MAAPnext Offers Powerful Historical Flood Loss Visualization Tools

By accident, I stumbled across some powerful historical flood loss visualization tools on Harris County Flood Control’s MAAPnext site today. They can help you understand the capricious nature of storms as well as political claims about which neighborhoods flood the most.

About MAAPnext

In 2019, using two FEMA grants and Flood Bond money, Harris County Flood Control District launched its MAAPnext project. MAAP stands for Modeling, Assessment and Awareness. The goal: to use new methodologies and technologies to improve understanding of flood risks throughout Harris County. The project goes far beyond updating Flood Insurance Rate Maps in the wake of recent storms. It also includes:

  • Interactive historical flood loss visualization tools
  • Water surface elevation change grids (maps showing difference between effective and revised floodplains)
  • Flood depth grids (for various flood frequencies including 10%, 4%, 2%, 1% and 0.2% annual chance events)
  • Urban flood maps (street flooding caused by rainfall exceeding storm sewer capacity)
  • Percent annual chance grids (giving you your exact probability of being flooded within a mapped floodplain)
  • 30-Year chance grids (showing your home’s exact chance of flooding within the life of a 30-year mortgage)
  • Water surface elevation grids (showing the water surface elevation in various flood frequencies)

Not all of these maps have been released yet. For instance, MAAPnext/FEMA will release new preliminary flood insurance rate maps for public comment this fall. However, I did find three fascinating interactive maps showing the history of flood losses in Harris County.

Historical Flood Loss Tools

Cumulative Losses since 1978

The first map provides a visual representation of where all flooding claims have occurred throughout the county since 1978. A property’s flood risk can be a influenced by many factors but it’s important to remember that it can flood anywhere in Harris County. The darkest areas have the most cumulative flood losses. The lightest areas have the least.

Total flood losses in various census tracts within Harris County since 1978.

To understand exactly WHERE and WHEN these flood losses happened, you need to go to the next two series of maps.

Historical Inundation Map

The Historical Inundation Map shows the extent of flooding in five different major storms since 2015. These include only streams with gages, not all Harris County channels. Zoom and scroll into an area of interest and then select the storm of interest from the layer menu.

Extent of flooding along the West and East Forks in the Memorial Day 2016 flood.

You can toggle layers rapidly to see how floods compared to each other.

Flood-Loss History by Event

The map above shows the spread of flood waters in various events. However, to see the relative damage in census tracts, you need to go to the map called “Flood Loss History by Event.” Again, you’ll need to toggle layers to select the event of interest. The darker the colors, the more damage.

Tax Day 2016 Storm Damage
Selecting the Tax Day 2016 layer shows that most damage from that storm occurred in NW Harris County.
Hurricane Harvey 2017 Damage
Selecting the Harvey layer shows that that storm affected the entire county with some watersheds experiencing more losses than others.
Imelda 2019 Damage
Distribution of damage in Harris County from Tropical Storm Imelda

For More Interactive Exploration…

The four maps above only scratch the surface of what you can find on the MAAPnext site. To explore the distribution of damage in various storms, visit the page called Understanding Your Flood Risk.

Media accounts of major storms might lead you to believe that major storms affect all parts of the county equally. But they don’t. Who floods depends on upstream rainfall totals, dam releases, proximity to floodplains, development regulations, elevation above the flood plain and more.

The most interesting aspect of MAAPnext is that it will eventually incorporate all of these factors and give you an individual risk rating for your property or one that you are considering buying.

If knowledge is power, this is power cubed, because it let’s you look at flood risk in multiple dimensions.

Be Patient

I can’t wait until the project is fully finished. Check back often and click around this site as new features seem to be bolted on periodically. The bolted-on comment relates to my only complaint. All information (and there’s a lot of it) is grouped under five pages in ways that are rarely intuitive and often invisible from the highest levels. For instance, to get to the historical flood loss maps, you have to:

  • Click on the home page
  • Click on a link embedded in one of the visuals called “Flooding is Our #1 Disaster.”
  • It will take you to a page called (strangely enough) “Understand Your Flood Risk.”
  • Scroll down past 7 other topics to the bottom of page to find the interactive maps.

Presumably, helping people understand their flood risk is the most important objective of this site, but the page by that name appears nowhere in navigation. That said, have fun exploring. You’ll find many other hidden gems on this site.

And remember that all flood insurance policies renewing on or after April 1, 2022, will be subject to FEMA’s new Risk Rating 2.0 methodology.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/12/2022

1656 Days since Hurricane Harvey

How Blocked Up Is Rogers Gully?

On March 1, I posted about how dredgers had moved from the East Fork to Rogers Gully. Rogers Gully enters Lake Houston at the Walden Country Club. In my opinion, it has the worst mouth bar of all the channels that enter Lake Houston, with the exception of the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto. Harris County Flood Control finished dredging the channel itself almost two years ago. But the mouth bar is the City’s responsibility.

I went back to see how much of the mouth bar remained this morning and was shocked. The two dredges are still sitting far offshore, approximately where they were on March 1.

Here are several pictures that show their position this morning, 3/11/22.

Looking west from the mouth of Rogers Gully toward the dredges about a quarter mile away and the eastern shore of Lake Houston in the background.
Reverse angle. Looking over one of the two dredges toward the mouth of Rogers Gully.

Curious about why the dredges were working so far out, I asked State Representative Dan Huberty “Why?” Huberty, who secured money for the dredging, texted back a one-line answer.

“Can’t get into Rogers Gulley without dredging their way in.”

State representative dan huberty

Wow. I knew Rogers Gully was bad. But I had no idea it was that bad. This could be like getting to the East Fork from the West Fork. It took crews three months to dredge their way through the channel south of Royal Shores that connects the two forks.

It’s been almost two weeks since they started working here. And this area is far wider than the Royal Shores channel. Rogers Gully has apparently formed a wide and long “underwater” delta that extends far beyond the above-water portion.

So in answer to the question in the headline, “How blocked up is Rogers Gully?” It’s baaaad.

This underscores the need to establish a perpetual maintenance dredging program for Lake Houston, something the Army Corps recommended back in 2018 and that Brown and Root recommended in 2000. It’s not just about recreation. It’s about ensuring long-term water-supply capacity in the lake.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/11/22

1655 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Pass the Ketchup Please!

The mini homes at the Preserve at Woodridge are going up mighty fast. These homes are so close together that you could literally pass the ketchup from the window of one to another.

Construction Update as of 3/10/22

While most new occupants fret over wall colors, these occupants will get their choice of roof colors: gray, reddish gray or bluish gray.

Life here will have some other advantages for renters, too. You’ll certainly get to know your neighbors faster than you would in a development with massive quarter-acre lots.

Plus, these quaint-as-dorm-room rental homes certainly make efficient use of land. Mowing the lawns will take even less time than vacuuming. And with on street parking, you’ll never have to worry about cleaning out the garage.

Have a habit of rolling out of bed late? You could be three steps from your car door.
The sign at the bottom of the frame says, “Individual homes for lease. PreserveAtWoodridge.com. Opening Summer 2022.” However, the website says Spring. Looking east toward Kingwood Park High School.

Dogs Welcome, but Tree Space Limited

I’m told they plan to have at least six trees scattered throughout the 131 homes that will be built on roughly 12 acres. Pets are welcome according to the website, but the marketing director reportedly worries about “the male dog-to-tree” ratio. They don’t have extra trees in the budget. So they’re planning on putting in plenty of fire hydrants.

Looking west toward St. Martha Catholic Church.

All the Modern Amenities, Including Concrete

These lilliputian homes reportedly come with all the modern amenities, including indoor plumbing. The decorating allowance even covers a daisy near the front door.

While many people look for green solutions to flooding these days, the Preserve at Woodridge is unashamedly gray. “Who needs green space when you have all this beautiful low-maintenance concrete?” quipped one contractor who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It’s very consistent with today’s busy lifestyles.” He does have a point!

But I worry there won’t be enough counter space for residents to put their jewelry boxes and laptops on in the event of a 100-year flood, which seems to happen every other year around here.

Those new post-Harvey flood maps will come out soon. And many of the assumptions behind the engineering for the Preserve at Woodridge could be invalidated. Stay tuned for the next exciting update.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/10/2022

1654 Days since Hurricane Harvey

City Seeks Your Feedback on Equity Indicators Survey

The City of Houston is launching its “Equity Indicators” project by asking for your comments to one important question: What makes a community equitable?

Reflecting Houston’s Diversity

Houston is the most diverse city in the nation, but despite the strength of our diversity and multiculturalism, Houstonians experience vast racial and ethnic disparities. The Equity Indicators Project will facilitate broader conversations on equity and inclusion, take active steps to measure disparities, and have leaders across multiple sectors be held accountable for taking action to increase equitable outcomes for all Houstonians.

The city is seeking feedback from community members to ensure that this project is reflective of Houston’s diversity and multiculturalism.  Visit houstontx.gov/equity to share your thoughts on what makes a community equitable between March 6 until April 2.

“In a city where 146 languages are spoken, we must use every tool possible to ensure that every Houstonian’s voice is being heard,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “This survey is a direct, impactful way to participate in making the city, its services, and its opportunities more accessible to people regardless of their background.”

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner
File Photo: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner speaking at the Kingwood Community Center

Project Sponsored By…

The Equity Indicators project is led by the Planning and Development Department, Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability, and Complete Communities, and ties to the vision and framework for a resilient community outlined in the Resilient Houston strategy. The city has partnered with Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research using the methodology developed by CUNY- Institute for State & Local Governance to focus on key indicators for equity in Houston. The Shell Foundation has funded this initiative that focuses on six themes:

  • Economic opportunity
  • Health
  • Public Safety
  • Environmental and Climate Risks
  • Built Environment
  • Access and Inclusion

How Data Will Be Used

The data analysis will result in an overall Equity Indicators Score for the City of Houston.  The public, city departments, city programs, and community service organizations can track the score to document progress and change over time.  The numerical value is based on a 100-point scale.  A high score signifies Houston’s level of success toward building an equitable city, whereas a low score represents a high level of inequity and more opportunity for improvement.

For More Information or Printed Survey…

A printed survey card will also be available at city locations. Houstonians with questions or needing assistance filling out the survey may call 832-393-6637.  For more information, visit Equity Indicators online atwww.houstontx.gov/equity.

Thought Starters: Aspects of Equity Measured by Various Indices

It seems everybody has a way to measure equity these days. Without trying to influence your opinion, I would simply reprint this list of indexes compiled by the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/9/2022 based on a press release by COH and info compiled by Brookings

1653 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Next Challenge For City: Ditch Clean Out in Right of Way Under Kingwood Drive West of High School

About a half block west of Kingwood High School, G-103-36-03, a small drainage ditch without a name, cuts under Kingwood Drive. More than a hundred homes near this ditch flooded during Harvey. Before Imelda, Harris County Flood Control District did an emergency “de-snag” on the ditch. That means they cleaned out fallen trees that were forming “beaver dams” and backing water up.

But the right of way under Kingwood Drive has remained about half blocked by sediment. That’s what those red warning signs represent in the picture below. Clearing the right of way is the City of Houston’s responsibility.

Now, would be a good time to clean out this ditch while the City has crews working a block east of here at Kingwood High School.

Location of Blockage

Screen capture from HCFCD’s Kingwood Area Drainage Assessment. The purple in the upper right is Kingwood High School.

When I clicked on the upper warning sign, I found a link to this image from 2019.

Sediment and vegetation half blocking twin culverts under Kingwood Drive in 2019. Photo by HCFCD looking south from north of westbound lanes.

Pictures Taken Today Show Same Blockages

Here’s how the same scene looked on 3/8/22. The ditch stops before it even reaches the culvert.
Closer shot of same culverts shows sediment and vegetation blocking culvert entrances.
Still looking south, but across the median toward the eastbound lanes.
Looking north from eastbound lanes at sediment and vegetation blocking the ditch as it goes through the median of Kingwood Drive.

I’ve brought this issue to the attention of Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin and his staff. I’m confident this was just an oversight and look forward to doing another positive story when they complete this job, too.

Posted by Bob Rehak on March 8, 2022

1652 Days since Hurricane Harvey

How New Building Regs Cut Damage Rates During Harvey by Roughly 20X

Today, I came across an eye-popping presentation by John Blount, P.E.. Blount served as Harris County’s Engineer for decades. He left his position last year after serving the Engineering Department for 34 years. The presentation discussed how new building regs adopted in 2009 (and later amended) reduced damage rates during Harvey by approximately 20X.

Before/After Stats

The Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) final Harvey report found that 154,170 homes flooded in Harris County during Harvey. HCFCD estimated that was between 9-12% of the structures in the County at the time.

Bount’s report, however, pointed out that – at the time of Harvey – 75,000 homes had been built in subdivisions developed in 2009 or later that conformed to the new, more stringent building codes. These homes were in subdivisions that used current infrastructure requirements for drainage and extreme event-flow analysis. Out of those 75,000 homes, only 467 flooded during Harvey, or 0.6%. That’s 20X less than 12%.

But even more impressive, Blount said that not one of those homes suffered substantial damage.

Factors that Made the Difference

After that, Blount’s 22-page presentation gets fairly technical. It deals with regulations that affect:

  • Elevation above the 100-year flood plain
  • Acceptable types of foundations in flood hazard areas
  • Building in floodways including width, depth, bracing and other construction requirements for piers
  • Where fill can and cannot be used
  • Detention pond requirements
  • Coordination with MUDs and Special Districts
  • Coastal vs. Riverine Flooding
  • Wind resistance
  • Elevation above street level and more
Photos reflect changing standards for building in floodways.

For Full Report and an Eye-Opening Experience

To see Blount’s full report on How Building Regs Affected Damage during Hurricane Harvey, click here.

Driving around town after reading this report will be an eye-opening experience. Take any one of the factors mentioned above, for instance, elevation above street level.

As I was driving through Aldine last weekend to photograph the new detention basin along Halls Bayou, I was struck by how many homes, businesses, and apartment complexes were built several feet BELOW the street levels.

Page 12 of Blount’s presentation addresses this issue. “If the structure is a single family residence the finished floor shall be a minimum of 12 inches above the highest adjacent natural grade when measured 10 feet from the edge of the slab or 12 inches above the crown of the adjacent street whichever results in the highest elevation.”

Drive down Aldine Bender Road or Aldine Mail Route and look at the driveways that slope DOWN to properties. No wonder so many homes in this area flood.

To make Blount’s report easy to find in the future, search on the keyword “Blount” or consult the Reports Page under “Construction Regs in Flood Hazard Areas” or “Hurricane Harvey and Flooding” tabs.

It’s bewildering why so many surrounding counties and municipalities have resisted upgrading their building, subdivision and flood plain regs.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/7/2022 based on a report by the former Harris County Engineer John Blount

1651 Days since Hurricane Harvey

City De-Silting Channel Under Kingwood Drive Near High School

Last week, the City of Houston started clearing debris from the culverts under Kingwood Drive near Kingwood High School. Local flood-fighter Chris Bloch has been working for years behind the scenes to document drainage issues such as this one and convince local officials to address them.

Un-named and Long-Forgotten Tributary Finally Getting Attention

One of Bloch’s latest investigations has been an uncatalogued and long-ignored channel under Kingwood Drive. It helps drain Kingwood High School into Bens Branch. But it doesn’t show up anywhere on Harris County Flood Control District maps.

HCFCD’s Flood Education Mapping Tool. Red oval indicated approximate area of uncatalogued ditch.

Two Feet of Sediment Block Culverts Under Kingwood Drive

Bloch says, “The channel originates at Kingwood High School’s athletic fields. The ditch is narrow and full of sediment and vegetation. Side channels, which empty into this ditch, are also full of sediment and vegetation. This is the only ditch providing storm water drainage from the high school campus.”

The high school building suffered $67 million in damages during Harvey and lost another $10 million in contents.

The ditch in question passes through three culverts under the Westbound lanes of Kingwood Drive. They are obstructed by 24 inches of sediment and debris. See below.

Blocked culverts under Kingwood Drive are finally being cleared. Photo courtesy of Chris Bloch.

“Debris indicates stormwater runoff from the campus passes over Kingwood Drive due to the poor conveyance capacity of this ditch.”

Chris Bloch, Kingwood Resident and Retired Engineer

“If cleared of sediment, the cross section area of the three culverts would total 60 square feet.“

More Blockages Downstream

After crossing under Kingwood Drive, the ditch funnels water into a 24-inch corrugated plastic culvert. That carries it across the Kingwood Country Club Driving Range. “This cross-sectional flow area of this culvert is only about 5% of the total area of the three culverts that pass under Kingwood Drive,” says Bloch.

Later, as the ditch crosses two fairways on its way to Bens Branch, sediment and vegetation again partially block it. They also partially block the three culverts under Centerpoint’s easement near Bens Branch.

Bloch believes, “Maintenance and improvement of this ditch upstream of these outfalls would significantly improve drainage of the high school campus.”

Ensuring Long-Term Maintenance

“Although the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has no property rights for this channel, the District may be willing to partner with property owners to improve drainage,” says Bloch. “The original channel was reported to have been installed by Humble ISD (HISD) prior to the existence of the driving range.”

Bloch says he has been communicating with HISD, HCFCD and the City of Houston about the poor condition of this ditch since 2020. “I recently communicated with Mayor Pro Tem Martin’s office about this ditch and spoke with Mayor Pro Tem Martin himself about it. The de-silting is another small step forward for flood mitigation in Kingwood. I appreciate the involvement of Mayor Pro Tem Martin.”

“Recently, HCFCD indicated they would be willing to partner with the property owners of this ditch to improve drainage. Hopefully, once the City completes the sediment removal of the channel on the Kingwood Drive right of way, HISD and the Country Club can get together with the HCFCD to improve drainage across the Country Club property to Bens Branch,” says Bloch.

To see Bloch’s full report, click here.

Posted by Bob Rehak with thanks to Chris Bloch and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin

1650 Days since Hurricane Harvey

New Halls Bayou Detention Pond Rapidly Nearing Completion

Along Halls Bayou, HCFCD is constructing a large stormwater detention basin and making channel conveyance improvements as part of Bond Project C-25. The detention basin will reduce the risk of flooding by taking in excess stormwater during heavy rain events and then releasing it slowly back to the channel when the threat of flooding has passed.

I first covered this project six months ago when construction began. It’s come a long way since then.

Photos of Detention Basin Taken Saturday 3/5/22

Looking S across Isom Street toward Halls Bayou at far end of detention pond. Photo Taken 3/5/22.
Reverse shot. Looking N from over Halls Bayou. Photo taken 3/5/22.
At the south end of the detention basin, before Halls Bayou comes out of its banks, water will pour over the wide concrete spillway and fill up the pond. As the level of water in Halls falls, water will go back into the bayou through the twin culverts.

Projected Completion Dates

HCFCD expects to complete construction of the stormwater detention basin during spring 2022 and channel conveyance improvements during fall 2022.

The $6 million stormwater detention basin project (P518-11-00) will provide regional mitigation benefits and also mitigate increased stormwater coming from drainage improvements in the Western Homes subdivision along Aldine Mail Route Road.

The basin will hold 180 acre-feet, or nearly 58.7 million gallons, of stormwater that might otherwise flood homes and businesses. It will be a wet-bottom basin with a vegetated shelf.

Channel Improvement Highlights

North of the basin, HCFCD will shift Tributary P118-21-00 west and enlarge it to increase its capacity. Along Aldine Mail Route Road and north of the road, the channel will be extended as a box culvert system to the Western Homes subdivision. The channel will have a 140-foot top width and 15-foot depth.

These projects are part the Watershed-Wide Project Implementation Program for Halls Bayou.

Project Locations

Locations of projects above.
These two projects are just two of a dozen along Halls Bayou.

Regardless, activists in Halls claim they get no support from HCFCD and that places like Kingwood get all the flood bond money. As a consequence, the county administrator is revising the flood bond prioritization framework yet again to favor projects in Halls and other low-to-moderate income watersheds.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/5/2022

1649 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Word of the Day for Flood Victims: Solastalgia

I learned a new word today: solastalgia. I came across it while reading the UN Intergovernmental Panel 2022 Report on Climate Change. There it was on page 17 of the Technical Summary.

Looking east from the south side of the West Fork of the San Jacinto during Harvey. Photo courtesy of Harris County Flood Control District.

Unequal Impact of Mental Health Challenges

Section TS.B.5.2 says, “Mental health challenges increase with warming temperatures (high confidence), trauma associated with extreme weather (very high confidence), and loss of livelihoods and culture (high confidence). Distress sufficient to impair mental health has been caused by climate-related ecological grief associated with environmental change (e.g. solastalgia)…” [Emphasis added.]

The section continues, “Vulnerability to mental health effects of climate change varies by region and population, with evidence that Indigenous Peoples, agricultural communities, first responders, women, and members of minority groups experience greater impacts (high confidence).”

What Does Solastalgia Mean?

I’d never seen the word “solastalgia” before and had to look it up. It was difficult. Websters Third International Dictionary didn’t have it. The 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary didn’t have it either. But Wikipedia did have a discussion of it. It’s a neologism – a new word entering the language.

According to Wikipedia, “solastalgia” was coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht in his 2003 book Solastalgia: a new concept in human health and identity.[1] He describes it as “the homesickness you have when you are still at home” and your home environment is changing in ways you find distressing. In many cases, this relates to climate change, but more localized events such as volcanic eruptions, drought or destructive mining techniques can cause solastalgia as well.[2] 

Solastalgia refers to the “distress specifically caused by environmental change while still in a home environment.”[3]

Glenn Albrecht

Examples:

Deconstructing the Word

Solastalgia literally means “loss of solace.” Solace, in turn, means “comfort or consolation in a time of distress.” For instance, after the death of parent, you might seek solace by returning to the place where you grew up. But when you get there, you find a strip mine has obliterated the entire area. Now your grief doubles and you feel “solastalgia,” the loss of solace.

Distress Related to Income Level

Solastalgia affects people differently. Some groups are inherently more vulnerable and, therefore, may experience a greater sense of loss and grief. This study from a group of scholars at UCLA examined the impact of wildfires on psychological well-being.

They found a marked difference in the way high- and low-income groups processed loss. Those making more than $80,000 a year had resources to rebuild and experienced less grief. Those making less felt lost. The adverse financial impact of a fire felt insurmountable and left them with “clinically significant psychological distress.”

Those who lived in Houston during Hurricane Harvey can relate to this. Many are still trying to find the help to rebuild their homes and lives. The lucky ones moved on. Others still live among mold and rot, constant reminders of the day their lives changed forever.

I previously talked about flood psychology in terms of post traumatic stress disorder and re-traumatization. But I think solastalgia fits what I see better. Even 4.5 years after the flood. What do you think?

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/4/22

1648 Days after Hurricane Harvey

RV Resort Detention-Pond Drain Finally Being Installed in Approved Location

Four months after Laurel Springs RV Resort contractors started tying into the Lakewood Cove storm sewer system, they may finally finish the job in the next few days. I spotted them yesterday and today, digging a trench from the pumps to the pond.

At their present rate of progress, and with gasoline prices spiraling out of control, one wonders whether RVs will be able to afford gas to get here when this job is complete.

Troubled History of Project

The storm sewer tie in comes more than a month after an aborted attempt to dig a trench through the wall of their half-sized detention pond and install pipes that drained the resort’s stormwater directly into Edgewater Park. Both actions violated state and city permit requirements. They also caused the state, city and Harris County to launch four investigations into construction practices at the RV resort. Subsequently, the Harris County Attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to the resort’s owner and threatened a lawsuit.

Detention Pond Storm Sewer Tie In Started in Early December

Laurel Springs RV Resort detention pond drainage tie in as of 12/05/21. Contractor has tunneled under Laurel Springs Lane to Lakewood Cove storm sewer system on far side.
Drainage plans approved by City of Houston for this portion of the job site. SE corner of detention pond below is in upper left of diagram above.

Contractor Now Working on Approved Tie In

Wednesday around noon, 3/02/22, workers started excavating around the circular pump housing.
By early morning 3/3/22, they had already laid the first section of pipe.
By noon on 3/3/22, they had laid another section of pipe and were excavating their way to the corner of the pond.

Rec Center Being Framed Out

In separate news, workers started framing the RV Resort recreation building yesterday.

This shows the status on the morning of 3/3/22.

Spiraling Cost of Gasoline Could Affect Demand

I heard a story on the radio this morning that gasoline in Toronto has now topped $8.50 USD per gallon. With gasoline prices spiraling out of control, it’s unclear how many people will be traveling in RVs anytime soon. The larger ones get as little as 6 miles per gallon.

I remember taking a trip through the Yukon Territory several years ago when gasoline was half that price and seeing an RV fill up for more than $1000.

That’s comparable to the cost of a 2500 square-foot penthouse suite in a luxury 5-star hotel.

Now imagine doubling that cost to stay in something one tenth the size.

As they say in Hollywood, “Timing is everything in show business.” You could say the same for the RV park business.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/3/22

1647 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.