There’s still one more chance to vote for the flood bond. This Saturday. At your regular polling place.
Low Turnout So Far
At the end of early voting, turnout for the flood bond was about 4% of registered voters. That’s dismal considering that virtually everyone in the county was affected by the Harvey flood. Less than one out of three people who lost vehicles in Harvey had come out to vote. Only 40 percent of who lost homes bothered to vote.
And yet the turnout has been low. Perhaps “Fight Flooding,” the theme of the bond’s communication campaign, didn’t have much visceral impact. For those who forgot already what Harvey was like (if that’s possible), here are some alternative ads.
Vote and Get Your Friends and Neighbors to Vote
Please, everyone. Vote. You’ve spent a year cleaning up or helping your neighbors to clean up. Take a few minutes to vote. Walk around your block. Knock on doors and get neighbors to the polls. Only one thing is guaranteed, If this bond fails, our flood risk will remain high.
Posted August 25, 2018 by Bob Rehak
360 Days since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-08-24 00:31:072018-08-24 00:45:57Saturday: Your Last Chance to Vote for the Flood Bond
FEMA Flood Hazard Layer Viewer. Shows Humble-Kingwood-Atascocita-Corridor on West Fork of San Jacinto. Floodway (hatched), 100-year flood plain (aqua) and brown (500-year) flood plains are superimposed.
This Friday, from 7-9pm, Dr. William Dupre from the University of Houston Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences will conduct a free Informational Workshop on flooding and flood plains sponsored by the Houston Geological Society. The event is free and open for the public.
Flooding in the Houston area over the last three years has caused residents and professionals alike to reconsider how we evaluate and respond to flood hazards in the region.
Dr. Dupre will discuss:
How watersheds and floodplains are defined and mapped
How individuals can obtain (and understand) information on local watersheds and floodplain maps
Recent floods, including how floods are measured and how flood frequency is calculated
How and why floods and floodplains in Houston have changed in the past, and are likely to change in the future
Possible approaches to reducing flood risk in the future.
FREE FLOODPLAIN WORKSHOP: INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS!
Where: Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods Dr, Kingwood, TX 77345
When: Friday, August 24th, 7-9 PM
Speaker: Dr. William R. Dupre’, University of Houston, Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
To reserve a seat: Please call the Houston Geological Society office (713) 463-9476 before 4 pm Thursday, August 23, or send your request to jajordan@hgs.org, and put “Kingwood Reservation” in the subject line.
This program is a community outreach effort by the Continuing Education Committee of the Houston Geological Society, the largest local geological society in the world. The event is posted on their website. Go to www.hgs.org; on the blue banner click on CALENDAR; on the Calendar page click on August 24.
Remember, the final day to vote for the flood bond is August 25, this Saturday, at your regular polling place. Please VOTE FOR it.
Posted by Bob Rehak on August 23, 2018
359 Days since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-08-23 07:57:002018-08-23 07:57:00Flooding and Floodplains in the Houston Area: Past, Present and Future
Early voting for the Harris County Flood Bond ended Tuesday. Final voting is this Saturday, August 25th, the anniversary of Harvey.
First, the good news. Exit polling showed voters in the Lake Houston Area generally favored the bond. The other good news was that Kingwood had the highest number of voters anywhere in the county – 4133 or almost 8 percent of the total of early votes (excluding mail in votes).
Number of Lake Houston Area votes cast in person and as percent of in-person early votes:
Kingwood 4,133 7.9%
Atascocita 598 1.1%
Humble 980 1.9%
Crosby 406 .7%
Total 6,117 11.6%
Huffman had no early voting locations. Atascocita or Crosby would have been the closest voting locations for Huffman voters..
Now for the Bad News
For the most important election in recent memory, the turnout is miserable so far. Here are some statistics that put it in perspective.
Registered voters in Harris County as of 2016 = 2.235 million
% of voters (in person and by mail) who voted early for flood bond = 4.1%
Average % that early vote in non-presidential elections = 25%
We early voted at one sixth the normal turnout. But it gets even worse.
Let’s look at the number of early voters compared to the number who suffered flood damage. And let’s assume 1.5 voters per household since approximately half of all adults are married.
Lake Houston Area Structures:
Structures flooded in Humble, Atascocita, Huffman and Kingwood = 7,064.
Voters flooded in Lake Houston area = 10,596
Early in-person voters Lake Houston area = 5,711
Only about 54% of those who flooded in the Lake Houston Area bothered to vote so far.
County-Wide Structures:
Total structures flooded in Harris County = 154,170
Voters flooded in Harris County = 231,255
225,000 voters flooded
90,000 early voters
Only 40% of the people who flooded in the entire county bothered to vote so far.
Vehicles County-Wide:
Vehicles flooded in Harris County = 300,000
90,000 early voters (in person and by mail)
Only 30% of all the people who lost vehicles bothered to vote so far.
FEMA claims County-Wide:
47,000+ Flood Insurance Claims ($2.9B)
15,800+ Small Business Loans ($1.2B)
177,600 Individual Assistance approvals ($4.8B)
Total = 240,400 people damaged
90,000 early voters
Only 37% of those filing FEMA claims bothered to vote so far.
I once read in a very good book…
I once read in a very good book somewhere that the creator helps those who help themselves.
This turnout is inexcusable.
Ten percent of the homes in the county flooded, but only 4% have bothered to vote so far!
Your Last Chance to Vote: This Saturday
Your last chance to vote is this Saturday, August 25th, at your regular polling place. To find your polling place, follow this link. Please vote. Get all your friends to vote. Get your relatives to vote. And drag your neighbors to the polls, too.
Even if you didn’t flood, there are many reasons you should vote for the flood bond:
68% of all those who flooded were outside of the 100-year flood plain. You could be next if we don’t improve drainage systems.
Many people are unwilling to fully rehab their homes because of fear of future flooding. Just one of those homes in your neighborhood can bring down home values for everyone.
Reductions in home values could result in increases in property tax rates as governments struggle to maintain a constant level of revenue.
Experience shows that homes near flood zones are less marketable.
Retailers will be less willing to invest in areas that have flooded before if they see no hope for future improvement.
PTFD
So please vote FOR the flood bond this Saturday. Mark your calendar now.
Post August 22, 2018 by Bob Rehak
358 Days since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-08-22 01:23:572018-08-22 01:31:11Good News and Bad News about Early Voting for Flood Bond
Saturday: Your Last Chance to Vote for the Flood Bond
There’s still one more chance to vote for the flood bond. This Saturday. At your regular polling place.
Low Turnout So Far
At the end of early voting, turnout for the flood bond was about 4% of registered voters. That’s dismal considering that virtually everyone in the county was affected by the Harvey flood. Less than one out of three people who lost vehicles in Harvey had come out to vote. Only 40 percent of who lost homes bothered to vote.
Here are all the rational reasons to vote for the flood bond. Among other things, you’ll be protecting your investment in your biggest investment. It will cost a lot less than flood insurance, and it will actually do something to reduce your flood risk.
And yet the turnout has been low. Perhaps “Fight Flooding,” the theme of the bond’s communication campaign, didn’t have much visceral impact. For those who forgot already what Harvey was like (if that’s possible), here are some alternative ads.
Vote and Get Your Friends and Neighbors to Vote
Please, everyone. Vote. You’ve spent a year cleaning up or helping your neighbors to clean up. Take a few minutes to vote. Walk around your block. Knock on doors and get neighbors to the polls. Only one thing is guaranteed, If this bond fails, our flood risk will remain high.
Posted August 25, 2018 by Bob Rehak
360 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Flooding and Floodplains in the Houston Area: Past, Present and Future
FEMA Flood Hazard Layer Viewer. Shows Humble-Kingwood-Atascocita-Corridor on West Fork of San Jacinto. Floodway (hatched), 100-year flood plain (aqua) and brown (500-year) flood plains are superimposed.
This Friday, from 7-9pm, Dr. William Dupre from the University of Houston Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences will conduct a free Informational Workshop on flooding and flood plains sponsored by the Houston Geological Society. The event is free and open for the public.
FREE FLOODPLAIN WORKSHOP: INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS!
Where: Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods Dr, Kingwood, TX 77345
When: Friday, August 24th, 7-9 PM
Speaker: Dr. William R. Dupre’, University of Houston, Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
To reserve a seat: Please call the Houston Geological Society office (713) 463-9476 before 4 pm Thursday, August 23, or send your request to jajordan@hgs.org, and put “Kingwood Reservation” in the subject line.
Additional Information on Bond Proposal
The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) Preliminary Draft of 2018 BOND PROPOSED PROJECTS is available at:the Harris County Flood Control District website.
The actual text of the Bond Proposal and Election can found at https://www.hcfcd.org/media/2855/bpl.pdf
This program is a community outreach effort by the Continuing Education Committee of the Houston Geological Society, the largest local geological society in the world. The event is posted on their website. Go to www.hgs.org; on the blue banner click on CALENDAR; on the Calendar page click on August 24.
Posted by Bob Rehak on August 23, 2018
359 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Good News and Bad News about Early Voting for Flood Bond
Early voting for the Harris County Flood Bond ended Tuesday. Final voting is this Saturday, August 25th, the anniversary of Harvey.
First, the good news. Exit polling showed voters in the Lake Houston Area generally favored the bond. The other good news was that Kingwood had the highest number of voters anywhere in the county – 4133 or almost 8 percent of the total of early votes (excluding mail in votes).
County-wide, there were:
The County Clerk does not provide a breakdown of early votes by area of the county. Breakdowns are only available for in-person voting.
Number of Lake Houston Area votes cast in person and as percent of in-person early votes:
Huffman had no early voting locations. Atascocita or Crosby would have been the closest voting locations for Huffman voters..
Now for the Bad News
For the most important election in recent memory, the turnout is miserable so far. Here are some statistics that put it in perspective.
Let’s look at the number of early voters compared to the number who suffered flood damage. And let’s assume 1.5 voters per household since approximately half of all adults are married.
Lake Houston Area Structures:
County-Wide Structures:
Vehicles County-Wide:
FEMA claims County-Wide:
I once read in a very good book…
I once read in a very good book somewhere that the creator helps those who help themselves.
This turnout is inexcusable.
Your Last Chance to Vote: This Saturday
Your last chance to vote is this Saturday, August 25th, at your regular polling place. To find your polling place, follow this link. Please vote. Get all your friends to vote. Get your relatives to vote. And drag your neighbors to the polls, too.
And please vote FOR the flood bond. Here’s a good list of all the reasons why you should.
Even if you didn’t flood, there are many reasons you should vote for the flood bond:
So please vote FOR the flood bond this Saturday. Mark your calendar now.
Post August 22, 2018 by Bob Rehak
358 Days since Hurricane Harvey