News Archives - Page 2 of 279

How to Increase Situational Awareness During Hurricane Season

6/2/2026 – The authoritative websites below can help you develop situational awareness of everything going on around you during hurricane season emergencies. I highly recommend bookmarking them and consulting them regularly. I list them in the order in which you will probably need them.

For Early Awareness of Approaching Danger

National Hurricane Center Forecasts and active storm tracking. I check it every morning during the hurricane season and look at both the 2- and 7 day outlooks. If you see something concerning, check out the pages with satellite and radar imagery. Heading to the beach? Check out NHC’s rip current map. There’s more. Much more.

National Weather Service/Houston-Galveston Office Get current weather info and warnings for our area.

National Weather Service/Storm Prediction Center Covers watches/warnings nationwide, including tornadoes often associated with tropical events.

Impending Floods

Harris County Flood Warning System. Real-time rainfall, and river-channel monitoring and forecasting. The Warning System also contains near-real-time inundation mapping. The gage network extends throughout the greater Houston area. Sign up for alerts!

USGS National Water Dashboard – Shows gage heights and discharge rates of streams across the nation including dozens in the Houston area. Useful to see where water is coming from and when peaks will arrive at a point near you.

Texas Flood Viewer. Shows gages throughout Texas. Click on a dot and you can see current water level relative to various flood stages.

SJRA River Forecast Dashboard – Shows latest updates of levels on streams and rivers in the upper San Jacinto Basin. Get it at a glance. Very easy to follow. Also see SJRA’s Event Monitoring Page when floods threaten.

FloodMap.net. Enter an elevation (in meters) above current sea level to see what areas would be inundated by a flood of that height. See how floodwaters spread or recede as you increase or decrease the height. Helps visualize why some areas flood and others don’t.

City of Houston Water Flood Hazards Maps flood hazard extents for many smaller streams and ditches in neighborhoods that are not covered in other maps that focus mainly on river flooding.

Local Lakes

See who’s releasing water before, during and after the rain. Large releases can create floods of their own.

Lake Houston:

Coastal Water Authority

Water Data for Texas – Houston

Lake Conroe

San Jacinto River Authority Dashboard

Storm Event Information

Water Data For Texas – Conroe

Lake Livingston

Trinity River Authority Page for Lake Livingston

Water Data for Texas – Livingston

For More Information

See the extensive collection of links on my links page, including an extensive list of preparedness sites.

Also, it’s always a good idea to have a weather radio handy in case disaster strikes in the middle of the night or your cell service goes out.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/2/2026

3199 Days since Hurricane Harvey

National Hurricane Center: Your Go-To Source for Reliable Storm Information

Today is the start of hurricane season. So, it seems timely to talk about NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC). NHC maintains an authoritative website with a wealth of information about everything from current storms to storms dating back 175 years.

Their home page shows no named storms expected in the next 7 days. Whew! So, I started exploring their climatology page. It contains a wealth of useful information. For instance…

When Do Named Storms Become a Weekly Occurrence?

Answer: On average, August is the first month in the season with a named storm every week. Before that, you can expect one or two named storms every month. September also averages a named storm every week, but they start tailing off after that.

When is the Statistical Peak of Hurricane Season?

In the Atlantic Basin, when averaging 100 years, the peak occurs on September 10.

When Are Named Storms Most Likely to Start Popping Up In the Gulf?

NHC offers a dozens of charts that show the number of named storms that pop up in different areas in ten days periods throughout the season. These “points of origin” charts each average the last 75 years.

June 10-20 is the first period where storms really start popping up in the Gulf.

See other charts on NHC’s climatology page to see how the season builds in certain areas and when/where activity starts to tail off in others. Different regions spawn storms at different times. Planning a vacation? Check here first.

Which Counties are Hurricane Magnets?

Harris County ranks pretty high. Between 1900 and 2010, named storms hit us somewhere between 17 and 19 times.

How Frequently Do Hurricanes Strike the Houston Region?

Our average “return period” is nine years. But keep in mind that this is an average that does not include tropical storms.

Hurricane Harvey was nine years ago. And since then, we’ve been hit by two hurricanes: Nicholas in 2021 and Beryl in 2024. So, we’ve tripled the average lately.

Remember also that Tropical Storm Imelda struck us in 2019, causing catastrophic flooding in many parts of the region. It was the fourth wettest storm in Texas history.

And who could forget Tropical Storm Allison in 2001? It doesn’t take a hurricane to dump lots of rain.

How Frequently Have Named Storms Hit Us in the last 100 Years at Season’s Peak?

When you add up tropical storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes, you get “named storms.” If you add up those categories, you see that Houston falls into the band of areas that have received 30-49 named storms per hundred years during September alone (the peak of the season). That’s one about every two or three years, which is consistent with the observation above about Harvey, Nicholas, Beryl, and Imelda.

Houston is not as bad as some other areas. The Mississippi Delta, the Atlantic Coast of Florida, and North Carolina all have higher rates.

Is Tropical Activity Increasing?

It appears to be. But be careful. If you filter out the statistical outliers (2005 with 28 storms and 2020 with 30), any increase is much less pronounced. Also consider that many storms before the satellite era may have escaped detection or reliable measurement.

An obvious conclusion from this chart is that tropical activity is cyclical. We build for a few years, then drop for a few before the cycle starts building again.

Here’s the raw data behind this chart in a tabular format.

Where Do Most Storms Start?

The graphic below shows that despite occasional pop-up storms in the Gulf and storms that cross Mexico/Central America, the vast majority start off the coast of Africa. Then they travel west across the Atlantic. As they approach the Caribbean, the Coriolis force makes them turn north and recurve like a boomerang.

What to Do?

Prepare. On Thursday, June 4, from 5-6:30 PM, Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger will host an open house at Kingwood Community Center (4102 Rustic Woods Drive, Kingwood TX 77345) with:

Houston Office of Emergency Management
CenterPoint Energy
Comcast
xfinity
UnionPacific
Trees for Houston

According to the Council Member, the event will feature practical safety information about resources designed to help you, your family and your neighborhood prepare with confidence, such as:

Safe vegetation practices and the Right Tree, Right Place approach
When and why to call 811 before you dig
How to stay safe around railways and utility equipment
Hurricane preparedness tips and local resources

Flickinger said, “Ask questions, explore helpful information and share what matters most in your neighborhood so we can better support the community we serve.”

One of the first things people often lose in Kingwood is power when trees fall against overhead lines. And with the loss of power comes loss of communication. So it’s important to have a plan before that happens.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/1/2026

3198 Days since Hurricane Harvey

HCFCD’s SAFER Study Now Evaluating Alternatives for Tentative Plan

5/31/26 – Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) SAFER study is now entering Phase 2 of 5. SAFER stands for Solutions for Advancing Floodplain Evaluation and Resilience. It is a long-range planning effort to help Harris County and its communities become more resilient to future flood events.

HCFCD hopes to do that by developing large-scale flood-risk reduction strategies that are:

Eligible for federal funding (65% federal/35% local cost sharing)
Reflect local priorities (engineering, environmental, community)
Consider future conditions (i.e., regional growth).

In Phase 1, HCFCD scoped the study and screened preliminary alternatives.

Phase 2 will evaluate combinations of those alternatives, resulting in a tentative plan.

In the remaining phases, SAFER staff will:

Draft a feasibility report and environmental impact statement
Submit the final report and environmental impact statement to the Army Corps
Coordinate efforts to obtain Congressional authorization.

Study Area Includes 11 of 23 Watersheds

The SAFER study includes 11 of 23 watersheds that cover roughly half of Harris County.

Measures Being Considered for Inclusion in Comprehensive Plan

Staff is looking at alternatives that improve flood-handling capabilities of main-stem bayous and upstream tributaries.

They are integrating solutions across multiple watersheds and comparing traditional solutions, such as channel widening, to more novel solutions for Harris County, such as tunnels. The slide below shows types of measures they are considering.

Phase 2 analysis will answer the following questions.

The next two slides show the type of alternatives being considered in the various watersheds.

The full 27-page presentation (4-meg download) shows how the staff is evaluating several combinations of various alternatives in representative watersheds.

*One example of combinations being considered in full presentation.*

The staff hopes to finish evaluating alternatives by the third quarter of 2026. That will involve economic and hydrologic evaluations of each alternative. They then hope to brief the Army Corps on their tentative plan by the end of this year or beginning of next.

Phase 3 (drafting the feasibility report) should start in early 2027.

Observations

This study could someday result in flood-mitigation solutions that make a large portion of the county’s population safer. On the plus side, the SAFER study will result in a comprehensive evaluation of the most cost-effective solutions from a wide range of options.

But on the minus side, it covers less than half the watersheds in the county. The omitted watersheds, such as the San Jacinto, Spring Creek, Luce Bayou and Cedar Bayou are some of the fastest growing areas in the region. Omitting them now will make floodplain preservation and other conservation measures more difficult and expensive later.

HCFCD chose the 11 watersheds because of “existing federal interest, meaning the federal government has authorized work in these specific watersheds at some point.” Their reasoning? That makes those areas “better positioned to receive approval and funding from the Federal government.”

I guess the Army Corps dredging in the San Jacinto didn’t count.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/31/26

3197 Days since Hurricane Harvey

HCFCD Estimates 19 CDBG Projects Worth $649 Million Will Miss Deadlines

5/30/26 – According to Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) latest spreadsheet posted online, 19 of 29 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects will miss their deadlines. And those projects are valued at $649 million according to the General Land Office, which manages U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants in Texas.

Two Categories of Grants, Each with Different Deadlines

HUD’s CDBG grants fall into two categories: Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) and Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR). All DR projects have a deadline of 2/28/2027. And MIT projects have a deadline of 3/31/28.

Here is a series of one-page summaries of each of the DR projects.

Members of Harris County Commissioners Court have become increasingly concerned lately about the possibility of missing deadlines and losing HUD matching grants for a large portion of projects going into construction.

In response to those concerns, Commissioners Court led by Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey P.E. began demanding hard data instead of vague, but rosy assurances from Dr. Tina Petersen, head of HCFCD.

Petersen submitted one spreadsheet on 5/1/2026 showing project status and another on 5/18/2026 with slightly updated data. Each spreadsheet is massive with minuscule type. They are virtually unreadable on anything but a desktop computer with very large screen(s).

To simplify things for this post, I focused on two questions:

How many projects will make their deadlines?
What is the value of the projects that will and won’t make their deadlines?

Findings

Here’s what I found. Of…

DR Projects as of 5.18.26 — *Compiled from HCFCD 5/18/26 Report*

And of…

MIT Projects — *Compiled from HCFCD 5/18/26 Report*

In tabular form, it looks like this:

Everyone has focused on DR projects because of their deadline now just 9 months away. However, MIT projects also are in danger.

The potential loss of a quarter billion dollars in DR funding is staggering. But the potential loss of another third of a billion dollars in MIT funding is devastating.

Another thing jumped out at me from this data. While almost half the DR projects could make their deadline, the value of those projects is less than one fourth of the total. HCFCD must be rushing to get smaller jobs into production at the expense of larger jobs.

Every Precinct Affected, LMI Areas the Most

These projects affect every precinct in the county. And they affect low-to-moderate income areas the most. Sixty-two percent (62%) of the beneficiaries of these projects qualify as LMI (Low-to-Moderate Income).

How Dire are Deadlines?

Does missing the deadline automatically disqualify a project from reimbursement? Not necessarily. GLO has said that deadline extensions depend on how close a job is to completion.

If it’s 95% done and it could be finished within a month after the deadline, that’s probably NOT a problem.

But if it’s only 5% done and requires another year, that IS a problem. The GLO simply doesn’t have that much time to give away.

In fairness, the MIT projects are a little more complicated to track than DR projects. Half of that money must be spent by 3/31/28. But the last table above suggests that only about a third of the MIT projects will be complete by then. And that assumes the projects stay on track.

Last night ABC13 ran a 3-minute segment with investigative reporter Nick Natario interviewing Dr. Petersen about her job security. She repeatedly dodged his questions, saying, “I’m here to focus on projects and project delivery.”

Petersen’s candor should make the next Commissioners Court meeting interesting. Last month, Judge Lina Hidalgo said bluntly to Petersen, “I just lost my confidence in you.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/30/26 and updated on 5/31 to correct dates in two pie charts

3196 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.

How to Understand New Draft Floodplain Maps

5/28/27 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) is sponsoring a series of virtual information sessions about the recently released draft floodplain maps for Harris County.

If you’ve wondered what the updated draft maps show for your home or neighborhood, these sessions will help you understand where to look and how to interpret what you find.

*New Draft Flood Map for Lake Houston Area*

What Sessions Will Cover and When

The sessions will cover:

What floodplain maps are and why they’re being updated
What’s changing in the new draft maps that FEMA is now reviewing
How to use the online Navigator tool to find your property
What happens next and how you can stay involved

It’s important to note at this time that these are draft maps and do not yet have regulatory or insurance impacts.

Four more sessions remain:

May 29, 2026
12:00 PM
Click to Register

June 8, 2026
12:00 PM
Click to Register

June 23, 2026
4:30 PM
Click to Register

July 1, 2026
12:00 PM
Click to Register

For General Public

HCFCD designed these sessions for the general public. You need no prior knowledge. Whether you own a home, rent, run a business, or simply want to learn more about flood risk, these sessions represent a quick, easy way to learn more.

If you are unable to attend, materials and resources will be made available after the meeting.

Approval Stages

The maps will go through several stages before they become the effective regulatory maps.

Draft – (Where we are now)
Draft maps are shared with FEMA, local jurisdictions and technical partners to identify issues or mapping discrepancies. Draft maps are provided for awareness only and are not open for formal comments or appeals.

Preliminary (Public Review) – Proposed maps for public input
Once FEMA releases the maps for public review, residents can submit comments and formal appeals. During this period, the maps are still not yet effective for regulatory or insurance use.

Final (Effective) – Official regulatory maps
After the review and protest process, FEMA incorporates all approved changes. Then it issues the final, effective maps. These become the official versions used for insurance, permitting, and development.

The entire process may take several more years. The purpose of releasing draft maps is to help you better understand your flood risk.

Why Maps Needed Updating

The old maps developed after Tropical Storm Allison show significantly less risk. Since 2000, the Houston area’s population has grown 68%. The region is now approaching 8 million residents and is one of the fastest-growing major metros in America.

Downtown Houston — *Looking south toward downtown along US59 across Beltway 8.*

That means a lot more impervious cover. Much more runoff. And faster, higher flood peaks. During Hurricane Harvey, of the 154,170 homes that flooded in Harris County alone, 105,340 or 68% were outside the 1% (100-yr) floodplain. So, you can easily see why the maps needed updating.

The time to learn about them is now. Hurricane season starts in days. But it’s still not too late to buy flood insurance.

Learn more about this new map program at www.hcfcd.org/MAAPnext.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/28/26

3194 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Gulf Water Temps Near Record Highs with Hurricane Season Just Days Away

5/27/26 – Based on sea-surface temperatures (SSTs), weather forecasters are already talking about the possibility of an early season tropical storm in the Gulf. NOAA’s SST Anomalies page shows that as of yesterday, Gulf water temps were already well above normal and near record highs set in 2024.

Such SSTs help form tropical systems by warming the air and making it rise. Hurricane forecasters note that a significant lack of hurricane activity in 2025 left the region with an abundance of hot water that was not “churned up” or cooled by major storms.

Although NOAA predicts a below-normal Atlantic season with eight to 14 named storms, the near-record heat in the Gulf—averaging 2.5 degrees warmer than normal—remains a significant “wild card” for storm intensity.

Conflicting Trends

The other major factor influencing tropical forecasts this year is the growing El Niño.

El Niño tends to suppress tropical storm formation in the Atlantic by creating wind sheer that tears apart tropical storms before they intensify.

However…

Early season storms – even during El Niño years – can and do create widespread damage.

Consider these “A” storms:

Hurricane Andrew in 1992 (Cat 5) ranks as the 9th most costly storm
Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 ranks # 23 on NOAA’s list of all-time costliest storms.
Hurricane Agnes in 1972 (Cat 1) ranks as the 22nd most costly storm
Hurricane Alicia in 1983 (Cat 3) ranks as the 33rd most costly storm.

A story by Dinah Voyles Pulvery in today’s USA Today titled “Hurricane forecasters fear supercharged, early-season storms in 2026″ contained almost two dozen terrifying pictures from Hurricane Agnes in 1972.

Matthew Rosencrans of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center told USA Today that El Niño has the biggest impacts on Atlantic hurricanes that form deep in the tropics. But in the Gulf, there may be more favorable pockets for storms to form.

Three of the four storms above happened during El Niño years.

1983 was a major El Niño year – one of the strongest of the 20th century. Forecasters considered it unprecedented at the time.
1972 was one of the more significant 20th-century El Niño events prior to the very large 1982–83 event.
An El Niño that developed in 1991 persisted through much of 1992.

2001 had neutral conditions. El Niño did not develop until 2002.

Don’t Underestimate Potential for Rapid Intensification

Just hours ago, AccuWeather warned that sea surface temperatures in the Gulf are already running near the threshold for tropical development.

And according to Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service, people often think hurricanes will give them more lead time than they actually do. But that’s not usually true. Graham told USA Today. “Every Category 5 that’s made landfall in this country was a tropical storm or less at three days out.”

For hurricane preparation tips, consult the Preparation Tab on my Links Page. Hurricane season officially starts in five more days. Also…

Save the Date: Flickinger to Host Preparedness Open House

On Thursday, June 4, from 5-6:30 PM, Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger will host an open house at Kingwood Community Center (4102 Rustic Woods Drive, Kingwood TX 77345) with:

Houston Office of Emergency Management
CenterPoint Energy
Comcast
xfinity
UnionPacific
Trees for Houston

According to the Council Member, the event will feature practical safety information about resources designed to help you, your family and your neighborhood prepare with confidence, such as:

Safe vegetation practices and the Right Tree, Right Place approach
When and why to call 811 before you dig
How to stay safe around railways and utility equipment
Hurricane preparedness tips and local resources

Flickinger said, “Ask questions, explore helpful information and share what matters most in your neighborhood so we can better support the community we serve.”

One of the first things people often lose in Kingwood is power when trees fall against overhead lines. And with the loss of power comes loss of communication. So it’s important to have a plan before that happens.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/27/2026

3193 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Alex Mealer Defeats State Rep. Cain in GOP Primary Runoff for New CD-9

Update 5/27/26 – With 100% of voting locations reporting, Mealer beat Cain by more than a 2:1 margin.

5/26/26 – According to multiple news reports, Alexandra Mealer beat State Representative Briscoe Cain in a landslide tonight in the GOP primary runoff election for the newly redrawn Texas Congressional District 9. CD9 runs from the Ship Channel, Deer Park, Pasadena, and Baytown up the east side of Houston all the way to Liberty County. It even takes in the Lake Houston Dam.

From West Point to Afgan to Harvard to CD9

I first met Mealer in 2022 when she ran for Harris County Judge. However, she narrowly lost to Lina Hidalgo then. We reconnected in late 2025/early 2026 when she announced her candidacy for CD9.

I have nothing but admiration for Mealer. I endorsed her in both races. For those who have not met her in person, she is a force of nature, gifted with a keen intellect and seemingly inexhaustible supplies of energy.

Mealer graduated from West Point, then completed advanced training at the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) school. As a young lieutenant, the Army selected her ahead of her peers to form a new EOD company for a planned surge in Afghanistan. She prepared her team in half the time usually required by the Army then deployed to a forward operating base in Afghanistan.

While there, Mealer was again selected ahead of her peers to lead the EOD Headquarters Company, consisting of 600+ personnel deployed to 40+ locations throughout Afghanistan. For her 14-month deployment, Mealer was awarded the Combat Action Badge and Bronze Star Medal.

After honorably completing military service, Mealer obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School and a JD degree from Harvard Law School. She then went on to leverage her degrees as an oil & gas investment banker in Houston. She specialized in capital markets and merger/acquisition consulting in the oilfield services sector.

Mealer is also a wife, mother and business owner when she isn’t running for Congress.

Mealer Always Looking Forward

Within one day of her 2022 loss in the county judge race, Mealer began crafting legislation that would have expanded the geographic scope of the Harris County Flood Control District. Here is a white paper that Mealer wrote on the subject.

Even though Kingwood is not technically part of CD9, she is extremely familiar with flooding issues here and throughout the region.

Alex Mealer endorsement — *Mealer in 2025 learning about Kingwood Town Center flooding issues along Bens Branch on a rainy day.*

According to unofficial election results reported in The Texan, New York Times, and Fox News, Mealer held 69 percent of the voting returns reported early Tuesday evening. So, congratulations, Alex Mealer!

Is her win a big deal? Absolutely. It’s crucial for the success of the region. If CD9 were a country, it would have approximately the 20^th largest economy in the world, according to Mealer.

Mealer will face Democrat Leticia Gutierrez in the November election. But the new CD9 reportedly leans heavily to the R side now. So Mealer is expected to have a strong advantage in November.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/26/26

3192 Days since Hurricane Harvey

What’s Wrong with This Picture?

5/24/26 – What’s wrong with this picture? It shows the confluence of Spring Creek (l) and the San Jacinto West Fork (r).

Confluence Spring Creek and West Fork after heavy rains — *Confluence of Spring Creek (l) and West Fork on 5/24/26 after several rounds of heavy rain in previous 3 days.*

I took it at approximately 3PM today. It has not been retouched. You are looking at the actual color difference in the water coming down the two streams after several days of rain.

However, the heavy rains were almost equally distributed between the two watersheds according to the Harris County Flood Warning System. So, what accounts for the difference? This is important. After all, that’s the drinking water for more than two million people you’re looking at.

20 Square Miles of Sand Mines in a 20 Mile Reach of the River

A quick look at Google Earth Pro will show a huge difference. There is very little (if any) sand mining upstream on the left, but approximately 20 square miles of sand mines in a 20 mile reach of the river upstream on the right.

And in several mines, the West Fork runs right through active or abandoned sand pits, a phenomenon known as “pit capture.”

So, I drove upstream to learn more. Here’s what I saw.

Hallett Mine after heavy rains with ponds down — *Water flowing out of a former Hallett pit now owned by Riverwalk Porter LLC*. *The West Fork enters the pit out of frame to the right.* *See next shot.*

Farther upstream, but still at the Hallett mine…

Another source of sediment from the mine is repairs to its dikes. A local fisherman supplied me with this photo taken today. It shows how repairs to a dike near the processing plant are slumping into the river. I originally posted about the repairs several months ago.

*Photo taken on 5/24/26 near Hallett processing equipment.*

Here’s what that area looks like from the air.

Externalizing Operational Costs to Taxpayers

The sand-mining industry in Montgomery County helps power growth there. The bulk of the mines are located close to the Harris County line. So Montgomery County gets the benefit. And Harris County gets the cleanup costs in the form of dredging, water treatment, and medical bills.

TCEQ monitors this mine for Nitrate + Nitrite N, total suspended solids, pH, and hazardous metals including Arsenic, Barium, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, Selenium, Silver, and Zinc.
TCEQ Report

Ask your favorite AI program what the health risks of exposure to those chemicals are.

This is what economists call an “externality.” The full cost of providing the sand is not reflected in the bills that purchasers receive. Miners pass their clean up costs on to taxpayers downstream in order to provide an artificially low cost to the actual consumers.

And in my opinion, that’s what’s wrong with the picture.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/24/2026

3190 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.

Northpark Surface Lanes across UPRR Tracks Virtually Complete

5/23/26 – Earlier this week, contractors for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 finished paving the surface lanes across the UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) tracks. Two surface lanes both east- and westbound will border the bridge being built over the tracks and Loop 494. They will provide turning capabilities at the intersection as well as access to local businesses.

Northpark Expansion — *Note fresh pavement in lower right.*

All that remains to be paved is a narrow strip just a few feet wide adjacent to the tracks (see above). The strips will be paved after crossing gates and traffic signals are installed and coordinated with other railroad crossings up and down the tracks.

That means the only unpaved section of roadway in Phase I (not counting the bridge) is a tiny section in front of the dry cleaners on the west side of Loop 494 (see below). Light poles were finally cleared out of there this week and paving was scheduled for today. However, heavy rains disrupted that.

Elsewhere along Phase I:

Work continues on excavating and lining the entry ponds that bracket Northpark at US59
Contractors are busy installing light poles
New traffic control signal control box at Russell Palmer has been installed and should be operational soon
Work on Loop 494 appears complete

The last major item, construction of the bridge, will pick back up when the new surface lanes become operational and traffic can be moved out of the center lanes.

See pictures below.

Photos Taken May 16-23

*New temporary traffic signal being installed in rain on morning of 5/20/26 at Northpark/Loop 494.*

Four traffic officers kept traffic moving smoothly during the change of signals.

The concrete junction boxes staged lower center/right of the image above will connect drainage across Northpark under the old roadway once traffic switches from the center to the new feeder roads.

Street Light Installation

Street light foundations usually consist of an 8’ deep concrete column. Contractors use an auger to bore the hole. Then they install rebar and pour concrete. The process goes quickly.

However, due to right-of-way constraints, Northpark has six locations where storm water laterals run approximately four feet below grade behind the curb. So, typical street light foundations won’t have enough clearance. Instead, they use “spread-foot foundations” at those locations.

Spread-foot foundations run parallel to grade, horizontally instead of vertically. If you look at the image below, you will see most of the foundation will be underneath the adjacent sidewalk.

Northpark expansion light pole foundation — *In parts of the City that experience frequent inundation, such foundations are common because they can resist the forces of floodwater pushing against them.*

Majority of the street light foundations on Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive between Bagby and Shepherd Drive are spread foot.

A Look Ahead at Bridge Construction

I asked Project Manage Ralph De Leon when he expected bridge construction to pick back up. He replied, “As soon as the feeder roads are open +/- June 23^rd. Ford, Knox, Royal Crossing and Northpark are interconnected. All four intersections have been updated, and the testing is currently underway. All four have to be operational before UPRR will let us open the Northpark feeder roads.”

For More Information

For more information, search this website using the key word “Northpark,” visit the project pages at LakeHoustonRA.com. Or consult this 3-week lookahead schedule.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/23/26

3189 Days since Hurricane Harvey

TWDB Awarding $312 Million for Flood Infrastructure Projects

5/22/2026 – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is kicking off another round of funding for Flood Infrastructure Projects. $312 million is available for the 2026-2027 cycle.

Who Can Apply for What

Texas Cities, Counties and Districts/Authorities are eligible to apply for grants or 0%-interest loans. Four types of projects qualify:

Flood Management Evaluations (Planning studies)
Flood Mitigation Projects (Construction or rehabilitation of drainage infrastructure)
Flood Management Strategies (Projects that don’t fit within the first two categories, such as warning systems, stream gages, crossing barriers, public education, buyouts, etc.)
Federal Matching Grants (Funds for a portion of required federal matches associated with projects in one of the three categories above).

The New Plan for How Money Will Be Distributed

TWDB has published an “Intended Use Plan” describing how the money will be allocated. It includes a detailed scoring matrix for prioritizing projects. The Board will accept public comments on the plan and the matrix until Friday, June 12, 2026 at 11:59PM CDT.

Application for funding happens in two stages to make things easier. Applicants submit an abridged application for prioritizing proposed projects. The highest ranking projects will then be invited to submit full applications.

This year’s Intended Use Plan makes nine key changes compared to previous years.

Removal of the Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) from the Minimum Requirements section.
FME projects are not subject to the notice requirement.
Water conveyance projects have additional coordination and planning requirements.
To ensure financial assistance is distributed more broadly, no single entity will be able to receive financial assistance for more than two abridged application requests within a single project category. The only exceptions: (1) federal match projects, and (2) funds remain.
Projects will be prioritized into the four categories listed above
Removal of predetermined funding goals per category.
TWDB will invite at least one project from each regional flood planning group within each category, as funding permits.
Funding caps will apply to grants, loans, and in-kind funding terms within each category.
Grant qualifiers and grant percentage offerings were changed.

For More Information

See the full 23-page Draft Intended Use Plan for all the details.

Also see the new prioritization index for planning cycle and how to submit a Public Comment.

Finally this TWDB page contains information regarding everything having to do with the Texas Flood Infrastructure Fund. It includes examples of previously submitted/approved projects, a project dashboard, instructions on how to apply for grants and much more.

To date, TWDB has committed more than $832 million to Texas flood infrastructure projects.

Local Project Now in Construction

A key to the success of projects within the San Jacinto River Basin is working with the San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group. Timothy E. Buscha is currently the chair. Buscha said recently, “What we’re hoping for is a more streamlined way to get money to the projects that need it most.” And the first step? “We’re trying to get people to get a project into the system so that they’re eligible.”

Eventually that money works its way back down to communities where it can do some good. For instance, the Taylor Gully project, which just started construction in Kingwood, is a beneficiary of more than $10 million of Flood Infrastructure Funding, according to the TWDB dashboard.

Woodridge Village Construction on Day 2 — *Woodridge Village construction restarted this week!*

Like most large infrastructure projects, funding came from a number of sources. In this case, it came from TWDB, the 2018 Bond Program, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Texas General Land Office, and the EPA. Congressman Dan Crenshaw was instrumental in securing the funding from HUD and EPA.

So, don’t sit back and wait for projects to come to you. Advocate for them. Get with your local officials while the getting is good.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/22/2026

3188 Days since Hurricane Harvey