When I saw this meme, it made me realize that people feel walls closing in on them from the virus lockdown.
So take a quick getaway. Cruise down Ben’s Branch with Josh Alberson in his jet boat. Jetboats have a very shallow draft, so they can get into areas too shallow for propeller-driven boats.
First Video Shows HCFCD Excavation Work Up Close
Josh sent in two videos. One shows the area where Harris County flood control is currently excavating the last of almost 80,000 cubic yards of sediment. In this video, Josh’s boat moves slowly so as not to create wakes that endanger workers.
As he moves under the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge, you can see an excavator stacking wet soil on the shore where it will drain before trucks haul it away.
Video courtesy of Josh Alberson
Said Beth Walters of Harris County Flood Control, “The material placed along the south bank of Ben’s Branch is drying out. It will be disposed of offsite. The south bank of the bayou will remain in the same location. This is a maintenance project to restore the channel.”
Second Video: High Speed to Lake Houston
The second video is more exciting. It makes you want to go out and buy a jet boat and explore the river and its tributaries.
As Josh moves past the YMCA and approaches the Deerwood Club, he pulls the throttles out all the way to Lake Houston.
Says Josh, “The Mouth Bar really extends all the way to shore. From the visible island to the park in the Cove, it is all only 2 ft or so deep. While Ben’s Branch may be up to 6 ft deep, it dumps out into a 2 ft deep flat.”
Video courtesy of Josh Alberson
But that’s City property and another project for another day.
Plans for Area South of Kingwood Drive
These videos do not show Ben’s Branch immediately south of Kingwood Drive to the Kingwood Library. Many readers ask about the aesthetics of that reach. Even though the construction has moved past that area, it still looks ragged.
Said Walters, “The contractor will be required to dress up the site so that turf grass establishment can occur. Contractors typically dress up the site and complete all final grading just before moving off site. Once dressed, HCFCD’s vegetation team will place turf grass placed upon it. The final condition of the entire project site will be as it was before, with turf grass on all of the earthen berms and banks.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/8/2020with thanks to Josh Alberson, Beth Walters and HCFCD
953 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Screen-Shot-2020-04-08-at-11.51.22-AM.png?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=16761200adminadmin2020-04-08 11:53:552020-04-08 12:12:52Getaway During Lockdown: Cruise Down Ben’s Branch in Josh Alberson’s Jet Boat
A marathon 10-hour meeting of Harris County Commissioners Court ended on a hopeful note for Elm Grove Village. But it was an emotional roller-coaster ride. Commissioners discussed whether to purchase Woodridge Village from Perry Homes and use it to build a giant detention facility to protect Elm Grove from future flooding.
The northern part of the 268-acre flood-prone Woodridge Village
Recap of Meeting
Before adjourning to executive session, commissioners discussed their concerns about a potential deal in open session. If you watched it live, you probably worried at that point. Commissioners Ellis and Garcia seemed to look for ways to kill any deal.
For instance, Ellis asked pointed questions about line items in the Flood Bond. He wanted to know what line item the money would come from for Elm Grove. Russ Poppe, Executive Director of the Flood Control District, explained that they set aside money for “San Jacinto Watershed drainage improvements in general.”
Ellis said, “But it wasn’t set aside for this?” Poppe replied that Elm Grove flooding happened after the Bond election, but that it fit the criteria for drainage improvements in the SJR watershed. And Ellis again said, “So it wasn’t set aside for this.”
Video of the meeting has not yet been posted.
Ellis, Garcia, Hidalgo Always Vote as Block
I’ve been told by reliable sources that since the last election, Hidalgo, Garcia and Ellis have ALWAYS voted as a block on every issue. So when they went into executive session, I bit my fingernails.
But when the commissioners and county judge came back from executive session, the feeling was more hopeful. We don’t have an agreement to approve a deal. But we have an agreement to keep negotiating.
What Harris County Still Wants
Here’s what commissioners want:
HCFCD will formally request an extension from Perry Homes on its March 31 deadline. This should not be a problem. People aren’t exactly lining up to buy the jinxed Perry Homes property.
HCFCD will also pursue an inter-local agreement with Montgomery County (MoCo) requesting that MoCo follow Atlas 14 guidelines – especially within the City of Houston’s (CoH) extra territorial jurisdiction. MoCo already has adopted the new higher standard since approving Perry Homes’ permits. However, their Atlas-14 standards differ slightly from Harris County’s because MoCo is further north and receives less rainfall. This should not be a deal killer either.
HCFCD will also request an inter-local agreement with CoH. At a town hall meeting in March, the City made it abundantly clear that it would not contribute cash to a buyout. So in lieu of cash, Harris County will request that the City provide assets that could help Engineering or Flood Control complete County projects more cost effectively.
After that the meeting adjourned.
Thank You
Thanks to Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle who put this item on today’s agenda and has kept pushing it. Thanks also to everyone who wrote or called the commissioners requesting their support. Your efforts made a difference. Keep praying.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/7/2020
752 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 201 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/RJR_4421-2.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2020-04-07 21:24:352020-04-07 22:03:53Outcome of Commissioners Court Meeting Hopeful for Elm Grove
Denise Faulkner sent this picture in via ReduceFlooding.com’s Submissions page. It gets my vote for the funniest Harvey photo ever. I call it “Rosie Takes a Ride on the Harvey Cruise Line.”
Rosie the Dog on the Harvey Cruise Line during Harvey
Here’s the backstory. The dog, Rosie, belong’s to Denise’s mother. She parked the dog on this floating foam cushion while collecting her “essentials” before evacuation. How ingenious! A short while later, they were rescued on the jet ski you see in the background in the doorway.
According to Denise, Rosie did great during and after Harvey. She survived the storm and bounced back without any trauma or drama. Dogs are great in that respect. All they need is a little food, a lot of love, and a warm place to sleep.
It’s hard to find comedy in the middle of tragedy. But now that the hurt of Harvey is 952 days in the past, this photo gave me a belly laugh. I hope the Harvey Cruise Line and Rosie at least make you smile.
If you have flood pictures that you would like to share with the world, please send them in via the Submissions page.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/7/2020 with thanks to Denise Faulkner
952 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Denise-Faulkner.jpeg?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=18991200adminadmin2020-04-07 15:41:152020-04-07 15:54:03Rosie Takes Ride on Harvey Cruise Line
Getaway During Lockdown: Cruise Down Ben’s Branch in Josh Alberson’s Jet Boat
When I saw this meme, it made me realize that people feel walls closing in on them from the virus lockdown.
So take a quick getaway. Cruise down Ben’s Branch with Josh Alberson in his jet boat. Jetboats have a very shallow draft, so they can get into areas too shallow for propeller-driven boats.
First Video Shows HCFCD Excavation Work Up Close
Josh sent in two videos. One shows the area where Harris County flood control is currently excavating the last of almost 80,000 cubic yards of sediment. In this video, Josh’s boat moves slowly so as not to create wakes that endanger workers.
As he moves under the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge, you can see an excavator stacking wet soil on the shore where it will drain before trucks haul it away.
Said Beth Walters of Harris County Flood Control, “The material placed along the south bank of Ben’s Branch is drying out. It will be disposed of offsite. The south bank of the bayou will remain in the same location. This is a maintenance project to restore the channel.”
Second Video: High Speed to Lake Houston
The second video is more exciting. It makes you want to go out and buy a jet boat and explore the river and its tributaries.
Says Josh, “The Mouth Bar really extends all the way to shore. From the visible island to the park in the Cove, it is all only 2 ft or so deep. While Ben’s Branch may be up to 6 ft deep, it dumps out into a 2 ft deep flat.”
But that’s City property and another project for another day.
Plans for Area South of Kingwood Drive
These videos do not show Ben’s Branch immediately south of Kingwood Drive to the Kingwood Library. Many readers ask about the aesthetics of that reach. Even though the construction has moved past that area, it still looks ragged.
Said Walters, “The contractor will be required to dress up the site so that turf grass establishment can occur. Contractors typically dress up the site and complete all final grading just before moving off site. Once dressed, HCFCD’s vegetation team will place turf grass placed upon it. The final condition of the entire project site will be as it was before, with turf grass on all of the earthen berms and banks.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/8/2020 with thanks to Josh Alberson, Beth Walters and HCFCD
953 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Outcome of Commissioners Court Meeting Hopeful for Elm Grove
A marathon 10-hour meeting of Harris County Commissioners Court ended on a hopeful note for Elm Grove Village. But it was an emotional roller-coaster ride. Commissioners discussed whether to purchase Woodridge Village from Perry Homes and use it to build a giant detention facility to protect Elm Grove from future flooding.
Recap of Meeting
Before adjourning to executive session, commissioners discussed their concerns about a potential deal in open session. If you watched it live, you probably worried at that point. Commissioners Ellis and Garcia seemed to look for ways to kill any deal.
For instance, Ellis asked pointed questions about line items in the Flood Bond. He wanted to know what line item the money would come from for Elm Grove. Russ Poppe, Executive Director of the Flood Control District, explained that they set aside money for “San Jacinto Watershed drainage improvements in general.”
Ellis said, “But it wasn’t set aside for this?” Poppe replied that Elm Grove flooding happened after the Bond election, but that it fit the criteria for drainage improvements in the SJR watershed. And Ellis again said, “So it wasn’t set aside for this.”
Video of the meeting has not yet been posted.
Ellis, Garcia, Hidalgo Always Vote as Block
I’ve been told by reliable sources that since the last election, Hidalgo, Garcia and Ellis have ALWAYS voted as a block on every issue. So when they went into executive session, I bit my fingernails.
But when the commissioners and county judge came back from executive session, the feeling was more hopeful. We don’t have an agreement to approve a deal. But we have an agreement to keep negotiating.
What Harris County Still Wants
Here’s what commissioners want:
After that the meeting adjourned.
Thank You
Thanks to Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle who put this item on today’s agenda and has kept pushing it. Thanks also to everyone who wrote or called the commissioners requesting their support. Your efforts made a difference. Keep praying.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/7/2020
752 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 201 since Imelda
Rosie Takes Ride on Harvey Cruise Line
Denise Faulkner sent this picture in via ReduceFlooding.com’s Submissions page. It gets my vote for the funniest Harvey photo ever. I call it “Rosie Takes a Ride on the Harvey Cruise Line.”
Here’s the backstory. The dog, Rosie, belong’s to Denise’s mother. She parked the dog on this floating foam cushion while collecting her “essentials” before evacuation. How ingenious! A short while later, they were rescued on the jet ski you see in the background in the doorway.
According to Denise, Rosie did great during and after Harvey. She survived the storm and bounced back without any trauma or drama. Dogs are great in that respect. All they need is a little food, a lot of love, and a warm place to sleep.
It’s hard to find comedy in the middle of tragedy. But now that the hurt of Harvey is 952 days in the past, this photo gave me a belly laugh. I hope the Harvey Cruise Line and Rosie at least make you smile.
If you have flood pictures that you would like to share with the world, please send them in via the Submissions page.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/7/2020 with thanks to Denise Faulkner
952 Days after Hurricane Harvey