Mark your calendars. Monday, March 18th, 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. at the Kingwood Community Center.
The invitation reads, “Kingwood residents and interested parties are cordially invited to come and learn about The Herons development. This will be a great opportunity to meet the developer and his team. The main discussion topics will be:
USACE Corp Process
Phases of the Development
Current and Future Initiatives of Romerica”
GUEST PANEL INCLUDES:
R. Thomas Sankey, PWS, CSE Senior Project Manager / Senior Ecologist, SWCA
Melvin G. Spinks, P.E., CFM, President, Civil Tech Engineering, Inc.
Gabriel Haddad, Developer, Romerica
“Free” Meeting
Aside from saying that the meeting is “free” and open to the public, they don’t say much more. For instance, it’s not clear whether the panel members will take questions from the audience.
The public comment period for this closed on March 1. But I did think it was sporting of them not to charge admission.
Personally, I kind of wish they were addressing the issue of evacuation.
Woodland Hills Drive During Harvey by Julie Yandell. Evacuation is not on the agenda published by the developers.
No New Info Yet from Corps
The Corps has not yet responded to questions about whether they will hold a public hearing related to this project, whether a Corps represetative will be there, or when the Corps intends to rule on the permit. This is NOT a Corps meeting.
Posted by Bob Rehak on March 4, 2019
553 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_0125.jpg?fit=1500%2C2000&ssl=120001500adminadmin2019-03-05 17:59:372019-03-05 18:06:40High-Rise Developer Sets Public Meeting … After Close of Public Comment
Decades ago, I had a house that flooded due to frozen pipes. It wasn’t pretty, but it was expensive. So this warning goes out to all those residents who may still be working on flood repairs and don’t yet have insulation back in place.
ALERTHOUSTON Freeze Warning Issued for Houston from Midnight – 9 AM Tuesday
Weather Information The National Weather Service has issued a Freeze Warning for Houston from midnight to 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 5. As of 6PM, Monday, NWS predicts temps in the City could go down to 27 degrees.
In northern counties, though, the situation is more severe. Temps could fall below freezing by 9PM and go as low as 24 along a line from Brenham to Livingston.
A Freeze Warning means sub-freezing temperatures are highly likely. Cold weather can pose a danger to the health and safety. Proper care should be taken to reduce exposure to these conditions.
Protective Actions
When cold weather occurs, Houstonians should remember to protect the Four ‘P’s: People, Pets, Pipes, and Plants.
People
Dress in warm, layered clothing, including gloves, a coat, and a hat when you are outside.
Never leave children or the elderly in vehicles during cold weather, as they can act as refrigerators and expose anyone inside to sub-freezing temperatures.
Never use a generator, grill, camp-stove, or any gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning device to heat your home (or any enclosed area). These devices can generate carbon monoxide, which cannot be seen or smelled, but is deadly.
Check on family, friends, and neighbors who may be susceptible to this week’s cold weather and/or not have access to housing and heating, including the elderly and those with special needs.
The Coalition for the Homeless is coordinating information for partner agencies and the general public and is keeping an updated list of those resources for individuals who may be experiencing homelessness:
Pets
Protect your pets by ensuring that they have a warm, safe place to sleep. The best place for a pet to sleep is in a heated environment.
Do not shave your dog down to the skin in winter. A longer coat provides more warmth.
Never leave your animal in a car during cold weather. Cars can act as refrigerators in the winter, holding in the cold and causing animals to freeze to death.
During cold weather, pipes may freeze and rupture, causing water leaks and damage to your home. Protect your home by opening the cabinets under kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow air from your home’s heater to warm the pipes under the sink.
Insulate outdoor faucets and pipes with insulation or newspaper, and be sure to disconnect and drain hoses from outdoor spigots.
Plants
Protect plants from freezing by covering them with plant-cover fabric, or a light blanket with plastic sheeting on top of it.
Bring in potted plants or group them together, near the edge of a building. Remember that soil in containers can get just as cold as the air temperature, and cause the roots to freeze, even if the above-surface leafs survive.
Sign Up for Alerts
AlertHouston is the City of Houston’s official emergency notification service. For updates on this situation, visit houstontx.gov/emergency.
After having my pipes freeze once, I never wanted it to happen again. So I set my faucets to drip at a slow rate whenever we get a hard freeze warning like this. Remember, hot water freezes before cold, so it’s most important to drip your hot water faucets – if you are going to do it. This is counter-intuitive. It’s like something out of Roswell. But it’s real. It’s called the Mpemba Effect. I’m sure all of the science classes in the Humble ISD will be buzzing about this tomorrow. In the meantime, good luck tonight.
Posted by Bob Rehak on March 4, 2019
552 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/image.png?fit=400%2C400&ssl=1400400adminadmin2019-03-04 18:03:322019-03-04 18:13:19Watch Your Pipes Tonight!
In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, many officials complained bitterly that money from the State’s “rainy day” fund couldn’t be used for flood mitigation projects. Former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett often said, “If Harvey wasn’t a rainy day, I don’t know what is!”
Creighton Introduces Bill That Could Speed Flood Mitigation
Responding to a need that many recognized, in February, Texas State Senator Brandon Creighton introduced SB 695. On March 1, it went to the Senate Water and Rural Affairs Committee. It relates to state policies and programs that affect the funding of flood planning, mitigation, and infrastructure projects.
SB 695 went to the Senate Water and Rural Affairs Committee last Friday.
Creighton’s bill would appropriate $3 billion from the state’s economic stabilization fund to a dedicated flood infrastructure fund. The purpose: to make low- or no-interest loans to cities, counties, and water authorities for:
(1) planning for flood protection;
(2) preparing applications for obtaining regulatory approvals at the local, state, or federal level;
(3) activities associated with administrative or legal proceedings by regulatory agencies; and
(4) preparing engineering plans or specifications to provide structural or nonstructural flood mitigation or drainage.
$3 Billion In Ready Cash Could Streamline Process
The main benefit: the bill provides ready cash in emergencies, such as Harvey, to jumpstart mitigation projects.
Because of the complicated way that grant funding now works, political entities must often apply for grants to raise the money for a local match to then apply for a larger grant. The result: lengthy delays.
Example: it took 18 months to obtain $2 million for a San Jacinto River Basin Study that will take another 12-18 months to execute. By the time people start acting on the findings, it could be another year or two.
This important bill deserves everyone’s support, Democrats and Republicans alike. It could be one of the most important pieces of legislation taken up this year. My understanding is that former Harris County Judge Emmett, Harris County Flood Control and Houston Stronger all backed the idea.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/4/2019
552 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/capitole_1024.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=17681024adminadmin2019-03-03 19:13:162019-03-03 19:38:39Senator Creighton Introduces Bill that Could Speed Up Flood Planning, Mitigation
High-Rise Developer Sets Public Meeting … After Close of Public Comment
Mark your calendars. Monday, March 18th, 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. at the Kingwood Community Center.
The invitation reads, “Kingwood residents and interested parties are cordially invited to come and learn about The Herons development. This will be a great opportunity to meet the developer and his team. The main discussion topics will be:
GUEST PANEL INCLUDES:
R. Thomas Sankey, PWS, CSE Senior Project Manager / Senior Ecologist, SWCA
Melvin G. Spinks, P.E., CFM, President, Civil Tech Engineering, Inc.
Gabriel Haddad, Developer, Romerica
“Free” Meeting
Aside from saying that the meeting is “free” and open to the public, they don’t say much more. For instance, it’s not clear whether the panel members will take questions from the audience.
The public comment period for this closed on March 1. But I did think it was sporting of them not to charge admission.
Personally, I kind of wish they were addressing the issue of evacuation.
No New Info Yet from Corps
The Corps has not yet responded to questions about whether they will hold a public hearing related to this project, whether a Corps represetative will be there, or when the Corps intends to rule on the permit. This is NOT a Corps meeting.
Posted by Bob Rehak on March 4, 2019
553 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Watch Your Pipes Tonight!
Decades ago, I had a house that flooded due to frozen pipes. It wasn’t pretty, but it was expensive. So this warning goes out to all those residents who may still be working on flood repairs and don’t yet have insulation back in place.
ALERTHOUSTON Freeze Warning Issued for Houston from Midnight – 9 AM Tuesday
Weather Information The National Weather Service has issued a Freeze Warning for Houston from midnight to 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 5. As of 6PM, Monday, NWS predicts temps in the City could go down to 27 degrees.
In northern counties, though, the situation is more severe. Temps could fall below freezing by 9PM and go as low as 24 along a line from Brenham to Livingston.
A Freeze Warning means sub-freezing temperatures are highly likely. Cold weather can pose a danger to the health and safety. Proper care should be taken to reduce exposure to these conditions.
Protective Actions
When cold weather occurs, Houstonians should remember to protect the Four ‘P’s: People, Pets, Pipes, and Plants.
People
Pets
Pipes
Plants
Sign Up for Alerts
AlertHouston is the City of Houston’s official emergency notification service. For updates on this situation, visit houstontx.gov/emergency.
To sign up for alerts, visit https://www.houstonemergency.org/alerts/.
Some Personal Advice
After having my pipes freeze once, I never wanted it to happen again. So I set my faucets to drip at a slow rate whenever we get a hard freeze warning like this. Remember, hot water freezes before cold, so it’s most important to drip your hot water faucets – if you are going to do it. This is counter-intuitive. It’s like something out of Roswell. But it’s real. It’s called the Mpemba Effect. I’m sure all of the science classes in the Humble ISD will be buzzing about this tomorrow. In the meantime, good luck tonight.
Posted by Bob Rehak on March 4, 2019
552 Days after Hurricane Harvey
Senator Creighton Introduces Bill that Could Speed Up Flood Planning, Mitigation
In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, many officials complained bitterly that money from the State’s “rainy day” fund couldn’t be used for flood mitigation projects. Former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett often said, “If Harvey wasn’t a rainy day, I don’t know what is!”
Creighton Introduces Bill That Could Speed Flood Mitigation
Responding to a need that many recognized, in February, Texas State Senator Brandon Creighton introduced SB 695. On March 1, it went to the Senate Water and Rural Affairs Committee. It relates to state policies and programs that affect the funding of flood planning, mitigation, and infrastructure projects.
Creighton’s bill would appropriate $3 billion from the state’s economic stabilization fund to a dedicated flood infrastructure fund. The purpose: to make low- or no-interest loans to cities, counties, and water authorities for:
(1) planning for flood protection;
(2) preparing applications for obtaining regulatory approvals at the local, state, or federal level;
(3) activities associated with administrative or legal proceedings by regulatory agencies; and
(4) preparing engineering plans or specifications to provide structural or nonstructural flood mitigation or drainage.
$3 Billion In Ready Cash Could Streamline Process
The main benefit: the bill provides ready cash in emergencies, such as Harvey, to jumpstart mitigation projects.
Because of the complicated way that grant funding now works, political entities must often apply for grants to raise the money for a local match to then apply for a larger grant. The result: lengthy delays.
Example: it took 18 months to obtain $2 million for a San Jacinto River Basin Study that will take another 12-18 months to execute. By the time people start acting on the findings, it could be another year or two.
Hopefully, Creighton’s SB 695 will reduce the time between problems and solutions so that Texas citizens face less flood risk. Click here, to download and review the full text.
Bill Deserves Bi-Partisan Support
This important bill deserves everyone’s support, Democrats and Republicans alike. It could be one of the most important pieces of legislation taken up this year. My understanding is that former Harris County Judge Emmett, Harris County Flood Control and Houston Stronger all backed the idea.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/4/2019
552 Days after Hurricane Harvey