lifeboat first and who would stay behind. It was heartbreaking.
“No. No. No. That House Never Flooded”
Rehak: Let’s talk about YOUR flood experience now in September of 2019 during Imelda.
John: We had been leasing an apartment at the front of Kingwood. The lease was coming up for renewal. So, we started looking at houses to lease and found one in North Kingwood Forest. It looked brand new even though the neighborhood was several years old. Looking back, that should’ve been a red flag.
Rehak: What attracted you?
John: It had more space. It was affordable, and there were many young families with kids. We applied, were approved within a couple of days, and set a move in date. As luck would have it, that turned out to be just SEVEN days before Imelda.
Rehak: Your pictures looked as though you weren’t even fully unpacked when the flood hit.
John: We had only unpacked essentials. And we had just done a big Costco run with cases of water, six-packs of chili, everything you need to stock a pantry. And then…
Rehak: Before you signed the lease, did you ask whether this place flooded before?
John: Unfortunately, we asked just after signing. My dad talked to our neighbor next door when we were moving in. She asked him whether they told us that the house had flooded in May.
Rehak: Surprise!
John: So, I called the landlord and asked, “Did that house ever flood?” I was told, “Oh, no, no, no. That never flooded. Only the other side of the neighborhood flooded.”
Relocation to Spring Triggers Landlord Lawsuit
Rehak: Did that become a point of contention between you and the owners?
John: Not immediately. The landlord offered us another place in Spring. It seemed like they were trying to be accommodating. So, I didn’t really call out their lie at the time.
Rehak: What happened later to change your mind?
John: Towards the end of October, beginning of November, we got a letter from them saying that we had not paid our rent at the Spring location. Of course, we had, so I called them and said, “Hey, this is an error.” I sent them copies of bank statements showing the rent payments cleared. We had even paid through their online portal. They said, “OK, we’ll look into it.”
Fast forward, two weeks later, a Constable serves us with an eviction lawsuit. This was a couple months after losing 70 percent of everything we owned.
Rehak: What did you do?
John: I contacted an attorney friend and he began calling them. They fed him the same line, “Oh, we will need to look into it.”
My attorney called me two days before court and said, “I have not gotten any response from them. We’ll have to go to court.”
There, we met Camillo’s representative from Nationwide Evictions. We showed her our bank statements. But their paperwork showed only a move in and then nothing being paid. The judge found our evidence overwhelming and ruled in our favor. That was the end of that. But it left a sour taste.
At that point, I thought to myself, “As soon as our lease is up and we can get away from this management company, we’re going to.” And we did.
Impact on Relationship
Rehak:. You have a fiancé who is a paramedic. How did this affect your relationship?
John: I tell people, “After two moves in 10 days, on top of a flood, you’re either going to split up or you’re going to last a lifetime. We’re still together!
Trip to Emergency Room Night Before Imelda
John: To top it off, the night before Imelda, he developed pneumonia. We were in the Kingwood Emergency Room with him until the wee hours. Fast-Forward to 9:30 or 10 the next morning. My fiancé woke me up and said, “We’re flooding.”
Rehak: What went through your mind?
John: I felt this has got to be a nightmare. That’s what she told to me later – that I rolled out of bed half awake and said, “This has got to be a nightmare.” Then I stepped down into water. That woke me up real fast!
From Pneumonia to “Water Park”
John: You’d think my stepson would have been sad or scared. But like a typical 4-year old, he thought it was a freakin’ WATER PARK! I can’t help but think that contributed to his pneumonia. It took him two weeks to get over that. There were a lot of sleep-deprived nights for us. We were mentally drained.
Rehak: So, on top of the flood, you’ve got a sick kid during your second move in two weeks! How did the people at your workplace react?
John: They came together. I have to say. They gave me time off work. They established a “go fund me.” Financially, they took care of us. They did right by us.
“Start Taking Out Fence Pickets”
Rehak: Tell me more about what happened during the Imelda flood after you woke up.
John: We reached out to family and friends and started stacking things on couches, countertops, anything to get stuff up off the floor. Then we called Camillo and said, “We are actively flooding. What do we do?”
She said to start taking out fence pickets to allow the water to flow around the house versus through the house. That’s when I suspected that they knew this house had a tendency to flood. Otherwise, why would you say, “Take out fence pickets”?
Water Coming From Back, Not Street
Rehak: Your video shows water flowing quickly from the back yard toward the street. How deep was the water in your back yard?
John: About a foot above my knees. It was that much higher in the back than on the street side. There was sand and silt throughout the house after the water receded.
Rehak: That didn’t come from the street.
John: Nope. There was only one place it could have come from. The 268-acres they had just cleared next to us.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/18/2020
1054 Days after Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
City of Houston Will Now Require Developers to Identify Flood-Prone Areas on Their General Plans
It’s a minor victory. And it may not actually change anything on the ground. But the City of Houston today sent a signal to developers, who now have to identify flood prone areas on their general plans.
By following all the other guidelines, developers can still get their plans approved. This change helps people seeking truth and full disclosure in the sales process.
There’s one other key change. Another new requirement is that, as each section of a general plan is platted, it has to adhere to the then current standards. That is important so that the entire development isn’t grandfathered by the approval date of the general plan.
These changes may make some developers think twice about buying and developing flood-prone property. Especially if they target unknowledgeable buyers, such as young people or foreigners, who may be unfamiliar with American flood standards.
Today’s press release by the City of Houston’s Planning and Development department says the changes will go into effect July 24, 2020.
The release is being blasted out to developers also. It’s titled “Platting Updates for Flood Prone Areas.” I have reprinted the full text verbatim below.
IDENTIFICATION OF FLOOD PRONE AREAS ON GENERAL PLAN
Effective July 24, 2020
Flooding events have been increasingly severe in the City of Houston and our region. The 2018 amendment to Chapter 19 City of Houston Code of Ordinances mandated that it was necessary to evaluate development within the 100-year and 500-year floodplains to protect investments made by residents and business owners in real property within the City. Harris County and others have developed their own needs in improving the drainage in their regions.
To mitigate and reduce the risk of flood loss for future development, the 100-year, 500-year floodplains and floodway will be required to be identified on all General Plans submitted to the Department with the Plat Tracker application. Applicants will be required to graphically depict the location of the floodplains and or floodway on their General Plans and provide related note.
This information must be provided as part of initial submittal of a General Plan for Planning Commission consideration. The General Plan application will be marked incomplete if this information is not included as part of the initial submittal.
HOW TO ILLUSTRATE
The way to depict this information correctly is to go to the FEMA website through the following link: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search#searchresultsanchor.Enter the address, place, or coordinates. The site will produce a map that will identify whether the property is located in the 100-year, 500-year flood plains or floodway. Provide a dashed line on your General Plan identifying the 100-year, 500-year flood plains or floodway as depicted on the FEMA map.
GENERAL PLAN RELATED NOTE
Also, include on the face of the General Plan the following related note as follows: Portions of the property included in this General Plan lie within the known floodway and the 100 and 500-year floodplains. As each section or parcel is platted and developed, the then-current standards of City of Houston [or if ETJ: Harris County] drainage, elevation, and building regulations must be adhered to.
DISTRIBUTION
This document is being circulated to our customer eblast and posted on our Development Services web page https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/DevelopRegs/..
For additional information contact Dipti Mathur at 832-393-6560.
Imagine how the general plan of “Orchard Seeded Ranches” would look. It would clearly show that virtually every property was subject to severe flooding. Also imagine now how those new townhomes in Kings Harbor will look to Chinese investors.
Developers who specialize these types of distress properties may have to rethink their marketing strategies.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/17/2020
1053 Days since Hurricane Harvey
How High Water Marks Help Fill Gaps in Flood Knowledge
Note: the post below was condensed and adapted from a longer USGS article. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) records continuous stream stage (height of a river) and streamflow (how much water is flowing) with thousands of gages throughout the nation. But how can they determine flood height where no gages exist?
Simple, USGS correlates high water marks after floods with peak gage heights during floods.
Finding high water marks on or near buildings is easy. You look for the mud line or the edge of debris fields. The same principle applies in nature. Sometimes it’s easy.
But they’re not always that obvious.
Can You Spot High Water Marks In Pictures Below?
Below are two pictures used by USGS for demonstration purposes. They took the pictures a few days after a record storm. High-water marks show in both pictures, although a hydrologist would only regard one of the marks as being reliable.
The pictures below are close-ups of the high-water indicators in the top pictures. Did you spot them?
The left picture shows a poison ivy vine with the bottom leaves covered in dried mud. Where the mud stops shows how high the floodwaters reached.
The right-side picture shows a limb that hangs over the same creek. During a flood, rapidly-moving water carries leaves and pine needles, etc.! They stick on limbs that are partially submerged. When the stream recedes the signs remain. The top of the leaves and pine straw indicate how high the creek was during the storm.
The mud on the vine is a much better high-water mark than the tree limb, though. During high water, the fast-moving water will cause partially submerged limbs to move up and down. Therefore, hydrologists would not use the limb to estimate high water.
How High Water Marks Are Used
Planning Development
Documenting high water marks helps plan development near floodplains. If you know that water reaches a certain mark on the bank every few years, you certainly don’t want people building homes and businesses there.
Determining Extent and Severity of Flooding
Gages can determine the height of a flood. But high water marks can also show the width and extent relative to topography.
After most major flood events, USGS partners with FEMA and other state and federal agencies to flag and survey high water marks in areas that flooded. USGS did so here after Harvey to determine the extent and severity of the flooding.
Prediction of Future Floods
Forecasters can use the data associated with high-water marks to predict the severity of future floods, delineate flood zones, and update current maps that may account for changes in upstream conditions.
Flood Frequency Calculations
High-water mark data is also part of the flood-frequency (or recurrence interval) calculations that FEMA uses to identify areas that are likely to experience a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year. These floods, known as 100-year floods, serve as the foundation for flood management planning.
Inundation Mapping
Another significant use: Flood-Inundation Mapping. A flood-inundation map shows the extent and depth of flooding that occurred in various communities as a result of a major storm or flood event. Inundation maps help determine things like:
Once inundation maps are complete, USGS documents them and makes them publicly available online.
Recreating Data from Damaged Gages
If a flood knocks out a gage, as it did with the one at US59 bridge and the Kingwood Country Club on the San Jacinto West Fork, high-water marks can provide maximum height of a flood after the fact. If the cross section of the river is known (or surveyed), hydrologists can even back-calculate the flow rate.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/16/2020 with thanks to USGS and Diane Cooper
1052 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 301 since Imelda