7/9/2025 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) Executive Director Dr. Tina Petersen has submitted a travel request for approval by Harris County Commissioners on 7/10/25. She wants to attend a three-day Urban Land Institute (ULI) conference in San Franciso. Her request includes $3500 for a hotel room. That works out to $1167 per night.
I called ULI to see what the price range was for hotel rooms they blocked out. High was $349 per night and low $249. Booking.com showed a price of $215 per night at the Mark Hopkins, one of the nicer, top-rated hotels in San Francisco. It’s at the top of Nob Hill with beautiful views of the Bay and a short cab ride (or walk) to the convention center.
Net: Petersen is requesting 3X to 5X more money for a hotel than she might need. See this and other items in the red box below.
Altogether the request comes to $8,120.
From backup to travel items on 7/10/25 Harris County Commissioners Court Agenda.
Almost 2X the Registration Fee Also
The request also lists $1700 for a registration fee. But ULI is charging $945 for people from the public sector if they are members and $1070 if they join ULI.
The pricing for non-members is more than $3000, so Petersen is using at least some modicum of restraint.
Flight Cost 8X Higher
Expedia shows roundtrip flights on all major carriers during the time of the conference ranging from $185 to $310. But Petersen has requested $1500. That’s a significant upgrade!
Astronomical Taxi, Mileage, Parking Estimates
She’s also requested $400 dollars for taxis – $133 per day. The Moscone Center where the conference will be is about three quarters of a mile from the Mark Hopkins. That’s a five minute cab ride. Or a 15 minute walk. And a three-day cable-car visitor pass for an unlimited number of rides costs only $15.
A cab to and from the San Francisco airport to the Mark costs about $130.
Then there’s her $200 reimbursement for mileage on her personal vehicle, i.e., going to/from her home to Houston’s airport. The IRS allows $.70 per mile for business expenses. So that implies she’s estimating 285 miles of travel on the Houston end of this jaunt.
That’s in addition to $200 for three or four days of parking. But parking at Bush Intercontinental is $25 per day.
And no, these costs are NOT for multiple people. Petersen’s request shows they are for one person.
What I really want to know is who signs off on these expenditures? Tina Petersen?
Putting It All in Perspective
Petersen’s taxi costs alone exceed the capital improvement construction costs of all flood-mitigation projects in Kingwood in the history of the Flood Control District; together, they total a whopping $0.00.
No wonder the Flood Control District is running out of money and Commissioners Court voted to defund 80% of the projects in the 2018 flood bond.
For what it’s worth, I’m sure Petersen is not padding her expense reports. She doesn’t need to. She makes $434,000 per year after a $90,000 raise earlier this year.
I look forward to hearing about what was learned at this conference and the benefit to Harris County taxpayers at the November 13th Commissioners Court meeting.
I also look forward to seeing the expense report and associated receipts, which are public information, after the trip so we can see the true cost of this conference.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/9/2025
2871 Days since 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/2025/07/Expenses-e1752097423240.png?fit=1100%2C529&ssl=15291100adminadmin2025-07-09 16:44:312025-07-12 20:20:25HCFCD Director Requests Hotel Allowance of Almost $1200 Per Night
7/8/25 – After the rising floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey caught many people by surprise in the middle of the night, I posted about the need for warning sirens. Now, the Hill Country tragedy on the Guadalupe is causing me to sound off again.
During Hurricane Harvey, floodwaters rose in the middle of the night in the Kingwood Area. Many people were surprised as floodwaters rose in their bedrooms. Through a breakdown in communication, people never received a warning to evacuate. Sirens could have given them time. Even at the last minute.
On April 20, 2018, I posted a personal flood-control wish list. I wrote, “Improve communication during power outages. We need a way to warn people when power is knocked out during a storm, cell towers are overloaded, and people are sleeping. Simply publishing information is not enough if people cannot receive it. Perhaps we need sirens linked to back up generators, like those used to warn people of tornadoes throughout most of the Midwest.”
Later that year on September 18, I followed up. I said we needed “Improved Inter-Agency Cooperation and Public Notification Systems – Texas House and Senate hearings held in the wake of Harvey identified these two areas as needing improvement – everywhere, not just in the Lake Houston area,” I wrote. “Evacuation warnings did not reach people in time. Many were caught sleeping as floodwaters rose in their homes.”
How do you wake people up in emergencies, especially when the power is out? “The Internet, cell towers, and power are among the first casualties of a storm,” I wrote. “Whatever happened to good old sirens?”
Many people in the Hill County are asking that same question.
Hill Country Camper’s Plea to Legislators
In the early morning hours of July 4, 2025, a rain bomb hit the area near Kerrville, TX. The Guadalupe River rose 33 feet in 1.5 hours as people were sleeping. More than 80 people died, many of them children, in the ensuing flood. As of this writing, many are still missing.
Yesterday I received a letter from someone who camps frequently in the Hill County. She wrote to state legislators. It read:
Reduce Risk of Future Flash Flooding Catastrophes
“While I appreciate the need to determine accountability for the loss of life in the current Texas floods, we could actually take one immediate action.
I ask that our state legislature appropriate / allocate funds to install flood gage sensors and public alarms in:
1. All state parks. A large number are located next to rivers and lakes. Many also have very poor connectivity.
2. Along all known, populated, flood-prone streams & rivers. Small communities are at most risk as they lack tax revenues for capital projects.
We could also require camps, campgrounds and RV parks to have functioning weather radios and some sort of public broadcast system to facilitate rapid evacuation when needed for any type of weather, fire or civil emergency.
Depending on individuals to own warning radios, listen to them and expect them to act clearly is not effective. We need something that operates like the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific.
I believe that much of the equipment needed is widely available and not especially expensive… sensors, solar panels & fuel cells, transmitters, tall towers & sirens.
If the state takes action now, we could implement something that will lessen the trauma of the next episode.”
Signed J. Jones
Failsafe Link
I agree 100% with everything she said. Sirens are the last failsafe link in a chain of communication.
You can lose power, a cell phone signal, Internet connectivity, TV reception, etc. You might even sleep through a weather radio alert. But that siren will blast you out of bed. Believe me. I know. I grew up with them.
Those old enough may remember the Civil Defense Alert System we used to have during the Cold War. It was based on sirens designed to warn people of impending nuclear attacks and natural disasters. I am told many states still use them to warn people of threats such as tornadoes.
To show solidarity with all the people who lost loved ones, write your state and county representatives. Urge them to install sirens to warn people of impending natural disasters. Like the flash flood in Kerrville, they can come with little warning. But even five minutes would have allowed people to scramble to higher ground.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/8/25
2870 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/KVE-2017-Flood.jpg?fit=1500%2C968&ssl=19681500adminadmin2025-07-08 17:54:322025-07-08 20:34:43Sounding Off Again about Need for Sirens
7/7/25 – Most current Northpark expansion work has shifted west of Loop 494 out to US59.
Work had been underway to bore underneath the UnionPacific Railroad tracks in order to connect the drainage east and west of the tracks.
Looking west. 5′ diameter steel pipes are being forced under the tracks to convey stormwater from one side to the other.
However, workers in the “receiving pit” encountered more unplanned utility conflicts and work stalled.
Utility conflicts in the receiving pit west of the tracksare prohibiting installation of junction box for drainage.
The boring work on hold pending approval of a plan to remove the conflicts.
Removing Old Junction Box by Sonic
Meanwhile, the focus of work has shifted west. One storm-drain crew is working to remove an old drainage structure by the Sonic driveway. See pit in front of yellow excavator below.
Looking west. Storm sewer work near Sonic extends up and down the block.
Getting Ready for Fast-Track Paving
This week another crew will complete the sub grade in this same area from Whataburger to LP 494 in preparation for Fast Track paving.
Looking east at area in front of Sonic that will receive fast track paving.
Drainage Work in Center Will Soon Begin
Looking W from over US59. Old west bound lanes have now been removed. Before repaving, crews must install lateral drainage.
According to the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority’s latest update, median work between I-69 and Whataburger will also include a detention pond equalizer pipe.
Looking east from over 59 at entry ponds.
Eastbound Inlets and Lateral Drainage
A storm-sewer crew will soon finish placing the inlets and laterals on eastbound Northpark from Anderson to Kings Mill.
Looking ESE over Anderson at bottom of frame. Northpark on left where inlet and lateral work is ongoing. This also shows construction work to date on the Enclave (center).
Loop 494 Paving and More
Work on new northbound lanes of LP 494 will continue in preparation for concrete pours on Wednesday and Friday during the week of 7/11.
Installation of new driveways on westbound Northpark from Sherwin-Williams to Extra Space storage will soon finish. That’s good news for those merchants. See below.
Looking E. Note new paving and driveways on left.
But getting into and out of the Exxon Station will require some exploration for a while.
To make room for extra lanes, the Exxon Station at Northpark and 59 will lose part of its driveway.
Here’s a three-week look-ahead schedule that tells you, weather permitting, what should happen when. Please note, however. The last item (illumination poles on south side of Northpark from Italiano’s to east end of project) has been delayed and will not happen as scheduled.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/7/25
2869 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/20250707-DJI_20250707095849_0452_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-07-07 15:31:022025-07-07 15:47:08Most Northpark Expansion Work Shifts West of Loop 494
HCFCD Director Requests Hotel Allowance of Almost $1200 Per Night
7/9/2025 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) Executive Director Dr. Tina Petersen has submitted a travel request for approval by Harris County Commissioners on 7/10/25. She wants to attend a three-day Urban Land Institute (ULI) conference in San Franciso. Her request includes $3500 for a hotel room. That works out to $1167 per night.
Petersen filed the request just two weeks after she projected a $1.3 billion shortfall in 2018 Flood Bond funding that led commissioners to defund 80% of projects in the bond.
I called ULI to see what the price range was for hotel rooms they blocked out. High was $349 per night and low $249. Booking.com showed a price of $215 per night at the Mark Hopkins, one of the nicer, top-rated hotels in San Francisco. It’s at the top of Nob Hill with beautiful views of the Bay and a short cab ride (or walk) to the convention center.
Net: Petersen is requesting 3X to 5X more money for a hotel than she might need. See this and other items in the red box below.
Altogether the request comes to $8,120.
Almost 2X the Registration Fee Also
The request also lists $1700 for a registration fee. But ULI is charging $945 for people from the public sector if they are members and $1070 if they join ULI.
The pricing for non-members is more than $3000, so Petersen is using at least some modicum of restraint.
Flight Cost 8X Higher
Expedia shows roundtrip flights on all major carriers during the time of the conference ranging from $185 to $310. But Petersen has requested $1500. That’s a significant upgrade!
Astronomical Taxi, Mileage, Parking Estimates
She’s also requested $400 dollars for taxis – $133 per day. The Moscone Center where the conference will be is about three quarters of a mile from the Mark Hopkins. That’s a five minute cab ride. Or a 15 minute walk. And a three-day cable-car visitor pass for an unlimited number of rides costs only $15.
A cab to and from the San Francisco airport to the Mark costs about $130.
Then there’s her $200 reimbursement for mileage on her personal vehicle, i.e., going to/from her home to Houston’s airport. The IRS allows $.70 per mile for business expenses. So that implies she’s estimating 285 miles of travel on the Houston end of this jaunt.
That’s in addition to $200 for three or four days of parking. But parking at Bush Intercontinental is $25 per day.
And no, these costs are NOT for multiple people. Petersen’s request shows they are for one person.
What I really want to know is who signs off on these expenditures? Tina Petersen?
Putting It All in Perspective
Petersen’s taxi costs alone exceed the capital improvement construction costs of all flood-mitigation projects in Kingwood in the history of the Flood Control District; together, they total a whopping $0.00.
No wonder the Flood Control District is running out of money and Commissioners Court voted to defund 80% of the projects in the 2018 flood bond.
For what it’s worth, I’m sure Petersen is not padding her expense reports. She doesn’t need to. She makes $434,000 per year after a $90,000 raise earlier this year.
I look forward to hearing about what was learned at this conference and the benefit to Harris County taxpayers at the November 13th Commissioners Court meeting.
I also look forward to seeing the expense report and associated receipts, which are public information, after the trip so we can see the true cost of this conference.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/9/2025
2871 Days since 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.
Sounding Off Again about Need for Sirens
7/8/25 – After the rising floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey caught many people by surprise in the middle of the night, I posted about the need for warning sirens. Now, the Hill Country tragedy on the Guadalupe is causing me to sound off again.
During Hurricane Harvey, floodwaters rose in the middle of the night in the Kingwood Area. Many people were surprised as floodwaters rose in their bedrooms. Through a breakdown in communication, people never received a warning to evacuate. Sirens could have given them time. Even at the last minute.
Instead, a dozen people died at Kingwood Village Estates during Harvey.
Previous Posts About Need for Sirens After Harvey
On April 20, 2018, I posted a personal flood-control wish list. I wrote, “Improve communication during power outages. We need a way to warn people when power is knocked out during a storm, cell towers are overloaded, and people are sleeping. Simply publishing information is not enough if people cannot receive it. Perhaps we need sirens linked to back up generators, like those used to warn people of tornadoes throughout most of the Midwest.”
Later that year on September 18, I followed up. I said we needed “Improved Inter-Agency Cooperation and Public Notification Systems – Texas House and Senate hearings held in the wake of Harvey identified these two areas as needing improvement – everywhere, not just in the Lake Houston area,” I wrote. “Evacuation warnings did not reach people in time. Many were caught sleeping as floodwaters rose in their homes.”
How do you wake people up in emergencies, especially when the power is out? “The Internet, cell towers, and power are among the first casualties of a storm,” I wrote. “Whatever happened to good old sirens?”
Many people in the Hill County are asking that same question.
Hill Country Camper’s Plea to Legislators
In the early morning hours of July 4, 2025, a rain bomb hit the area near Kerrville, TX. The Guadalupe River rose 33 feet in 1.5 hours as people were sleeping. More than 80 people died, many of them children, in the ensuing flood. As of this writing, many are still missing.
Yesterday I received a letter from someone who camps frequently in the Hill County. She wrote to state legislators. It read:
Reduce Risk of Future Flash Flooding Catastrophes
“While I appreciate the need to determine accountability for the loss of life in the current Texas floods, we could actually take one immediate action.
I ask that our state legislature appropriate / allocate funds to install flood gage sensors and public alarms in:
1. All state parks. A large number are located next to rivers and lakes. Many also have very poor connectivity.
2. Along all known, populated, flood-prone streams & rivers. Small communities are at most risk as they lack tax revenues for capital projects.
We could also require camps, campgrounds and RV parks to have functioning weather radios and some sort of public broadcast system to facilitate rapid evacuation when needed for any type of weather, fire or civil emergency.
Depending on individuals to own warning radios, listen to them and expect them to act clearly is not effective. We need something that operates like the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific.
I believe that much of the equipment needed is widely available and not especially expensive… sensors, solar panels & fuel cells, transmitters, tall towers & sirens.
If the state takes action now, we could implement something that will lessen the trauma of the next episode.”
Signed J. Jones
Failsafe Link
I agree 100% with everything she said. Sirens are the last failsafe link in a chain of communication.
You can lose power, a cell phone signal, Internet connectivity, TV reception, etc. You might even sleep through a weather radio alert. But that siren will blast you out of bed. Believe me. I know. I grew up with them.
Those old enough may remember the Civil Defense Alert System we used to have during the Cold War. It was based on sirens designed to warn people of impending nuclear attacks and natural disasters. I am told many states still use them to warn people of threats such as tornadoes.
However, the generalized nature of sirens led to many being replaced with more specific warnings, such as the broadcast-based Emergency Alert System and the Cell Broadcast-based Wireless Emergency Alerts.
Harris County has a world-class Flood Warning System that lets you sign up for alerts in your area. But if you’re camping in the Hill Country, it won’t do you much good.
To show solidarity with all the people who lost loved ones, write your state and county representatives. Urge them to install sirens to warn people of impending natural disasters. Like the flash flood in Kerrville, they can come with little warning. But even five minutes would have allowed people to scramble to higher ground.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/8/25
2870 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Most Northpark Expansion Work Shifts West of Loop 494
7/7/25 – Most current Northpark expansion work has shifted west of Loop 494 out to US59.
Work had been underway to bore underneath the UnionPacific Railroad tracks in order to connect the drainage east and west of the tracks.
However, workers in the “receiving pit” encountered more unplanned utility conflicts and work stalled.
The boring work on hold pending approval of a plan to remove the conflicts.
Removing Old Junction Box by Sonic
Meanwhile, the focus of work has shifted west. One storm-drain crew is working to remove an old drainage structure by the Sonic driveway. See pit in front of yellow excavator below.
Getting Ready for Fast-Track Paving
This week another crew will complete the sub grade in this same area from Whataburger to LP 494 in preparation for Fast Track paving.
Drainage Work in Center Will Soon Begin
According to the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority’s latest update, median work between I-69 and Whataburger will also include a detention pond equalizer pipe.
Eastbound Inlets and Lateral Drainage
A storm-sewer crew will soon finish placing the inlets and laterals on eastbound Northpark from Anderson to Kings Mill.
Loop 494 Paving and More
Installation of new driveways on westbound Northpark from Sherwin-Williams to Extra Space storage will soon finish. That’s good news for those merchants. See below.
But getting into and out of the Exxon Station will require some exploration for a while.
Here’s a three-week look-ahead schedule that tells you, weather permitting, what should happen when. Please note, however. The last item (illumination poles on south side of Northpark from Italiano’s to east end of project) has been delayed and will not happen as scheduled.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/7/25
2869 Days since Hurricane Harvey