June 1 marks the official start of hurricane season. And, as if on cue, the National Hurricane Center issued warnings about possible tropical storm formation in the Bay of Campeche. That’s the area between the Mexican mainland and the Yucatan peninsula. It is not forecast to move toward the Houston area. Northeastern Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley, however, should keep a close eye on this one.
This area of low pressure had been centered over land in Central America. High pressure over the central US blocked it from moving north. But now that our high pressure system is moving east, it is allowing the low to move north. As it moves out over water in the Bay of Campeche, it could strengthen. The NHC gives it a 50% chance of turning into a named storm in the next five days. Regardless of formation, it’s going to produce a lot of heavy rain for our friends to the south.
Hurricane Preparedness and Education
There’s no reason to panic over this. But its timing on the first day of hurricane season should remind us all about hurricane preparedness.
One of the first things I would do: Bookmark the National Hurricane Center website (NHC). It is updated several times per day, and gives you the most current information available. It also presents information in a wide variety of formats: for mobile and desktop platforms, maps, text, satellite images, aircraft reconnaissance, etc. NHC is the definitive source for this kind of information.
It also contains links to other weather-related web sites, such as the National Weather Service and NOAA.
Finally, it contains a wealth of information about hurricane preparedness and educational pages that can help you understand these storms better.
Exploring the NHC glossary may answer questions that have had you scratching your head for years. For instance, everyone talks about the differences between tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. But what is an “invest”? You see that all the time.
Invest is shorthand for “investigative area.” It’s simply a weather system for which the NHC wants to start collecting data or running models on. Once a system has been designated as an invest, a number of government and academic web sites initiate data collection and processing.
Designation of a system as an invest does NOT correspond to any particular likelihood of development of the system into a tropical cyclone.
Peak of Hurricane Season
Hurricane season lasts from June 1 through November 30 in this area. Even though today marks the start of hurricane season, the peak isn’t for several months. September 11th is the statistical peak. Tropics heat up the most throughout August and September. Hurricane Harvey lasted from August 25 through 30 – in the middle of that window.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/two_atl_5d0.png?fit=900%2C665&ssl=1665900adminadmin2019-06-01 12:19:562019-06-01 12:20:04That Time of Year Again: Hurricane Season is Here
Photo looking west toward Yates property just out of frame on right. Developer continues to build site up relative to neighbors – before installing drainage. This has created problems for Chris Yates and his neighbors in Porter.
Some more bad news surfaced today for the people whose drainage has been affected by Woodridge Village construction activity. Rebel Contractors has built up the level of Woodridge before installing drainage between Woodridge and neighbors. As a result, water has ponded in Porter yards for months and damaged their property. Then, to add insult to injury, about a week after finally erecting a long-awaited silt fence, Rebel Contractors covered it with dirt.
Woodridge: The Yates Family Curse
Chris Yates, who lives at 25395 Needham Road in Porter, sent me these pictures today. They show how construction activity has affected his property. First up: two BEFORE shots showing his happy family in front of the Woodridge site.
Yates’ daughter Amber in back yard before clearcutting began. Looking east. A small ditch ran through the tree line which forms the property line between Yates and Woodridge. Note the telephone lines at the top of the picture for reference in subsequent photos.
Yates with family in happier times. This was taken after construction began but before water started piling up.Note piles of dirt being stacked up on Woodridge property in background.
After clearcutting and grading of the Woodridge property in the background, water started collecting in Yates’ yard. This rain fell in March and remained there until Friday, May 31, when Yates pumped it out.
Contractor Should Have Maintained Positive Drainage at All Times
Page 6/Point 12 of the Woodridge Village Detention Plan states that, “Contractor shall maintain positive drainage from construction site at all times. Any damage to existing ditch system as the result of the contractor’s activities shall be repaired to existing or better conditions.” Oops! Neighbors up and down the western border of Woodridge have experienced stagnant water. Some have even experienced flooding.
Almost 4 Feet of Standing Water Before Any Drains Away
The Yates back yard on May 7. Their four-foot fence is barely visible in these two shots taken as water built up. It could not drain away according to Yates until the stormwater crested at a high point to the south between his home and Sherwood Trails..
This recent shot shows how the standing water killed Yates’ grass. Silty runoff ponded for two months.
Today, Yates pumped the water out to his street drain. It took him eight hours, pumping at 3,700 gallons per hour. While this kind of damage does not compare to the loss of a home, I’m sharing this story because it seems to illustrate the contractor’s disregard for the problems it causes neighbors.
Yates raises several animals on his property but has had to keep them caged for months because of the standing water.
Detention plans show that developer knew runoff was moving west to east toward development.Page 12 of the Water, Sanigtary Sewer and Drainage Facilities & Paving Appurtenances Planshows that developer was expecting to compensate for 10-aces of offside drainage from the Yates neighborhood, but didn’t start installing the storm drains for months, until well after three heavy May rains.
Looking north from Yates back yard along western boundary of Woodridge. Note the standing water between development and neighbors. The Woodridge side of the property (right) was elevated approximately 3 feet before drainage was installed.Photo taken 5/31/2019.
Plans show that this drain should eventually handle water that collects between Yates’ property and Woodridge. Question: Why wasn’t this installed before the Woodridge property was elevated?Said Yates who has years of construction experience, “Drainage is put in by elevation so this could have been put in before building up.”Photo taken 5/31/2019.
More Out-of-Sequence Construction?
Yates, whose father owned a clearing/grading business, worked in the family business when younger and said that on a site like this, they typically installed drainage first thing. The reason: ponding water slows down construction. “Even though it takes time, it saves time,” said Yates. “You can’t work when the site is wet. Construction on this site seems to be out of sequence.”
Yates also said that he had talked to the developer and learned they were six months behind schedule. One can only wonder whether the delayed installation of drainage had anything to do with the construction delays.
This and detention ponds were not the only out-of-sequence construction that neighbors have suffered through. Silt fences should have been installed before clear cutting started. Instead, they were put up almost a year later.
Additionally, the developer finally installed silt fences last week. The developer was supposed to install them before clearcutting began. For months, residents complained about sand, silt and clay pouring out of the construction site into streets and storm drains. Then about a week or so ago, after a complaint to the TCEQ triggered an investigation, silt fences finally appeared. Now they are buried under dirt again.
1-2 Week old silt fence … buried under silt. Said Yates, “What’s the point of silt fences if you are piling dirt on top of them an on the other side of them?” Photo taken 5/31/2019.
Chris Yates must feel at this point as though he’s Rodney Dangerfield. “Can’t get no respect.” Let’s hope he and the hundreds of other families affected by Woodridge construction find some before this is all over.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/1/2019 with images courtesy of Chris and Tammy Yates of Porter
641 Days since Hurricane Harvey
All thoughts expressed in this post are my opinions on matters of public policy 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/2019/05/Yates-Muck-Today.jpg?fit=700%2C933&ssl=1933700adminadmin2019-05-31 23:10:392019-06-01 00:00:20Woodridge Problems Still Piling Up for Porter Resident Chris Yates
Elm Grove resident Jeff Miller reported tonight that Rebel Contractors was busy widening and deepening a crucial detention pond near homes that flooded in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest. According to Miller, “The pond is starting to assume its final shape with the sloping of the edges.”
Here’s the plan for the pond.
S2 (the second detention pond in the south section of Woodridge Village.
May 8
For comparison, the “pond” looked like this after the storm on May 7…non-existent. For comparison purposes, consider this the BEFORE SHOT.
Photo taken shortly after the flood on May 7 shows the area where S2 detention pond should be had not yet been excavated.Nor was silt fence in place.
May 30
Here’s what it looked like on the afternoon of 5/30/19. This Woodridge Village detention pond should ultimately hold about 50 acre feet of runoff. Had it been excavated before the May 7th rains, many homes might not have flooded. It could have reduced the height of the flood by one whole foot across a 50-acre area.
Photo of S2 taken by Jeff Miller on 5/30/19
Said Miller, “Better late than never.” The video below lets you get a better look at the expansiveness of the pond.
Video by Elm Grove resident Jeff Miller showing S2 pond in Woodridge Village taking shape.
Dirt from this pond and others will build up the rest of the subdivision.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 30, 2019, with photos and reporting from Jeff Miller
639 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/S2-5.30.19.jpg?fit=1000%2C750&ssl=17501000adminadmin2019-05-30 21:53:172019-05-30 21:53:28Better Late Than Never: Large Detention Pond Taking Shape North of Area that Flooded
That Time of Year Again: Hurricane Season is Here
June 1 marks the official start of hurricane season. And, as if on cue, the National Hurricane Center issued warnings about possible tropical storm formation in the Bay of Campeche. That’s the area between the Mexican mainland and the Yucatan peninsula. It is not forecast to move toward the Houston area. Northeastern Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley, however, should keep a close eye on this one.
This area of low pressure had been centered over land in Central America. High pressure over the central US blocked it from moving north. But now that our high pressure system is moving east, it is allowing the low to move north. As it moves out over water in the Bay of Campeche, it could strengthen. The NHC gives it a 50% chance of turning into a named storm in the next five days. Regardless of formation, it’s going to produce a lot of heavy rain for our friends to the south.
Hurricane Preparedness and Education
There’s no reason to panic over this. But its timing on the first day of hurricane season should remind us all about hurricane preparedness.
One of the first things I would do: Bookmark the National Hurricane Center website (NHC). It is updated several times per day, and gives you the most current information available. It also presents information in a wide variety of formats: for mobile and desktop platforms, maps, text, satellite images, aircraft reconnaissance, etc. NHC is the definitive source for this kind of information.
It also contains links to other weather-related web sites, such as the National Weather Service and NOAA.
Finally, it contains a wealth of information about hurricane preparedness and educational pages that can help you understand these storms better.
Meaning of “Invest” in Weather Context
Exploring the NHC glossary may answer questions that have had you scratching your head for years. For instance, everyone talks about the differences between tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. But what is an “invest”? You see that all the time.
Invest is shorthand for “investigative area.” It’s simply a weather system for which the NHC wants to start collecting data or running models on. Once a system has been designated as an invest, a number of government and academic web sites initiate data collection and processing.
Designation of a system as an invest does NOT correspond to any particular likelihood of development of the system into a tropical cyclone.
Peak of Hurricane Season
Hurricane season lasts from June 1 through November 30 in this area. Even though today marks the start of hurricane season, the peak isn’t for several months. September 11th is the statistical peak. Tropics heat up the most throughout August and September. Hurricane Harvey lasted from August 25 through 30 – in the middle of that window.
So start preparing now.
Posted by Bob Rehak on June 1, 2019
641 Days after Hurricane Harvey
Woodridge Problems Still Piling Up for Porter Resident Chris Yates
Some more bad news surfaced today for the people whose drainage has been affected by Woodridge Village construction activity. Rebel Contractors has built up the level of Woodridge before installing drainage between Woodridge and neighbors. As a result, water has ponded in Porter yards for months and damaged their property. Then, to add insult to injury, about a week after finally erecting a long-awaited silt fence, Rebel Contractors covered it with dirt.
Woodridge: The Yates Family Curse
Chris Yates, who lives at 25395 Needham Road in Porter, sent me these pictures today. They show how construction activity has affected his property. First up: two BEFORE shots showing his happy family in front of the Woodridge site.
Contractor Should Have Maintained Positive Drainage at All Times
Page 6/Point 12 of the Woodridge Village Detention Plan states that, “Contractor shall maintain positive drainage from construction site at all times. Any damage to existing ditch system as the result of the contractor’s activities shall be repaired to existing or better conditions.” Oops! Neighbors up and down the western border of Woodridge have experienced stagnant water. Some have even experienced flooding.
Almost 4 Feet of Standing Water Before Any Drains Away
More Out-of-Sequence Construction?
Yates, whose father owned a clearing/grading business, worked in the family business when younger and said that on a site like this, they typically installed drainage first thing. The reason: ponding water slows down construction. “Even though it takes time, it saves time,” said Yates. “You can’t work when the site is wet. Construction on this site seems to be out of sequence.”
Yates also said that he had talked to the developer and learned they were six months behind schedule. One can only wonder whether the delayed installation of drainage had anything to do with the construction delays.
This sequencing complaint echoed the concerns of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest residents. They flooded, in part, because the developer clear cut the entire 268 acres before installing critical detention ponds.
The Silt Fence Saga: Part 2
This and detention ponds were not the only out-of-sequence construction that neighbors have suffered through. Silt fences should have been installed before clear cutting started. Instead, they were put up almost a year later.
Additionally, the developer finally installed silt fences last week. The developer was supposed to install them before clearcutting began. For months, residents complained about sand, silt and clay pouring out of the construction site into streets and storm drains. Then about a week or so ago, after a complaint to the TCEQ triggered an investigation, silt fences finally appeared. Now they are buried under dirt again.
Chris Yates must feel at this point as though he’s Rodney Dangerfield. “Can’t get no respect.” Let’s hope he and the hundreds of other families affected by Woodridge construction find some before this is all over.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/1/2019 with images courtesy of Chris and Tammy Yates of Porter
641 Days since Hurricane Harvey
All thoughts expressed in this post are my opinions on matters of public policy and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP statute of the Great State of Texas.
Better Late Than Never: Large Detention Pond Taking Shape North of Area that Flooded
Elm Grove resident Jeff Miller reported tonight that Rebel Contractors was busy widening and deepening a crucial detention pond near homes that flooded in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest. According to Miller, “The pond is starting to assume its final shape with the sloping of the edges.”
Here’s the plan for the pond.
May 8
For comparison, the “pond” looked like this after the storm on May 7…non-existent. For comparison purposes, consider this the BEFORE SHOT.
May 30
Here’s what it looked like on the afternoon of 5/30/19. This Woodridge Village detention pond should ultimately hold about 50 acre feet of runoff. Had it been excavated before the May 7th rains, many homes might not have flooded. It could have reduced the height of the flood by one whole foot across a 50-acre area.
Said Miller, “Better late than never.” The video below lets you get a better look at the expansiveness of the pond.
Dirt from this pond and others will build up the rest of the subdivision.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 30, 2019, with photos and reporting from Jeff Miller
639 Days since Hurricane Harvey