Numerous people have sent ReduceFlooding.com stories about how Perry Homes and Kathy Perry Britton changed their Christmas. Some are real and some are just expressions of anger.
Adaptations Reported by Residents This Christmas
Stringing Christmas tree lights three feet up from the floor for safety.
Converting Christmas yard decorations to blow up plastic types that float.
Monitoring radar screens for storms instead of Santa.
Instead of toys, kids get interior doors, Home Depot gift cards, wallboard and wet vacs.
Ornamental reindeer on the roof equipped with scuba gear.
Several folks have also shared their letters to Santa:
Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is for you to get Perry Homes to finish the job they started so we can be safe.
Dear Santa,
Our elderly neighbors and the children are suffering. So please make Kathy Perry Britton admit her mistakes, apologize and go away.
Dear Santa,
Perry Homes has done nothing to stop flooding since May. Imelda proved that. We need someone who knows what they’re doing to step in and fix things.
CEO Deprived Thousands of Christmas
Yep. You get the idea. The Grinch has nothing on Kathy Perry Britton. The new “Queen of Mean” has already taken homes, Thanksgiving and Christmas from thousands of kids. Ms. Britton could soon take Easter, too. She:
This is the stuff of legend. Or delusion. Perhaps we buy her a one-way Greyhound ticket to Guatemala.
No. On second thought, Guatemala is too nice. Other ideas gratefully accepted.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/25/2019 with input from Jeff Miller, Isabelle Fleenor and the community
848 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 95 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Merry-Perry.jpg?fit=1200%2C672&ssl=16721200adminadmin2019-12-25 13:49:532019-12-25 14:09:56Elm Grove Says Merry Christmas to Perry Homes and Kathy Perry Britton in Strange and Wonderful Ways
After a year of dredging, the Army Corps and its contractors are gone. Even though they didn’t get all of the West Fork Mouth Bar, they made dramatic conveyance improvements on the West Fork as these before/after photos show.
Sand Island Before Dredging
The first was a blockage that dredging contractors nicknamed “Sand Island.” It sat in the middle of the river just downstream from River Grove Park in Kingwood. According to the Corps, it blocked 90% of the river.
Sand Island formed during Hurricane Harvey. Boats that drew 18 inches of water could not navigate upstream past this giant sandbar.Photo taken 9/14/2019.
Sand Island After Dredging
Sand Island is now Gone Island.Photo taken 12/3/2019.
The Corps removed approximately 15 feet of sand over a 15 acre area that was 566.7 feet wide at its widest point. An acre is about the size of a football field. So this would be like stacking sand on a football field 225 feet high (15×15)! And that doesn’t even include the sand they removed from the channels on either side of the island in the background.
Sand Island Dredging Profile.
Diversion Ditch Bar Before Dredging
A second huge sand bar deposited by Harvey blocked the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, also at River Grove Park. The Diversion Ditch empties the western third of Kingwood. Approximately 600 homes flooded above this one blockage. They were in Barrington, Kingwood Cove, Trailwood, Kingwood Lakes and Kings Forest.
Diversion Ditch (center left) was virtually closed off by a new sandbar deposited by Harvey.Photo taken 9/14/2017.
Army Corps measurements show that at its highest point this bar measured 10 feet about the water surface. It forced water coming out of the ditch to make a 90 degree left turn where it then hit another downstream blockage.
Diversion Ditch Bar After Dredging
Photo taken 10/2/2019 after dredging opened up the channel and reduced the downstream bar.Photo of same area taken on 11/4/2019, but looking upstream.
The Corps dredged a channel 150 feet wide through this bar to a depth of 35 feet above sea level. That’s about 7.5 feet below the normal water surface elevation of the Lake. The channel narrowed to 50 feet wide where it meets the mouth of the ditch.
From the highest point on the bar to the target depth, the Corps removed 17.5 vertical feet of sand. From the mouth of the channel to the outer edge of the bar measured 750 feet.
Comparison in Satellite Images from Google Earth
Here’s how this section of the river looked from a satellite BEFORE dredging. The numbers refer to the discussions above.
Here’s how it looked AFTER. (Note this image was taken on 2/23/19 and the dredge was still removing sand island.
Altogether, the Corps removed approximately 2.3 million cubic yards of sediment. Even if the Corps didn’t finish the mouth bar, that’s a lot to be grateful for. Thank you, FEMA, Army Corps, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock and Callan Marine.
Have a merry Christmas!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/24/2019
847 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/BeforeAfter.jpg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=116001200adminadmin2019-12-24 11:44:182019-12-24 12:10:24San Jacinto West Fork Before-After Photos Show Dramatic Conveyance Improvements from Dredging
Just in time for Christmas, East End Park is back and beautifully restored. KSA has resurfaced the entire trail network with crushed granite; repaired the boardwalks; repainted or power-washed the benches and picnic tables; restored the parking lot; and improved the entry.
Contractors mowed the meadows earlier in the fall and the tall grass has returned with a bumper crop of seed. The seed has attracted wintering birds. And deer abound…especially early and late in the day.
The park has not looked this good since KSA built out the trail network a decade ago (see poster below).
I walked for an hour and a half there this afternoon. It felt serene, tranquil, and rejuvenating. The low winter sun wrapped colorful leaves in golden sunlight. At one point, I met a father pulling his daughter in a wagon. They had stopped to watch a doe grazing in the woods. It all felt…so…perfect.
Father and daughter spotted a doe grazing in the woods at East End Park.Photo taken today.
Back from the Brink
Three major storms destroyed East End Park three times in rapid succession. Hurricane Harvey, the May floods this year, and then Tropical Storm Imelda each took a heavy toll. Harvey buried Eagle Point under 15 feet of sand. And Imelda added even more, but over a much wider area.
Because of repeated and costly damage to Eagle Point and the difficulty of building trails over loose sand, KSA intends to leave that trail natural for now. KSA may consider building an alternative trail on higher ground next year. If you venture into that part of the park, heed the warning signs. And above all, stay back from the shoreline. Imelda undercut it badly. Cave-ins have happened at several points. Imelda also severed a small portion of the Overlook Trail where 50 feet of the shoreline eroded overnight. Walk-arounds exist in both cases.
The Most Beautiful Part of the Most Beautiful Part of Houston
Bring the family out for a walk on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. In my humble opinion, East End Park is the most beautiful part of the most beautiful part of Houston – Kingwood. It’s hard to believe that a natural area this beautiful could exist inside the nation’s fourth largest city. But it does. Make it a part of your family’s holidays.
KSA has restored East End Park trails and boardwalks to their pre-Harvey, pre-May 7th, pre-Imelda state. Nature is restoring the rest.
Posted by Bob Rehak on December 24, 2019 with thanks to Dee Price, Chris Manthei, Mary Ann Fortson, KAM, Ira Guel, Bruce Casto and the entire KSA Parks Committee for their tireless support
847 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 96 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Father-Daughter-Wagon-EEP-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C871&ssl=18711200adminadmin2019-12-23 20:36:592019-12-23 20:45:07KSA’s Christmas Present to Kingwood: A Beautifully Restored East End Park
Elm Grove Says Merry Christmas to Perry Homes and Kathy Perry Britton in Strange and Wonderful Ways
Numerous people have sent ReduceFlooding.com stories about how Perry Homes and Kathy Perry Britton changed their Christmas. Some are real and some are just expressions of anger.
Adaptations Reported by Residents This Christmas
Stringing Christmas tree lights three feet up from the floor for safety.
Converting Christmas yard decorations to blow up plastic types that float.
Monitoring radar screens for storms instead of Santa.
Instead of toys, kids get interior doors, Home Depot gift cards, wallboard and wet vacs.
Ornamental reindeer on the roof equipped with scuba gear.
Decorating the dumpster in the front yard.
Letters to Santa Express Christmas Wishes
Several folks have also shared their letters to Santa:
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is for you to get Perry Homes to finish the job they started so we can be safe.
Dear Santa,
Our elderly neighbors and the children are suffering. So please make Kathy Perry Britton admit her mistakes, apologize and go away.
Dear Santa,
Perry Homes has done nothing to stop flooding since May. Imelda proved that. We need someone who knows what they’re doing to step in and fix things.
CEO Deprived Thousands of Christmas
Yep. You get the idea. The Grinch has nothing on Kathy Perry Britton. The new “Queen of Mean” has already taken homes, Thanksgiving and Christmas from thousands of kids. Ms. Britton could soon take Easter, too. She:
And yet her highly paid PR staff positions her as a business leader. Only in Houston!
This is the stuff of legend. Or delusion. Perhaps we buy her a one-way Greyhound ticket to Guatemala.
No. On second thought, Guatemala is too nice. Other ideas gratefully accepted.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/25/2019 with input from Jeff Miller, Isabelle Fleenor and the community
848 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 95 since Imelda
San Jacinto West Fork Before-After Photos Show Dramatic Conveyance Improvements from Dredging
After a year of dredging, the Army Corps and its contractors are gone. Even though they didn’t get all of the West Fork Mouth Bar, they made dramatic conveyance improvements on the West Fork as these before/after photos show.
Sand Island Before Dredging
The first was a blockage that dredging contractors nicknamed “Sand Island.” It sat in the middle of the river just downstream from River Grove Park in Kingwood. According to the Corps, it blocked 90% of the river.
Sand Island After Dredging
The Corps removed approximately 15 feet of sand over a 15 acre area that was 566.7 feet wide at its widest point. An acre is about the size of a football field. So this would be like stacking sand on a football field 225 feet high (15×15)! And that doesn’t even include the sand they removed from the channels on either side of the island in the background.
Diversion Ditch Bar Before Dredging
A second huge sand bar deposited by Harvey blocked the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, also at River Grove Park. The Diversion Ditch empties the western third of Kingwood. Approximately 600 homes flooded above this one blockage. They were in Barrington, Kingwood Cove, Trailwood, Kingwood Lakes and Kings Forest.
Army Corps measurements show that at its highest point this bar measured 10 feet about the water surface. It forced water coming out of the ditch to make a 90 degree left turn where it then hit another downstream blockage.
Diversion Ditch Bar After Dredging
The Corps dredged a channel 150 feet wide through this bar to a depth of 35 feet above sea level. That’s about 7.5 feet below the normal water surface elevation of the Lake. The channel narrowed to 50 feet wide where it meets the mouth of the ditch.
From the highest point on the bar to the target depth, the Corps removed 17.5 vertical feet of sand. From the mouth of the channel to the outer edge of the bar measured 750 feet.
Comparison in Satellite Images from Google Earth
Here’s how this section of the river looked from a satellite BEFORE dredging. The numbers refer to the discussions above.
Here’s how it looked AFTER. (Note this image was taken on 2/23/19 and the dredge was still removing sand island.
Altogether, the Corps removed approximately 2.3 million cubic yards of sediment. Even if the Corps didn’t finish the mouth bar, that’s a lot to be grateful for. Thank you, FEMA, Army Corps, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock and Callan Marine.
Have a merry Christmas!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/24/2019
847 Days after Hurricane Harvey
KSA’s Christmas Present to Kingwood: A Beautifully Restored East End Park
Just in time for Christmas, East End Park is back and beautifully restored. KSA has resurfaced the entire trail network with crushed granite; repaired the boardwalks; repainted or power-washed the benches and picnic tables; restored the parking lot; and improved the entry.
Contractors mowed the meadows earlier in the fall and the tall grass has returned with a bumper crop of seed. The seed has attracted wintering birds. And deer abound…especially early and late in the day.
I walked for an hour and a half there this afternoon. It felt serene, tranquil, and rejuvenating. The low winter sun wrapped colorful leaves in golden sunlight. At one point, I met a father pulling his daughter in a wagon. They had stopped to watch a doe grazing in the woods. It all felt…so…perfect.
Back from the Brink
Three major storms destroyed East End Park three times in rapid succession. Hurricane Harvey, the May floods this year, and then Tropical Storm Imelda each took a heavy toll. Harvey buried Eagle Point under 15 feet of sand. And Imelda added even more, but over a much wider area.
Because of repeated and costly damage to Eagle Point and the difficulty of building trails over loose sand, KSA intends to leave that trail natural for now. KSA may consider building an alternative trail on higher ground next year. If you venture into that part of the park, heed the warning signs. And above all, stay back from the shoreline. Imelda undercut it badly. Cave-ins have happened at several points. Imelda also severed a small portion of the Overlook Trail where 50 feet of the shoreline eroded overnight. Walk-arounds exist in both cases.
The Most Beautiful Part of the Most Beautiful Part of Houston
Bring the family out for a walk on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. In my humble opinion, East End Park is the most beautiful part of the most beautiful part of Houston – Kingwood. It’s hard to believe that a natural area this beautiful could exist inside the nation’s fourth largest city. But it does. Make it a part of your family’s holidays.
Posted by Bob Rehak on December 24, 2019 with thanks to Dee Price, Chris Manthei, Mary Ann Fortson, KAM, Ira Guel, Bruce Casto and the entire KSA Parks Committee for their tireless support
847 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 96 since Imelda