Coordinated, fast action by the City, Harris County Flood Control, and concerned citizens reduced flood risk for many homes earlier this month. Together, they eliminated many blockages in drains and ditches that likely prevented many homes from flooding during the storms from May 3 through May 10. Perhaps we can learn from the experience and organize neighborhood groups that spot and report developing situations before they get out of hand and cause floods. Here’s what happened.
Triple Whammy: Three Major Storms
On Friday, May 3, late in the afternoon, heavy rains combined with high winds and possible tornadoes downed trees throughout Kingwood. Tree debris littered the ground everywhere. The City worked throughout the weekend to clear streets and drains. But large amounts of debris remained in yards and along greenbelts.
Then on Tuesday, more intense rains hit and flushed much of that debris into drains and ditches.
The City again sprang into action; Public Works sent crews out to inspect the storm drains for blockages. Camera and clean up crews have been here ever since.
Harris County Flood Control also sent crews out to clear ditches. Due to erosion and high winds, many trees had fallen into the ditches and were creating blockages.
Sadly, many homes did flood on Tuesday. The vast majority of those were near a massive construction site that altered drainage.
But had it not been for fast, coordinated action by the City, County and Citizens, many more homes elsewhere might have flooded on Friday, May 10, when Round Three of heavy rains hit the Lake Houston Area.
Example of How Things Can Go Right
Jennifer Coulter, a Kings Forest resident, reported a small creek totally blocked behind her home. The Coulters flooded badly in Harvey and have been hyper vigilant ever since. Jennifer detected a blockage in the ditch behind her home AFTER Tuesday’s storm on May 7. Here’s what it looked like. Harris County Flood Control sent a team out to clear the blockage BEFORE the Friday storm.
This bridge over a small ditch/creek in Kings Forest had become totally blocked in the previous storms.
Another view of the same ditch showing extent of blockage.
Wide shot illustrates how water would have been forced out of the ditch during a storm because of the blockage.Once blocked, additional debris can quickly pile up, making things even worse.
When notified, HCFCD immediately dispatched a crew. They managed to clear the blockage before the next storm hit. It took about an hour. Here’s what the same ditch looked like when they left.
Free flowing on both sides
A Minor but Important Success
I emailed Coulter after the Friday storm to see how she did. Her response: “Dry here. Looked like the backyard drained well, too. Huge sigh of relief from this address!”
This wasn’t the only success story before Friday’s rains. I’m aware of at least five similar blockages removed before the storm. No homes flooded near those areas that I am aware of…at least as a result of reported blockages.
That’s not to say that no homes flooded anywhere. I am sure some did and that is tragic. But this example underscores the need for better identification of issues and coordination in communicating them.
Importance of the Right Five
Management consultants often talk about the “Right Five” as a key element of success. Success happens when the Right People, get the Right Information, at the Right Time, at the Right Place, in the Right Format.
In this case, residents knew:
The Right People to contact (Flood Control, not the City, and the right people AT Flood Control)
The Right Information to give them (description of problem so they could send crews with the right equipment, photos of what they would encounter, everything they needed to take immediate action).
The Right Place to send them (GPS coordinates, nearest street intersections, and nearest access points for greenbelts).
The Right Format (easy to read and understand; clear; concise; digital for easy transmission to crews in field).
The Right Time (before the storm)
While we are at it, we should also give ourselves a pat on the back. Residents helped clear drains and ditches before the storm, too. That’s not only our right; it’s our duty. The City needs our help. Their crews can’t be everywhere at once; Houston covers a lot of territory.
Organizing to Reduce Flood Risk
How can we learn from our failures and replicate our successes? Last week, the Kings Forest Board of Directors voted to establish a permanent Flood Committee with two objectives:
Raise awareness among residents of issues that contribute to flooding
Identify and communicate problems we can’t resolve on our own to the Right People at the City and County.
In essence, the idea is to create a group like Neighborhood Watch or Crime Stoppers, but focused on flooding: Clog Stoppers! People who can spot problems and report them before they cause flooding.
Major examples of things that contribute to flooding:
Yard waste swept into sewers or dumped on greenbelts
Dead or dying trees about to fall into ditches
Not cutting deadfall into small pieces [large ones block culverts; max 2′ pieces recommended]
Irresponsible construction practices
Sand mining in floodways behind inadequate dikes
People altering drainage illegally
I hope the other community, trail, and commercial associations can form similar committees. Working together through KSA or some other grass roots organization, we can reduce flood risk for everyone. We can also help improve government efficiency by getting the right people, the right information, in the right place, at the right time, in the right format.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/20/2019
629 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/image001.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=11024768adminadmin2019-05-19 22:25:252019-05-20 06:00:56Homes That Didn’t Flood Because of Quick Action: Example of How to Reduce Flood Risk
Houston City Council Member Dave Martin announced Saturday that Mayor Sylvester Turner has agreed to waive permit fees for the hundreds of residents affected by flooding during the heavy rains during the week of May 7. Details still need to be worked out. More news to follow soon. This is a pleasant development for people whose homes and possessions were destroyed. Every little bit helps! Permit fees are certainly more than the price of peanuts.
Storm damage in Elm Grove where at least 196 homes flooded.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 19, 2019
628 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ElmGroveFlood_12-1.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-05-19 00:32:372019-05-19 09:10:45City of Houston Intends to Waive Permit Fees for Homes Affected by Flooding May 7-9
At least four lawyers have discussed filing suits on behalf of neighbors against Figure Four Partners and Rebel Contractors. The Webster and Spurlock law firms alone initially filed suits earlier this week on behalf of approximately 100 plaintiffs and added approximately 80 more by the end of the week. So you would think the defendants would be on their best behavior. But never underestimate the chutzpah of men who drive bulldozers. Here’s what happened.
Though Shalt Not Dump, Especially When Being Sued
After interviewing a Porter flood victim, I was heading north on Webb Street past the entrance to the northern portion of the Woodridge job site, when suddenly, a large piece of earthmoving equipment shot out in front of me. The operator dumped a load of sticks and mulch into the ditch of a neighbor on the far side of the street. My jaw dropped! I grabbed my camera and photographed this sequence while waiting to get through. It shows him scraping mulch into the neighbor’s drainage ditch.
He held traffic up in both directions for several minutes.
When the operator saw my camera, he backed into the work site and ducked around the corner.
I drove forward and got this close up. There was one load of mulch when I left.Notice the deep truck ruts and broken asphalt being covered up.
Later that evening, one of the neighbors took the photo below at the same location. It shows that the operator dropped muchmore mulch into the neighbor’s ditch after I left.
Photo courtesy of Gretchen Dunlap Smith.
Property Owner Did Not Request Mulch
I returned Friday to talk to the owner of this property who wishes to remain anonymous. He says he did NOT ask the contractor to dump the mulch there, NOR did he give them permission to dump it. They just dumped it.
He theorized that it might be a feeble attempt to repair the road. However, to me, it looked more like an attempt to cover up road damage. But that didn’t work well either. As I photographed the pile the next morning…
…large construction trucks continued…
…to crack off large chunks of the street and push the material father into the ditch.Where a nice lawn once grew, there was an ugly, useless pile of mulch to clog drains and culverts down the street during the next rain.That’s how dumping worsens street flooding.
By Saturday, Even More Dumping on Neighbor
By Saturday morning, the pile had grown wider and deeper.It became clear that 18-wheelers where using the bed of mulch to……widen the turning radius into a driveway that was too narrow to accommodate large equipment.
Link Between Dumping and Street Flooding
During the next big rain, this mulch will likely wash away and block the neighbor’s culvert. When that happens, his property will flood AGAIN…on what will probably be a smaller rain.
The homeowner said that the contractor had “assured him” that they would fix the street before they left. However, he also assured me that they had not given him anything in writing.
You Can’t Put Lipstick on Bulldozers
In the meantime, Perry Homes (whose subsidiaries own this property and hired the contractor) has reportedly brought in a high-powered PR team to help shore up their image on this project, Jim McGrath and Chris Begala. Begala and McGrath have strong political ties that include former presidents! Interesting that Perry Homes thinks this is a PR problem and not a quality-control problem.
Suggestion: Just Widen Your Driveway
You don’t have to drive or dump on others’ property. You don’t have to destroy a public street. Just widen YOUR driveway. There’s plenty of room. You have 268 acres!
Here’s the location of the incident in case Begala, McGrath, Perry Homes, Figure Four or Rebel Contractors want to do the right thing. Neighbors in Elm Grove complained of these same problems and more.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/19/2019
628 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/NorthSection_12.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-05-18 23:09:132019-05-19 08:38:11Caught On Camera: Woodridge Contractor Dumping on Neighbor’s Property
Homes That Didn’t Flood Because of Quick Action: Example of How to Reduce Flood Risk
Coordinated, fast action by the City, Harris County Flood Control, and concerned citizens reduced flood risk for many homes earlier this month. Together, they eliminated many blockages in drains and ditches that likely prevented many homes from flooding during the storms from May 3 through May 10. Perhaps we can learn from the experience and organize neighborhood groups that spot and report developing situations before they get out of hand and cause floods. Here’s what happened.
Triple Whammy: Three Major Storms
On Friday, May 3, late in the afternoon, heavy rains combined with high winds and possible tornadoes downed trees throughout Kingwood. Tree debris littered the ground everywhere. The City worked throughout the weekend to clear streets and drains. But large amounts of debris remained in yards and along greenbelts.
Then on Tuesday, more intense rains hit and flushed much of that debris into drains and ditches.
Sadly, many homes did flood on Tuesday. The vast majority of those were near a massive construction site that altered drainage.
But had it not been for fast, coordinated action by the City, County and Citizens, many more homes elsewhere might have flooded on Friday, May 10, when Round Three of heavy rains hit the Lake Houston Area.
Example of How Things Can Go Right
Jennifer Coulter, a Kings Forest resident, reported a small creek totally blocked behind her home. The Coulters flooded badly in Harvey and have been hyper vigilant ever since. Jennifer detected a blockage in the ditch behind her home AFTER Tuesday’s storm on May 7. Here’s what it looked like. Harris County Flood Control sent a team out to clear the blockage BEFORE the Friday storm.
When notified, HCFCD immediately dispatched a crew. They managed to clear the blockage before the next storm hit. It took about an hour. Here’s what the same ditch looked like when they left.
A Minor but Important Success
I emailed Coulter after the Friday storm to see how she did. Her response: “Dry here. Looked like the backyard drained well, too. Huge sigh of relief from this address!”
This wasn’t the only success story before Friday’s rains. I’m aware of at least five similar blockages removed before the storm. No homes flooded near those areas that I am aware of…at least as a result of reported blockages.
That’s not to say that no homes flooded anywhere. I am sure some did and that is tragic. But this example underscores the need for better identification of issues and coordination in communicating them.
Importance of the Right Five
Management consultants often talk about the “Right Five” as a key element of success. Success happens when the Right People, get the Right Information, at the Right Time, at the Right Place, in the Right Format.
In this case, residents knew:
While we are at it, we should also give ourselves a pat on the back. Residents helped clear drains and ditches before the storm, too. That’s not only our right; it’s our duty. The City needs our help. Their crews can’t be everywhere at once; Houston covers a lot of territory.
Organizing to Reduce Flood Risk
How can we learn from our failures and replicate our successes? Last week, the Kings Forest Board of Directors voted to establish a permanent Flood Committee with two objectives:
Major examples of things that contribute to flooding:
I hope the other community, trail, and commercial associations can form similar committees. Working together through KSA or some other grass roots organization, we can reduce flood risk for everyone. We can also help improve government efficiency by getting the right people, the right information, in the right place, at the right time, in the right format.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/20/2019
629 Days since Hurricane Harvey
City of Houston Intends to Waive Permit Fees for Homes Affected by Flooding May 7-9
Houston City Council Member Dave Martin announced Saturday that Mayor Sylvester Turner has agreed to waive permit fees for the hundreds of residents affected by flooding during the heavy rains during the week of May 7. Details still need to be worked out. More news to follow soon. This is a pleasant development for people whose homes and possessions were destroyed. Every little bit helps! Permit fees are certainly more than the price of peanuts.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 19, 2019
628 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Caught On Camera: Woodridge Contractor Dumping on Neighbor’s Property
On Thursday, May 16, I photographed a contractor for a subsidiary of Perry Homes dumping dirt, mulch and sticks in a neighbor’s drainage ditch.
I was investigating flooding around the edges of a new development called Woodridge Village in Montgomery County just north of the Harris County line. The developer, Figure Four Partners (a subsidiary of PSWA and Perry Homes), has hired Rebel Contractors to clear and grade approximately 268 acres of land north of Elm Grove Village in Kingwood.
Hundreds of nearby homes that never flooded before flooded during heavy rains on May 7. It appears that something happened during the clearing and grading to change drainage.
At least four lawyers have discussed filing suits on behalf of neighbors against Figure Four Partners and Rebel Contractors. The Webster and Spurlock law firms alone initially filed suits earlier this week on behalf of approximately 100 plaintiffs and added approximately 80 more by the end of the week. So you would think the defendants would be on their best behavior. But never underestimate the chutzpah of men who drive bulldozers. Here’s what happened.
Though Shalt Not Dump, Especially When Being Sued
After interviewing a Porter flood victim, I was heading north on Webb Street past the entrance to the northern portion of the Woodridge job site, when suddenly, a large piece of earthmoving equipment shot out in front of me. The operator dumped a load of sticks and mulch into the ditch of a neighbor on the far side of the street. My jaw dropped! I grabbed my camera and photographed this sequence while waiting to get through. It shows him scraping mulch into the neighbor’s drainage ditch.
When the operator saw my camera, he backed into the work site and ducked around the corner.
Later that evening, one of the neighbors took the photo below at the same location. It shows that the operator dropped much more mulch into the neighbor’s ditch after I left.
Property Owner Did Not Request Mulch
I returned Friday to talk to the owner of this property who wishes to remain anonymous. He says he did NOT ask the contractor to dump the mulch there, NOR did he give them permission to dump it. They just dumped it.
He theorized that it might be a feeble attempt to repair the road. However, to me, it looked more like an attempt to cover up road damage. But that didn’t work well either. As I photographed the pile the next morning…
By Saturday, Even More Dumping on Neighbor
Link Between Dumping and Street Flooding
During the next big rain, this mulch will likely wash away and block the neighbor’s culvert. When that happens, his property will flood AGAIN…on what will probably be a smaller rain.
The homeowner said that the contractor had “assured him” that they would fix the street before they left. However, he also assured me that they had not given him anything in writing.
You Can’t Put Lipstick on Bulldozers
In the meantime, Perry Homes (whose subsidiaries own this property and hired the contractor) has reportedly brought in a high-powered PR team to help shore up their image on this project, Jim McGrath and Chris Begala. Begala and McGrath have strong political ties that include former presidents! Interesting that Perry Homes thinks this is a PR problem and not a quality-control problem.
Suggestion: Just Widen Your Driveway
You don’t have to drive or dump on others’ property. You don’t have to destroy a public street. Just widen YOUR driveway. There’s plenty of room. You have 268 acres!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/19/2019
628 Days since Hurricane Harvey