John Rocco lives in Kingwood Greens where 225 out of 225 homes flooded according to statistics compiled by the Kingwood Service Association. John is a man of few words. He let these images tell the story for him and sketched out a few details (see below). All images were taken after he was able to re-enter his home. I can only imagine his horror. It looks like his whole home was shaken, not stirred. But the home wasn’t the real tragedy.
An inch of mud and flood damage up to the door knob.Fine layers of silt cover everything.Large screen TV flipped off its standFridge on the fritzKitchen needs aide!What 240,000 CFS can do to your homeHis life was turned upside down.Buried treasures.Room no longer fit for livingUncalm after the stormCome right in and sit awhile!
Death and Destruction in the X-Zone
Said Rocco, “I’m supposedly not in a flood plain (Zone X) and I did the research on the build up of the Greens area after the 1994 flood before buying here in 2015. My house was built in 2005. Before moving here, I lived on Scenic Shore in Kings Point since 2001.”
“My son lost his house in the Enclave as well as his business next to the FEDEX store. We restored both as well as my house. My neighbor and I rescued the 90-year-old next door just as the water was within an inch of covering her bed in her first floor master. She had no idea. Unfortunately, she died about 2 months later.”
“My wife was suffering with stage 4 cancer. I had to carry her out of the house in waist deep water to a rescue boat that our son arranged to pick us up. She was in shock. She caught pneumonia twice, spent time in the hospital. She passed away in May, 2018, nine months later. I’m not blaming the flood per se, but it certainly had an effect.”
“I will say this. I will not restore all this again if we don’t get appropriate actions to mitigate flooding problems.”
Directly Impacted by Mouth Bar
Thank you, John, for reminding our political leaders of the pain that thousands of residents suffered. The homes in Kingwood Greens, like those in Foster’s Mill, Kings Point, Kings River and Atascocita Point were directly impacted by the mouth bar.
A year and a half after Harvey, a year after Mayor Turner said the mouth bar would be removed, and six months after “everybody but Trump” met in Austin and agreed in principle to remove it, not one cubic yard has been removed.
Performance, Not Promises
As we head into another election season AND another hurricane season, we need to remind our elected officials that it’s time for performance, not promises.
Posted by Bob Rehak on March 14, 2019
562 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/IMG_1763.jpg?fit=1500%2C2000&ssl=120001500adminadmin2019-03-14 21:26:362019-03-15 00:10:50John Rocco’s Harvey Experience: Death and Destruction in the X-Zone
This is another in a series of looks back at Harvey, as told through the photos of its victims.
Melissa Sturgis, self-described “oil-patch gypsy,” is still angry. “My entire home. Treasured antiques, three generations back from New England, are on this curb. Furniture and collectibles from eight years overseas in Malaysia, London and Russia. It’s a crime.”
Photo courtesy of Melissa Sturgis. Her entire home, three generations of family antiques, and treasures acquired from traveling the world for eight years…all went to the curb after Hurricane Harvey.What was left on the inside of Melissa Sturgis’ home after Harvey.Melissa Sturgis, who is 5’10”, shows how high the water got during Harvey.Family heirloom warped beyond usability. Catch of the day. Fish on the floor after Harvey.Cleaning out the closet after Harvey. Harvey’s wake-up call. “Someone bring a mop.”Morning after Harvey. Melissa Sturgis’ Slip ‘N Slide Dining Room.Shattered dreams left behind by Hurricane Harvey.
Silver Lining
Melissa Sturgis lives in Alaska now and says she is not moving back, though she keeps in touch with all of her Kingwood friends.
“Harvey was devastating, but it actually had a silver lining. It shook us out of complacency and made us more resilient…taught us that life is about more than things….it’s about perfect strangers coming together to help one another. People opening their home to the five of us for several days.”
“As a side note, my brother in law, sister in law, nephew and 2 cats from Sugarland were forced to evacuate. They drove hours in the torrential rain to get to my house in KW for safety–then lost their two cars in my driveway—AND THEY NEVER FLOODED IN SUGARLAND. And my sister in law had cancer at the time….and still does.”
“Yes it was tortuous, tossing out Great Grandma’s Dining Room table onto the pile….as Grandma (who also flooded and was evacuated from Arbor Terrace in Town Center) sat on the sidewalk watching her things and her mother’s antiques get tossed. Excruciating. But we survived. I’m just grateful I am no longer there. I was in Kingwood last week visiting my mother in law and Fosters Mill Estates STILL has houses abandoned or partially fixed and for sale. Some are still being worked on. It’s awful.”
Why I’m Posting These Now
Melissa donated her pictures to the cause in the hope that they will help create awareness of the devastation that flooding causes, and perhaps, just perhaps, they may create some positive change, too. Thanks, Melissa!
Hopefully, we won’t repeat the mistakes of the past…if people remember.
If you have pictures from Harvey that you would like to share with the world, please send them through the submissions page of this web site.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/13/2019
561 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/IMG_4346.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&ssl=111251500adminadmin2019-03-13 20:58:472019-03-14 08:22:45Melissa Sturgis’ Harvey Story: Three Generations of Antiques Out on the Curb
David Burress, head of the Kings Forest architectural review committee, sent me this picture yesterday. It shows what he believes to be the last FEMA trailer leaving Kings Forest. It’s a modest, although important sign of recovery.
Last FEMA trailer leaving Kings Forest after Hurricane Harvey
Burress snapped this with his cell phone from across the street. “This was the last remaining trailer that I am aware of,” he said. “Most people didn’t even know it was there.”
While symbolic, the absence of trailers does not mean the recovery is behind us.
Many Still Struggle with 3 Cs: Cash, Confidence, Contractors
Many still live in part of their homes while the remainder undergoes repairs. The most common reasons cited for the lengthy repairs? The 3Cs: cash, confidence, and contractors.
Some thought they didn’t need flood insurance because they lived outside the 500-year floodplain. They now find themselves trying to pay out of pocket for repairs costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Still more struggle with the lack of reliable contractors. Many of those have elected to do repair work themselves. For them, life has become an endless string of 16-hour days. They hold down jobs during the day and spend the remainder of their waking hours on do-it-yourself repair projects.
Others are intentionally delaying repairs until they see more progress on flood mitigation. They lack confidence in government to protect them.
Looking Forward to Fall Elections
Some tell me that they look forward to November elections. They’re tired of promises and want performance. For these people, casting their votes will be another small, but symbolic victory.
Posted by Bob Rehak on March 13, 2019
561 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/IMG_0560.jpg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=19601280adminadmin2019-03-13 10:14:182019-03-13 10:15:05Sign of Recovery: Last FEMA Trailer Leaves Kings Forest
John Rocco’s Harvey Experience: Death and Destruction in the X-Zone
John Rocco lives in Kingwood Greens where 225 out of 225 homes flooded according to statistics compiled by the Kingwood Service Association. John is a man of few words. He let these images tell the story for him and sketched out a few details (see below). All images were taken after he was able to re-enter his home. I can only imagine his horror. It looks like his whole home was shaken, not stirred. But the home wasn’t the real tragedy.
Death and Destruction in the X-Zone
Said Rocco, “I’m supposedly not in a flood plain (Zone X) and I did the research on the build up of the Greens area after the 1994 flood before buying here in 2015. My house was built in 2005. Before moving here, I lived on Scenic Shore in Kings Point since 2001.”
“My son lost his house in the Enclave as well as his business next to the FEDEX store. We restored both as well as my house. My neighbor and I rescued the 90-year-old next door just as the water was within an inch of covering her bed in her first floor master. She had no idea. Unfortunately, she died about 2 months later.”
“My wife was suffering with stage 4 cancer. I had to carry her out of the house in waist deep water to a rescue boat that our son arranged to pick us up. She was in shock. She caught pneumonia twice, spent time in the hospital. She passed away in May, 2018, nine months later. I’m not blaming the flood per se, but it certainly had an effect.”
“I will say this. I will not restore all this again if we don’t get appropriate actions to mitigate flooding problems.”
Directly Impacted by Mouth Bar
Thank you, John, for reminding our political leaders of the pain that thousands of residents suffered. The homes in Kingwood Greens, like those in Foster’s Mill, Kings Point, Kings River and Atascocita Point were directly impacted by the mouth bar.
A year and a half after Harvey, a year after Mayor Turner said the mouth bar would be removed, and six months after “everybody but Trump” met in Austin and agreed in principle to remove it, not one cubic yard has been removed.
Performance, Not Promises
As we head into another election season AND another hurricane season, we need to remind our elected officials that it’s time for performance, not promises.
Posted by Bob Rehak on March 14, 2019
562 Days after Hurricane Harvey
Melissa Sturgis’ Harvey Story: Three Generations of Antiques Out on the Curb
This is another in a series of looks back at Harvey, as told through the photos of its victims.
Melissa Sturgis, self-described “oil-patch gypsy,” is still angry. “My entire home. Treasured antiques, three generations back from New England, are on this curb. Furniture and collectibles from eight years overseas in Malaysia, London and Russia. It’s a crime.”
Silver Lining
Melissa Sturgis lives in Alaska now and says she is not moving back, though she keeps in touch with all of her Kingwood friends.
“Harvey was devastating, but it actually had a silver lining. It shook us out of complacency and made us more resilient…taught us that life is about more than things….it’s about perfect strangers coming together to help one another. People opening their home to the five of us for several days.”
“As a side note, my brother in law, sister in law, nephew and 2 cats from Sugarland were forced to evacuate. They drove hours in the torrential rain to get to my house in KW for safety–then lost their two cars in my driveway—AND THEY NEVER FLOODED IN SUGARLAND. And my sister in law had cancer at the time….and still does.”
“Yes it was tortuous, tossing out Great Grandma’s Dining Room table onto the pile….as Grandma (who also flooded and was evacuated from Arbor Terrace in Town Center) sat on the sidewalk watching her things and her mother’s antiques get tossed. Excruciating. But we survived. I’m just grateful I am no longer there. I was in Kingwood last week visiting my mother in law and Fosters Mill Estates STILL has houses abandoned or partially fixed and for sale. Some are still being worked on. It’s awful.”
Why I’m Posting These Now
Melissa donated her pictures to the cause in the hope that they will help create awareness of the devastation that flooding causes, and perhaps, just perhaps, they may create some positive change, too. Thanks, Melissa!
I’m posting these now for several reasons:
If you have pictures from Harvey that you would like to share with the world, please send them through the submissions page of this web site.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/13/2019
561 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Sign of Recovery: Last FEMA Trailer Leaves Kings Forest
David Burress, head of the Kings Forest architectural review committee, sent me this picture yesterday. It shows what he believes to be the last FEMA trailer leaving Kings Forest. It’s a modest, although important sign of recovery.
Kings Forest lies north of Kingwood Drive, 1.5 to 2 miles from the San Jacinto River. Despite the distance and a marked elevation change, 108 out of 250 Kings Forest homes flooded during Hurricane Harvey – 43%.
Burress snapped this with his cell phone from across the street. “This was the last remaining trailer that I am aware of,” he said. “Most people didn’t even know it was there.”
While symbolic, the absence of trailers does not mean the recovery is behind us.
Many Still Struggle with 3 Cs: Cash, Confidence, Contractors
Many still live in part of their homes while the remainder undergoes repairs. The most common reasons cited for the lengthy repairs? The 3Cs: cash, confidence, and contractors.
Some thought they didn’t need flood insurance because they lived outside the 500-year floodplain. They now find themselves trying to pay out of pocket for repairs costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Still more struggle with the lack of reliable contractors. Many of those have elected to do repair work themselves. For them, life has become an endless string of 16-hour days. They hold down jobs during the day and spend the remainder of their waking hours on do-it-yourself repair projects.
Others are intentionally delaying repairs until they see more progress on flood mitigation. They lack confidence in government to protect them.
Looking Forward to Fall Elections
Some tell me that they look forward to November elections. They’re tired of promises and want performance. For these people, casting their votes will be another small, but symbolic victory.
Posted by Bob Rehak on March 13, 2019
561 Days after Hurricane Harvey