While Imelda brought untold heartache and suffering to hundreds, it did have one bright spot.
Shortly before Imelda, KSA had the meadows mowed in East End Park. Since then, thanks to the heavy rains, a bumper crop of fresh new green grass has attracted large numbers of deer. The grass is already knee high. On my evening walk in the park tonight, we circled the large meadow and saw more deer than I have ever seen in one place in 35 years of living in Kingwood. We counted a total of four families and twenty deer in total: bucks, does, and fawns.
The best time for viewing deer, if you are so inclined, is near sunset.
Video courtesy of John Knoezer. Deer are pretty skittish. You probably won’t get closer to them than 20 or 30 yards. But it’s inspiring to watch such graceful creatures, even from a distance. Bring binoculars for the best viewing.Many deer will remain near the edge of the meadow where they can retreat into the forest if they feel threatened.
Why KSA Mows the Meadows
KSA mows the meadows occasionally to discourage the spread of invasive species and halt the spread of the forests into meadow areas. The meadows also provide grass seed for migrating species of birds in the fall and spring.
Even though KSA got a late start mowing this year, heavy rains from Imelda made the grass grow quickly. It has already started going to seed, ensuring that migrating birds will have a satisfying rest stop and that birders will have have one of the best seasons ever.
The deer this year? Purely a bonus.
Meadow Trails Still Passable
While flood waters destroyed trails and wetlands in other parts of the park, the main meadow near Kingwood Drive seems to have benefited. Meadow trails are still passable unlike other trails. And at sunset there is a refreshing breeze that seems to keep mosquitos away.
Three of 20 deer spotted in East End Park’s main meadow near sunset on 10/9/2019.Photo courtesy of John Knoezer.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/9/2019
771 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 20 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Deer-in-EEP.jpg?fit=1500%2C836&ssl=18361500adminadmin2019-10-09 21:36:582019-10-09 21:46:08One Bright Spot of Imelda
Another benefit of the FEMA site is that it spans county boundaries, i.e., if you live on the Harris/Montgomery County Line.
FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer Viewer can track creeks, etc. across county lines. Please note the big green space in the center of the frame. This is the new Perry Homes development, Woodridge Forest. Neither the FEMA map, nor the MoCo map below contain flood zone information for this area although much of it was wetlands before Perry clear cut it.
Harris County
Harris County operates a site called “Flood Education Mapping Tool.” The Harris County site superimposes drainage ditches, streams, creeks, bayous and rivers and even gives you their names and numbers. Very helpful if you want to report a problem some day, or track up or downstream to see where drainage issues may be originating.
Detail from Harris County map showing only drainage features and major streets in the Lake Houston Area.
People on Killerbee Lane will be pleased to know that they are not in any mapped floodplain.
Benefits of County Sites
According to Diane Cooper, a hydrologist with more than 20 years of experience in forecasting floods, both of the County sites have better imagery and more layers than the FEMA site.
Layers comprise one of the key features of both county sites. Experiment with them. I’m especially fond of the background layers.
They let you see the flood zones superimposed over simple maps, satellite images, historical satellite images, and more. The Montgomery County site even lets you click on streets and information about them pops up. I learned, for instance, that one subdivision in MoCo has a street named Paper Wasp Lane. You really don’t want to mess with the people on that street! It’s not far from Killerbee Lane. Let’s get up a football game between those two streets! I’d pay to see that.
Posted by Bob Rehak on October 10, 2019, with help from Diane Cooper
771 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 20 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/MoCo-Map.jpg?fit=1500%2C1117&ssl=111171500adminadmin2019-10-08 20:35:402019-10-08 20:41:56Three Ways to Find Out If You Are In a Floodplain
Houston City Council Member Dave Martin announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is now offering assistance to Houston residents affected by Tropical Storm Imelda.
Several homes that flooded in Woodstream subdivision. Imelda affected at least 49 homes in this one subdivision.
Applications for FEMA Individual Assistance for Imelda recovery will be open through Tuesday, December 3, 2019. FEMA may provide Houston home owners, certain types of renters, and businesses with the following types of assistance:
Home/Primary Residence: FEMA provides assistance to individuals and families who have lost their homes as a result of a presidentially-declared disaster. If you are a renter or homeowner you may qualify for assistance. By law, FEMA assistance cannot duplicate the assistance you receive from your insurance company, but you may receive assistance for items not covered by insurance. If your home was impacted by a major disaster, FEMA recommends that you apply for assistance by clicking here.
NOTE: FEMA does not offer assistance for a secondary home. Federal guidelines only allows FEMA to provide housing assistance when your primary residence is impacted by a presidentially-declared disaster.
Business: FEMA does not offer assistance for small businesses impacted by a presidentially-declared disaster. However, FEMA partners with the Small Business Administration (SBA), which offers low interest loans for business damages. Learn more about the business loan application process by clicking here.
Other Needs Assistance: FEMA offers disaster assistance for some of your other disaster-caused expenses including, medical and dental, child care, funeral and burial, essential household items, moving and storage, vehicle, and some clean-up items.
Click here or call 1-800-621-FEMA for more information. Residents can visit www.houstonrecovers.org for additional recovery information.
For questions regarding the FEMA application process, please contact your Federal Representative as FEMA is a federal agency. To find out who represents you at a federal level, please click here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/8/2019
770 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 19 after Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ImeldaWoodstream_001.jpg?fit=1500%2C717&ssl=17171500adminadmin2019-10-08 14:20:442019-10-08 14:22:42FEMA Individual Assistance Now Available For People, Businesses Flooded by Imelda
One Bright Spot of Imelda
While Imelda brought untold heartache and suffering to hundreds, it did have one bright spot.
Shortly before Imelda, KSA had the meadows mowed in East End Park. Since then, thanks to the heavy rains, a bumper crop of fresh new green grass has attracted large numbers of deer. The grass is already knee high. On my evening walk in the park tonight, we circled the large meadow and saw more deer than I have ever seen in one place in 35 years of living in Kingwood. We counted a total of four families and twenty deer in total: bucks, does, and fawns.
The best time for viewing deer, if you are so inclined, is near sunset.
Why KSA Mows the Meadows
KSA mows the meadows occasionally to discourage the spread of invasive species and halt the spread of the forests into meadow areas. The meadows also provide grass seed for migrating species of birds in the fall and spring.
Even though KSA got a late start mowing this year, heavy rains from Imelda made the grass grow quickly. It has already started going to seed, ensuring that migrating birds will have a satisfying rest stop and that birders will have have one of the best seasons ever.
The deer this year? Purely a bonus.
Meadow Trails Still Passable
While flood waters destroyed trails and wetlands in other parts of the park, the main meadow near Kingwood Drive seems to have benefited. Meadow trails are still passable unlike other trails. And at sunset there is a refreshing breeze that seems to keep mosquitos away.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/9/2019
771 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 20 since Imelda
Three Ways to Find Out If You Are In a Floodplain
Here are three quick and easy ways to find out if you are in a mapped floodplain of any kind.
FEMA – National Scope
The first site is FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer Viewer. Using this site, you can check any piece of property in the country…including Pike’s Peak or Walden Pond…just in case you want to do a Thoreau.
Another benefit of the FEMA site is that it spans county boundaries, i.e., if you live on the Harris/Montgomery County Line.
Harris County
Harris County operates a site called “Flood Education Mapping Tool.” The Harris County site superimposes drainage ditches, streams, creeks, bayous and rivers and even gives you their names and numbers. Very helpful if you want to report a problem some day, or track up or downstream to see where drainage issues may be originating.
Montgomery County
Montgomery County operates a site called “Am I in a Floodplain?” It includes some very helpful interactive tools, topographic maps and more.
Benefits of County Sites
According to Diane Cooper, a hydrologist with more than 20 years of experience in forecasting floods, both of the County sites have better imagery and more layers than the FEMA site.
Layers comprise one of the key features of both county sites. Experiment with them. I’m especially fond of the background layers.
They let you see the flood zones superimposed over simple maps, satellite images, historical satellite images, and more. The Montgomery County site even lets you click on streets and information about them pops up. I learned, for instance, that one subdivision in MoCo has a street named Paper Wasp Lane. You really don’t want to mess with the people on that street! It’s not far from Killerbee Lane. Let’s get up a football game between those two streets! I’d pay to see that.
Posted by Bob Rehak on October 10, 2019, with help from Diane Cooper
771 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 20 since Imelda
FEMA Individual Assistance Now Available For People, Businesses Flooded by Imelda
Houston City Council Member Dave Martin announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is now offering assistance to Houston residents affected by Tropical Storm Imelda.
Applications for FEMA Individual Assistance for Imelda recovery will be open through Tuesday, December 3, 2019. FEMA may provide Houston home owners, certain types of renters, and businesses with the following types of assistance:
Click here or call 1-800-621-FEMA for more information. Residents can visit www.houstonrecovers.org for additional recovery information.
Información en español: https://www.disasterassistance.gov/es.
For questions regarding the FEMA application process, please contact your Federal Representative as FEMA is a federal agency. To find out who represents you at a federal level, please click here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/8/2019
770 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 19 after Imelda