City, county and state leaders will discuss their priorities for the distribution of FEMA money. Will they match your priorities?The Lake Houston Area should turn out in force for this meeting.
Houston Stronger Speakers
Chief speakers include:
Stephen Costello, City of Houston Chief Resiliency Officer
W. Nim Kidd, Chief, Texas Division of Emergency Management
Russ Poppe, Executive Director, Harris County Flood Control District
Steve Costello, Chief Recovery Officer, City of Houston ‘
Player yet-to-be-named from the Texas General Land Office
Time, Date, Place
Houston Stronger will host the meeting from 10-11-30 at:
HCC West Houston Institute
2811 Hayes Road
Houston, TX
Tickets are free but only 300 seats exis,t so sign up quickly. Only registered people may attend.
One Meeting that Matters
Meeting details are sketchy at this time. But organizers tell me the forum will focus on how to spend FEMA money coming to Texas.
A large part of that decision depends on advocacy. So a large turnout from the Lake Houston Area will raise our visibility and help our cause. This meeting matters! Let’s fill the room and make our voices heard. If you click on the link to Houston Stronger priorities, you will immediately see the importance of a strong turnout.
I will post more details on this Houston Stronger meeting as they become available.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/13/2019
745 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Houston-Stronger.jpg?fit=1500%2C831&ssl=18311500adminadmin2019-09-13 15:28:272019-09-13 15:28:35Mark Your Calendar: Houston Stronger to Host Public Forum About Flood Risk Reduction Strategies and Action
Sometimes humor is the best way to deal with a difficult situation. This has to be the funniest video I have seen in a long time! Written and directed by Julia Fowler. From the Southern Women Channel.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/13/2019 with thanks to Jacque Havelka for the link
745 days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-13-at-10.17.58-AM-copy.jpg?fit=1500%2C836&ssl=18361500adminadmin2019-09-13 10:21:102019-09-13 10:30:43Sh%t Southern Women Say in a Hurricane
In June and July, Harris County Flood Control cleared the upper portion of Ben’s Branch near Northpark Drive and Woodland Hills. Now, excavation of the lower portion of Ben’s Branch between Kingwood Drive and the YMCA on West Lake Houston Parkway has begun.
Looking south from the Kingwood Drive Bridge over Ben’s Branch. Fuddrucker’s and Remax are out of frame to the left.
One of the Largest Drainage Features in Kingwood
Ben’s Branch is one of the major drainage features in Kingwood. The purpose of the project: to restore conveyance. The stream/ditch cuts diagonally through the center of the community from the new St. Martha Church to King’s Harbor. Thousands of homes and businesses depend on Ben’s Branch to evacuate storm water efficiently.
Prior to Harvey, the ditch had not been cleared out in decades. It had become seriously clogged from erosion. Kingwood badly needs this maintenance.
Damages Near Ben’s Branch
During Harvey, Ben’s Branch contributed to the flooding of:
Every business in Kingwood’s busy Town Center area
Every home in the Enclave
Hundreds of homes in Kings Forest, Bear Branch, Foster’s Mill and Kingwood Greens
Kingwood Country Club’s Forest Course and Golf Advantage School
The Kingwood YMCA and Library
Kingwood High School
Hundreds of apartments
Twelve seniors in Kingwood Village Estates also died as a result of injuries sustained during evacuation or the stress of dealing with condos that the storm destroyed.
Construction will last through the end of the year. HCFCD will remove approximately 77,000 cubic yards of sediment. Crews began work at Kingwood Drive and are heading downstream. They have not yet reached the point where Ben’s Branch turns east, cuts under West Lake Houston Parkway, and then curves around the Y to head south again.
The project extends from Kingwood Drive downstream to 1,800 linear feet downstream of West Lake Houston Parkway.
HCFCD project started at the red line and is heading south.
Example of how badly Ben’s Branch has become silted. Approximately 70-80% of the conveyance was lost. The little orange dot in the upper center of the frame is a member of the HCFCD survey crew. Image taken last spring, looking west from West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
Traffic and Other Impacts
Construction equipment will access the work area via the established access points from Kingwood Drive, Bens View, West Lake Houston Parkway, and Denmere. The contractor will use heavy construction equipment such as dump trucks, excavators and bulldozers. Motorists are urged to be alert to truck traffic when passing near construction access points.
In order to repair and remove sediment from Ben’s Branch, the contractor will need to remove some trees and vegetation along Bens Branch, and in areas designated for access to the channel from the public road right of way.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/BensBranch_04.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-09-12 12:31:172019-09-12 12:31:25Excavation of Lower Portion of Ben’s Branch Kicking into High Gear
Mark Your Calendar: Houston Stronger to Host Public Forum About Flood Risk Reduction Strategies and Action
On Wednesday, October 2nd, Houston Stronger will host a free public forum about Flood Risk Reduction Strategies and Action.
Houston Stronger Speakers
Chief speakers include:
Time, Date, Place
Houston Stronger will host the meeting from 10-11-30 at:
Tickets are free but only 300 seats exis,t so sign up quickly. Only registered people may attend.
One Meeting that Matters
Meeting details are sketchy at this time. But organizers tell me the forum will focus on how to spend FEMA money coming to Texas.
I will post more details on this Houston Stronger meeting as they become available.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/13/2019
745 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Sh%t Southern Women Say in a Hurricane
Sometimes humor is the best way to deal with a difficult situation. This has to be the funniest video I have seen in a long time! Written and directed by Julia Fowler. From the Southern Women Channel.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/13/2019 with thanks to Jacque Havelka for the link
745 days since Hurricane Harvey
Excavation of Lower Portion of Ben’s Branch Kicking into High Gear
In June and July, Harris County Flood Control cleared the upper portion of Ben’s Branch near Northpark Drive and Woodland Hills. Now, excavation of the lower portion of Ben’s Branch between Kingwood Drive and the YMCA on West Lake Houston Parkway has begun.
One of the Largest Drainage Features in Kingwood
Ben’s Branch is one of the major drainage features in Kingwood. The purpose of the project: to restore conveyance. The stream/ditch cuts diagonally through the center of the community from the new St. Martha Church to King’s Harbor. Thousands of homes and businesses depend on Ben’s Branch to evacuate storm water efficiently.
Damages Near Ben’s Branch
During Harvey, Ben’s Branch contributed to the flooding of:
Twelve seniors in Kingwood Village Estates also died as a result of injuries sustained during evacuation or the stress of dealing with condos that the storm destroyed.
Scope and Timing of Project
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) started planning the clean-out project last spring, bid it earlier in the summer, and began construction late last month.
Construction will last through the end of the year. HCFCD will remove approximately 77,000 cubic yards of sediment. Crews began work at Kingwood Drive and are heading downstream. They have not yet reached the point where Ben’s Branch turns east, cuts under West Lake Houston Parkway, and then curves around the Y to head south again.
The project extends from Kingwood Drive downstream to 1,800 linear feet downstream of West Lake Houston Parkway.
Traffic and Other Impacts
Construction equipment will access the work area via the established access points from Kingwood Drive, Bens View, West Lake Houston Parkway, and Denmere. The contractor will use heavy construction equipment such as dump trucks, excavators and bulldozers. Motorists are urged to be alert to truck traffic when passing near construction access points.
In order to repair and remove sediment from Ben’s Branch, the contractor will need to remove some trees and vegetation along Bens Branch, and in areas designated for access to the channel from the public road right of way.
For more information about this or other Kingwood projects visit the Harris County Flood Control District website.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/12/2019
744 Days since Hurricane Harvey