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New Website Makes It Easier to Accurately Assess Flood Risk, Potential Damage

A new web site, MyFloodRisk.org, gathers and presents information in a way that makes it easier than ever to accurately assess flood risks and costs.

One of the nation’s largest insurance companies developed the site after years of watching people fall victim to outdated and inaccurate flood maps. Therefore, the site analyzes data from many other sources to gain a much more complete understanding of risk.

Assesses Flood Risk for Every Property in U.S.

The site collects relevant flood-related information on every property in the United States and organizes it in a powerful way that makes it easy to visualize your flood risk. Just put in an address and boom. You’re scrolling through screen after screen that shows:

Your base flood elevation
Slab elevation
Proximity to flood zones
Total FEMA insurance claims in your county
Total recorded flood events in your county
FEMA disaster assistance grants in your state to date
Potential for storm surge (not really a factor in the Lake Houston area, but important in you have a vacation home further south)
Frequency of tropical storms, and more.

See a few of the screen shots below.

*Quickly see what flood zone you are in and the percent of FEMA payouts in that zone.* *I was shocked to learn that even though I am in an X zone, 20% of all NFIP claims and one-third of all federal disaster assistance comes from an X zone.*

*Based on your address, the site calculates the difference between your slab elevation and the base flood elevation.*

Note, even though I’m more than 13 feet above the base flood elevation, during Harvey, the flood came up to my driveway, where first responders were launching rescue boats!

*Total FEMA Insurance Claims in Harris County. County will change depending on address.*

*A composite score pops up as last screen in series and lets you download a PDF of entire sequence.*

Flood Damage Calculator Estimates Cost Per Inch of Floodwater

Not only is there a flood RISK calculator. The site also contains a flood LOSS calculator. For the latter, you plug in the value of your home and its contents. Then you set the flood height – from one inch to 48″. It calculates how much you could typically expect to lose with a flood of that height.

*Potential Flood Loss Calculator. Input values for property and possessions, then use slider on right to see potential losses based on different flood heights.*

The scary thing is how much you could lose even you get just an inch of water in your home! Play with it. You will see what I mean.

Free Service, No Purchase Necessary

The web site is affiliated with an insurance company, National Flood Insurance, LLC, which is licensed in all 50 states. I’m sure they will be happy to provide you with a flood insurance quote if you want one, but it’s not necessary to get a quote or talk to an agent to use this free risk and damage assessment service.

Professional Version Available

The site’s manager, Jennifer Scherff, says, “We have a professional version of the website as well that we offer to realtors and lenders. This version is free as well. For professionals we offer liability waivers on our flood risk reports, to bring awareness of true flood risk to the groups of people who are selling homes to unknowing individuals, especially in states where flood disclosure laws do not exist.

“At the end of our wizard tool where you are given a final flood risk score we have a new section that allows the user to answer a few questions and recieve a flood insurance indication quote in seconds. These quotes are the most accurate you’ll find,” claims Scherff.

Without recommending this, or any other broker/agent, I would just say this. If you live in the Lake Houston Area, you should have flood insurance. As we saw last year, river flooding is not the only threat. With the high intensity rains we get here, street flooding is a constant threat, too.

Delivers “The Right Five”

In the information technology business, they have a maxim called “The Right Five.” Success is all about presenting the Right Information to the Right People in the Right Format at the Right Time in the Right Place. This web site scores a check mark on all five.

Re: the Right Time, hurricane season starts June 1. Remember, it takes 30 days for flood insurance to go into effect. So if you think you MIGHT want it, the time to start thinking about it is NOW.

You could find all the information they present by yourself if you were willing to crawl the web for hours. They aggregate everything in seconds and present it in an easy-to-understand, graphically appealing format.

The site also contains tips on flood mitigation, flood restoration, a blog, a reference library and a link to get a quote.

Once again, the site is MyFloodRisk.org. I plan to list it on my links page and refer to it often.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/5/2020

919 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 168 since Imelda

River Grove Dredging Operation Moves to Next Phase

During the first phase of River Grove dredging, the contractor, Kayden, removed vegetation from the area to be dredged adjacent to the boardwalk (see photo below).

*River Grove Boat Ramp and Lagoon on 2/13/2020 before dredging operation started. Looking south.*

They completed vegation removal last week. They also completed cleaning silt out from under the boardwalk without impacting its stability or support. This week, they’re back with a tiny dredge and a giant mobile dewatering plant.

The Little Dredge That Could

The dredge was selected because it could maneuver in the tight spaces adjacent to the River Grove Boardwalk. It’s 12 feet wide and 51 feet long. The first word that came to mind when I saw it was “cute.” The second thing that came to mind was the child’s story “The Little Engine that Could.” As it sat there chugging away at sand and silt, I thought I could hear the John Deer, 6-cylinder, 13.5 liter diesel engine chanting, “I think I can, I think I can.”

*Kayden Dredge. The IMS Model 7012 HP Versa-Dredge* specs.

Dewatering Plant Processes Sand for Removal, Returns Water To River

The giant dewatering plant operates much like shakers used in oil field drilling work. Water and sediment are pumped up from the lagoon by the dredge. They enter one side of the dewatering plant. There, they are pumped through centrifuges, then across a series of screens that vibrate. Water falls through the screens into a tank below. Sand accumulates on the screens until they dump it down chutes. From there, a front end loader scoops up the dirt and piles it up until trucks haul it away.

Video of dewatering plant in operation courtesy of Josh Alberson.

*Front end loader removes dirt from dewatering plant and piles it up for removal from River Grove.*

Kayden then pumps the water back into the river.

*Water returned to river after sediment removed. Photo courtesy of Josh Alberson.*

Dredge Designed for Tight Spaces

River Grove dredging will not move nearly as fast as the dredging that Great Lakes and Callan were doing, but it seems to work well for the location. A major concern is overly aggressive dredging that could undermine the supports for the boardwalk and boat ramp. Another word that comes to mind is “precise.” Think about the difference between a van and an 18 wheeler. The major issue here is fitting in small spaces.

*KSA intends to dredge only 50 feet from the boardwalk instead of all the way over to the trees. This shows the area where vegetation was removed earlier. Dredging will take place within this space.*

How It All Works Together

Here’s a contractor animation that shows how everything works together. And here are the specs of the equipment. It could conceivably be used for dredging other channel inlets around the lake such as the one at Walden.

Despite the size of the equipment at River Grove, the operation itself is far more compact than previous dredging operations. This could form a model for the dredging of inlets around the lake, like the one at Walden. However, County Engineer John Blount emphasizes that no decisions have been made in that regard yet.

The Safety Moment

If you take your kids to River Grove to see this operation, make sure you stay behind the yellow tape for your own safety.

Also, until the operation is complete in another month or so, remember that traffic at River Grove will be two-way. Just be aware.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/4/2020 with photos and video from Josh Alberson

918 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Storm Sewer Inlets: Often Overlooked in Cases of Street Flooding

We step on them. Spit on them. Park on them. Ride on them. But we rarely think about them. If there’s anything we truly take for granted, it’s the lowly storm sewer inlet.

Critical Rate-Limiting Factor in Drainage

I’ve always known they were there. But I never realized how important they were until I posted about street flooding last week, omitted them, and an expert called them to my attention. Unless properly sized or designed, they can limit how quickly streets drain in heavy rains.

Think of storm sewer inlets like fire exits. Better have enough capacity in the right locations when you need it!

How tall is your inlet?
How wide is it?
Does it have a grate or a plate in it?
Or is it just a hole in the concrete between the street and the curb?
What is the slope of the street towards it?
Can it capture all the water that runs toward it?
Or does some get by?
What’s the spacing between inlets?

Have you ever really thought about these things? Who on earth does?!!!

Visual Inventory of Drain Types

Fortunately, engineers DO. And standards constantly evolve as they come up with better designs. Here are a few variations I spotted as I drove around.

*Rectangular grate design in North Woodland Hills.*

*…but 7.5 inches tall. That’s 50% more surge capacity than a 5-inch high inlet.*

Inlet Trivia

In researching this topic, I discovered many fascinating pieces of trivia.

Thirty years ago, Sugar Land decided to enlarge all its storm sewer inlets. Street flooding is very rare there, almost unheard of.

Storm sewer inlet size and design varies by the type of street.

Thoroughfares usually get bigger inlets than feeders.
Feeders usually get bigger inlets than residential streets.

Hills and busy intersections often get special attention.

*Double-wide inlet at the bottom of Kingsway Court by Kingwood High School. Below hill* *with approximate 10% grade at end of cul de sac. Better not let the water get by this one!.*

Many municipalities (including Houston) frown on grates. While they theoretically offer higher capture rates, they also clog easily and require constant maintenance, increasing costs.

The slope of the street (from the highest point of the crown to the lowest point of the gutter) can radically affect the capture rate of water flowing down the gutter. The slope “forces” the water into the inlet.

Inlet spacing is a function of gutter slope! (See page 137 of COH Infrastructure Design Manual).

The geometry of grates can also radically affect capture efficiency (measured as percent of water intercepted). Below is a video by the U.S. Department of Transportation that shows the efficiency of different geometries for grate designs in a table-top experiment. (Attention science teachers: this is a “must see” video that will fascinate students and could even intrigue some enough to pursue careers in engineering.)

Produced by US Department of Transportation

City of Houston and Other Resources

For those who want to learn even more, here is a link to the current City of Houston infrastructure design standards for stormwater runoff. Page 139 shows you how much the capacity of inlet types can vary. Some inlets can handle four times more cubic feet per second than others.

For COH construction standards, click here.

For budding engineers, here’s a primer on the design of inlets and storm drains.

Buyer Awareness

When looking for a new home, storm sewer inlets may be the last thing you think about. But just like plumbing, maybe they should be one of the first.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/3/2020

917 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 166 after Imelda

“Sand Mines Destroyed Our Lives”

Randy Reagan is tough. He grew up in the Conroe oil fields and riding bulls. But nothing prepared him for flooding five times in four years and the series of events that followed.

Reagan raised his family on a 5-acre lot in Bennett Estates. That’s a neighborhood between the San Jacinto West Fork and FM1314, just south of SH242. He made a modest living for himself as an oil-field technician by repairing turbines, first for a local company and then for GE. He harvested all the meat his family ate from his own property and the surrounding forests. Life was good.

Built Home Above 1994 High Water Mark

Bennett Estates rises up from the banks of the San Jacinto West Fork through the 100- and 500-year flood plains to even higher ground. Reagan’s slab is a foot above the high-water mark from the 1994 flood, which at the time involved a massive release from the Lake Conroe dam. So he figured he was safe for anything the future brought. Wrong!

*Reagan lives between the sand mines east of the river, just above the mine at the bottom, in the aqua-colored 100-year flood plain. Source: FEMA.*

A Happy Life, Until…

While Reagan was never destined for riches, he led a happy life. Until the sand mines came. Then everything changed.

Reagan now lives in a neighborhood five blocks deep – sandwiched between three sand mines comprising almost 1500 acres.

Despite being in the 100-year flood plain, his property has only flooded twice from the San Jacinto – in 1994 and 2017 during Harvey. However, in the last four years, he says, it has also flooded four times from sand mines – twice in 2016, once in 2018 and once in 2019 during Imelda.

As the sand mines have grown, they’ve removed forests and wetlands that used to slow water down during rainfalls.

Now the water rushes through sand pits largely unimpeded. While the mines like to tout how they offer detention capacity in storms, aerial photos show that they offer little. That’s because they are often filled to the brim…even before storms. So, it doesn’t take much to make them overflow in heavy rains.

*Water level in LMI Pit to south of Reagan. Photo taken 2/13/2020 during a mild drought shows little room for more water.* *This is the mine cited by the TCEQ for discharging 56 million gallons of white gunk into the West Fork last year.*

Water flows down into the mines from higher ground and quickly fills the pits. The pits can then spill over into the river and surrounding neighborhoods.

LMI Pit to the North Sends Water South into Neighborhood

That’s what Reagan contends happened with the LMI pit to the north of him.

During Harvey, a satellite photo in Google Earth shows the water blew out the mine’s perimeter road, sending water gushing into Reagan’s neighborhood.
During other recent events, Reagan has ground-level photos that show silty, sandy-brown water coming from the direction of the mine, not the river.

*LMI breach into Reagan neighborhood on 8/30/2017 during Harvey.* *Five HVL pipelines are now trying to repair damage caused when this mine mined too close to them.*

*The LMI mine to the north of Reagan on Feb. 13, 2020. In heavy rains, there’s little to keep water from the mine from escaping into Reagan’s neighborhood out of frame at the bottom of the photo.* *Photo taken in moderate drought conditions.*

Hanson Pit to South Backs Water Up into Neighborhood

The mine to the south of Reagan affects him in a different way. Twice, says Reagan, the mine has built walls that blocked the flow of ephemeral streams that used to run through his neighborhood.

The mine dug a ditch to the river in 2011 to let the water drain to the river. That worked for about five years. Then the ditch became overgrown and the volume of water coming from the northern mine became too much. Reagan flooded on Tax Day and Memorial Day in 2016, 2018, and Imelda in 2019. Not to mention the 93 inches he got during Harvey in 2017.

Dirt wall erected by Hanson Aggregates between their pond and Reagan’s property. The drainage ditch in the foreground that they dug in 2011 is no longer any match for water flowing south from the LMI mine behind the camera position.

Problems Grow as Sand Mines Grow

“The sand mines have destroyed our lives,” said Reagan. “We’ve lived here all our lives. This all used to be woods for acres and acres and acres. The first problem I had was back in the 90’s when the sand pits were getting bigger.”

“As they started developing more ponds, they started interrupting the natural runoff.”
Randy Reagan

“When we moved here in the late ’90’s, we had our homesite raised four feet. That’s where FEMA drew the line for insurance at the time. We figured if we built higher than the high water mark from 1994, we would never have to worry. Because in 1994, we had Lake Conroe releasing all that water on us.”

“There was another flood in 1998, but it never affected us. We were high and dry here. LMI still had not built the mine to the north of us at that point,” said Reagan.

“Now we’ve got water coming at us up from the river, downhill from one mine and backing up from another mine. Sand from the mines even blocks the street drains that lead to the river,” said Reagan.

“All this used to be woods back here with natural creeks and natural drainage. It’s just all gone now. These sand pits done tore it out,” said Reagan. “They’re like giant lakes with no water control.”

*Memorial Day Flood in 2016 invades Reagan’s shop.*

*Memorial Day Flood in 2016 nearly invades Reagan’s home. Note color of water.* *93″ of floodwater took this home in Harvey* *one year later.*

“In 2016, we got a lot of rain, but the river never got out of its banks much,” he continued. “The people that live next to LMI (on the north) tell me that the LMI walls keep breaking. The water rushes through their property, coming from the sand pit. In 2016, we had milky brown, silty water sweeping through here. It was so swift that it almost took my truck off the road. I got about 20 inches in my garage during Tax Day and Memorial Day storms. But it never got in my home at that point.”

“The Tax Day Flood in 2016 was our wedding anniversary. We tried to celebrate our anniversary while our garage got flooded. That was LMI. And then we got flooded again on Memorial Day. That was LMI,” said Reagan. “In 2016, the river here was NOT out of its banks. We got flooded from the sand pits.”

“Then came Harvey. We might have been fine if all we got was the rainwater. It came close. But then they opened the gates at Lake Conroe. And the sand mine upstream of us broke loose again.

Floods Cause Cascading Series of Problems

“Not only did we lose our house, I lost my job and I lost my health. We really hit bottom.”

“I’ve got breathing problems,” says Reagan. “Everybody in our family has breathing problems.”

“I was still trying to recover from Harvey, the day I lost my job in 2018. I was admitted into the emergency room because of my breathing that same day.”

“In the meantime, we were living in a used camper. And it caught on fire. We didn’t have insurance on it,” said Reagan. “My mother had just died. So we were going through that grieving process. Then the camper burns!”

Never-Ending Noise and Vacant Homes

“It used to be quiet here,” he says. “The sand trucks used to run during the days, but never on weekends and never at night. Now they run 24/7 it seems.”

The sand mines and floods took more than Reagan’s health and home. When long-time residents fled to higher ground, they left behind vacant houses. He worries about a criminal element coming in now.

*During Harvey, Reagan says water reached 93 inches in his shop. That’s above the door frame.*

*Reagan yard during Imelda. Note color of water…again.*

“We’re living in my shop now. Everything we have left is in there.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/3/2020

917 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 166 since Imelda

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.

City Decides Not to Participate in Elm Grove Rescue; Says County Should Pay 100%

Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin shocked a meeting of Kingwood residents at a town hall meeting on February 25, 2020. He he said the City would not participate in a much-rumored buyout of the Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village property that contributed to the flooding of Elm Grove Village twice last year. The rumors first went public in a Houston Chronicle story on January 27th this year. In that story the Chronicle characterized the plan as a bailout, not a buyout, but later retracted that in an editorial board statement.

The plan was to purchase all or part of the land and build a giant detention pond on it that would prevent Elm Grove from flooding again.

Silence After Executive Session in Commissioner’s Court Meeting

The Chronicle story appeared one day before a Harris County Commissioner’s Court meeting. Commissioners were to consider the purchase of the property at that meeting in executive session. But there was no public announcement after the meeting of what they decided. We later learned the reason why.

County Asked City to Pay for Half of Purchase

Harris County, according to Martin at the town hall meeting, decided to ask the City to put up half the money for the purchase of the land. Martin initially supported the purchase “at the right price,” according to the Chronicle story.

However, something happened between the Commissioner’s Court Meeting and the Town Hall Meeting to make Martin change his mind about participating in the deal. At the Town Hall meeting, Martin never mentioned the purchase price as an objection.

Martin Claims We Pay Taxes to County So County Should Pay 100%

Instead, Martin launched into a discussion of his tax bill. He said that out of his total tax bill he paid:

56.4% to Humble ISD
18.8% to the City of Houston (of course, that didn’t include fees, such as those for drainage)
14.4% to Harris County.

That adds up to 89.6%, but Mr. Martin did not explain what happened to the missing 10.4%.

Who Is Doing What

He simply said that dramatized the need to get “… Harris County to do more work in Kingwood.” (Editor’s note: at a previous town hall meeting Martin explained that the county was already taking over all work on ditches and streams in Kingwood, but then he quickly added that if the County purchased the Woodridge property, it would let the CITY do more work on ditches and streams. Martin never addressed that apparent contradiction).

Why City Refuses to Participate

Martin then explained that Kingwood overwhelmingly supported the $2.5 billion Harris County Flood Bond in 2018. He also pointed out that the language in the flood bond lets Harris County purchase land in other upstream counties for the purpose of floodwater detention – exactly like the proposal for Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village property.

According to Martin, County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle wants the City of Houston to contribute half of the money.

“Quite frankly,” said Martin, “I’m not going to ask the Mayor to contribute half. Because they (Harris County) should contribute 100% of it because we gave them our tax dollars and they specified what these tax dollars are to be used for. So they need to come up with 100%.”
Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin

(Another editor’s note: neither the bond language, nor the associated project list that was published before the vote specifically mentions Elm Grove or the Perry Homes land. The bond language mentions upstream detention only in a generic sense, and the majority of projects identified before the election involved partnerships.)

Martin then talked about berating Harris County Judge Lina Hildago on the subject before urging residents to contact their county officials. He closed by demanding that the County should put up 100% of the money for Perry Homes’ land because “WE are that close to making this happen.” (Emphasis NOT added.) Martin also asserted that if the County took sole responsibility for the deal, it would somehow help flooding problems in other unrelated areas such as North Woodland Hills.

Listen to Audio Clip of Discussion at Town Hall

To listen to a four-minute audio recording of this segment of the meeting, click the key frame of Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin below.

Segment of 2/25/2020 Kingwood Town Hall Meeting in which Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin discusses the buyout of Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village land to construct a detention pond and why Harris County Should Pay for 100% of the deal.

Mr. Martin never explained why the taxing entity we pay the least to should assume exclusive responsibility for the entire project. Nor did he address why drainage fees paid to the City, could not be used for the project.

Meanwhile, the county has been silent on whether it will pick up 100% of the tab for the detention work. And Elm Grove residents still spend sleepless nights every time it rains.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/1/2020

915 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 164 after Imelda

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.

Tree Lane Bridge over Ben’s Branch: Before and After Repairs

Yesterday, I posted about the hidden costs of flooding. Here’s another one: infrastructure repairs. And another one: re-doing infrastructure repairs. Like those to the Tree Lane Bridge over Ben’s Branch.

History of Issue

Upstream development in Montgomery County with insufficient and un-repaired detention pond capacity started dumping excess water into Ben’s Branch. It didn’t take long for the area under the Tree Lane bridge next to Bear Branch Elementary to start eroding badly.

Tree Lane was already a pinch point in the Ben’s Branch floodway. That and the combination of even more water during the Tax Day, Memorial Day, Harvey, May 2019, and Imelda floods all took a toll. The picture below shows what the bridge looked like on December 1, 2019. Hundreds of kids cross this bridge on their way to Bear Branch Elementary every day.

*The Before Shot: Taken November 31, 2019*

After taking the shot above, I emailed it to the City. To their credit, they sent crews out right away to repair it. Heavy equipment sat at the site for 2.5 months.

After the Repairs

About two weeks ago, the last piece left the job site. So today, I drove by to get an “after” shot. See the improvements below.

*The After Shot: Taken 2/29/2020, three months later.*

The City put rip rap across the creek to reduce erosion from water shooting out from the storm sewer in the upper right. They also broke up some of the large slabs of concrete to form additional rip rap.

However, it appears that they:

Have done little to stabilize the bridge supports.
Left slabs of concrete leaning against an exposed pipeline.
Threw a traffic sign and traffic cone into the creek.
Left about 50 bags of sand on the large slab at the left.

Someone else could have dumped the construction materials and sign. Crappy looking areas always encourage illegal dumping.

*Enlargement of detail from previous shot showing sand that has been left behind or dumped.*

I’m guessing that the rip rap may help reduce erosion from the storm sewer. But…

I see little here to stop erosion from upstream of Tree Lane or reduce danger to the pipeline. More important, the City did nothing to increase conveyance under the bridge.

*The Tree Lane Bridge still forms a pinch point that restricts conveyance of Ben’s Branch.*

Of course, the City may handle the conveyance issue in a second job. That could help build a case for doubling those drainage fees.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/29/2020

914 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Hidden Costs of Flooding

When we think about flooding, most of us don’t think beyond the repair costs of homes. But there are more costs to communities that can remain hidden for years. Erosion, for instance, is one of the hidden costs of flooding that we rarely talk about.

You’ve heard me talk about the eroded sediment from sand mines that winds up downstream in the mouth bars of the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto.

*The City, County, State and Federal Government have already spent more than $100 million to remove eroded sediment that is blocking the West Fork of the San Jacinto and much more remains.*

Likewise, many of you have seen the work being done now to remove approximately 80,000 cubic yards of eroded sediment from Ben’s Branch.

*Ben’s Branch became virtually blocked with sand after Harvey. Harris County Flood Control is now removing the excess sediment to restore conveyance of the channel.*

We’ve all seen how such eroded sediment can back water up and raise flood levels. And we’ve all seen how much that can cost. Not just from the initial flood, but in terms of remediation.

Look At the Cost of Erosion From the Upstream Side, Too

Ditch erosion can affect homeowners in other ways, too. By threatening their property and community property. Lost property is yet another one of the hidden costs of flooding.

We’ve seen how ditch erosion destroyed riding trails in the Commons on Lake Houston.

*Ditch erosion in Commons on Lake Houston.* *Photo from January 2019.*

In Deer Ridge Estates, ditch erosion is creeping inexorably toward back yard fences.

*Kingwood diversion ditch where it crosses past Deer Ridge Estates just north of Deer Springs Drive.* *Photo from Jan. 2019.*

On a recent flight down the San Jacinto West Fork, I spotted erosion threatening the back yards of homes still under construction in the new Northpark Woods subdivision.

Erosion can threaten pipelines, too.

*Pipelines undermined by erosion at Liberty Materials Mine near Conroe.*

Let’s Play Hot Potato

Who is responsible for repairing the upstream erosion when it happens? In Harris County, we’re lucky, we have a flood control district that has assumed responsibility for that. But the ditch two photos above is in Montgomery County. So are the pipelines in the photo above.

Who is responsibly for repairing erosion in these cases? The County? The homeowners? The homeowner association? The developer? The sand mine? The pipelines? A flood control or drainage district? Everyone wants to assume it’s someone else’s problem. No one wants to assume responsibility.

But without someone stepping up, these homes will eventually be threatened. And with the exception noted above, few people or groups are stepping up.

Paul Crowson, a Montgomery County flood activist has posted about this subject on Facebook. Says Crowson, “The county, the flood control district, the neighborhood HOA, the POA, the City, the State, the developers, the engineers … all are passing the blame and responsibility around to each other.”

The problem exists everywhere. Crowson points to the case of Fort Bend County homeowners who are petitioning the Court there to assign responsibility for maintenance of drainage easements.

“These poor people (in the court case) have lost most of their yard, and are in danger of losing their home to the ravages of the drainage easement nightmares,” says Crowson. “Those nightmares are growing every day and will eventually swallow them and their home. Why does it matter to you? I’m thinking right now of Roman Forest, Tavola, New Caney, and Montgomery County.”

It’s Easier to Keep Up Than Catch Up

I would argue that it’s cheaper to prevent a disaster in the making than to remediate a disaster after the fact. Remember those homely homilies your parents and grandparents tried to instill in you? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A stitch in time save nine.

Congressman Dan Crenshaw says the Navy Seals have a similar saying for those who fall behind on those long training runs they take. “It’s easier to keep up than catch up.” They’re all true! And the same holds true for deferred maintenance.

When Deferred Maintenance Turns into a Disaster Area

Montgomery County does not have a flood control district. Nor does it seem especially eager to address problems, such as those in the photo above.

As we saw with the mouth bar on the West Fork that had been building up under water for decades, maintenance can be deferred for only so long.

Then a monster flood comes along like Harvey. It finds the weak points in systems…and boom. Deferred maintenance turns into a disaster area.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/28/2020 with input from Paul Crowson

913 Days after Hurricane Harvey

NOAA to Triple Supercomputing Capacity for Weather, Climate Forecasting

On February 20, NOAA announced computing upgrades that will enable new and improved weather and climate forecasting. Significant upgrades to supercomputing capacity, storage space, and interconnect speed of its Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System will keep the agency’s supercomputing capacity on par with other leading weather forecast centers around the world.

Why We Need More Supercomputing Capacity

As good as weather forecasting has become, it can still go much further. That’s why this item caught my eye.

The paths of tropical storms can be notoriously fickle. Harvey, for instance, made landfall three times. Hurricane Rita caused officials to order the mass evacuation of 3.7 million Houstonians, only to have the storm veer east at the last minute. The evacuation created a disaster in itself. Forecast inaccuracies also lower the confidence of those contemplating lowering the level of area lakes in advance of approaching storms.

Triple Capacity, Double Storage and Interconnect Speeds

This increase in high-performance computing will triple the capacity and double NOAA’s storage and interconnect speed. It will help NOAA create better forecast model guidance. The keys: higher-resolution and more comprehensive Earth-system models that use larger ensembles, advanced physics, and improved data assimilation.

“We will restore America’s international leadership with the best weather forecasts, powered by the fastest supercomputers and world-class weather models,” said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., acting NOAA administrator.

Two new Cray computers, an operational primary and backup, will be located in Manassas, Virginia, and Phoenix. The computers each have 12 petaflop capacity. They will become operational by early 2022 after code migration and testing.

New Total of 40 Petaflops

Coupled with NOAA’s other research and development supercomputers, which have a combined capacity of 16 petaflops, NOAA’s new prediction and research computing capabilties will reach 40 petaflops.

A petaflop is a unit of computing speed equal to one thousand million million (10¹⁵) floating-point operations per second.

Earth Prediction Innovation Center

The new computers will help advance research and development under NOAA’s emerging Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC). They should make the U.S. Global Forecast System the best model in the world.

“Through EPIC, we have an opportunity to regain our footing as a world leader in global weather prediction. The system will foster partnerships with university and industry scientists and engineers to advance U.S. numerical weather prediction,” added Jacobs.

EPIC will make it easier for developers across all sectors to collaborate on improving the nation’s weather and climate models. It leverages combined skills and resources and lowers barriers for interaction. It does that through the use of cloud computing and a community modeling approach called the Unified Forecast Systemoffsite link.

Current Acquisition Will Lay Ground for Future Advances

“The National Weather Service ran a competitive acquisition to ensure we have the supercomputing power needed to implement all the great modeling advancements we anticipate over the next several years,” said Louis W. Uccellini, Ph.D., director of the National Weather Service. “This is an exciting time for all of us in the weather research and operations community, with bold changes on the horizon. We are making sure NOAA is ready.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/2020 based on information provided by NOAA

912 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Harvey Households Covered by FEMA Group Flood Insurance Should Buy Standard Flood Insurance by Oct. 24

Harvey households covered by FEMA group flood insurance should prepare now to buy standard flood insurance by Oct. 24. Lack of coverage may affect eligibility for future disaster assistance.

*Photo of Harvey damage courtesy of Alexis Faust.*

What is Group Flood Insurance?

Many families affected by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 did not have flood insurance.

As part of its disaster assistance, FEMA provided Group Flood Insurance Policies (GFIP) to 6,704 households across counties impacted by Harvey.

Group Policies End October 24

These three-year policies end Oct. 24. So policyholders must now switch to a standard flood insurance policy to ensure continuous coverage.

Those who received a GFIP policy as part of their FEMA disaster assistance after Harvey but don’t buy a standard flood insurance policy are at increased risk. They will likely not receive federal disaster assistance for home repairs if they experience another flood. Just 1 inch of water can cause $25,000 of damage to a home.

Purchasing a flood insurance policy is one of the best ways to protect from financial loss.

Flood Insurance Requirements for Harvey Households

Here are flood insurance requirements for Harvey households:

If you are a homeowner who received a GFIP policy:

Flood insurance coverage must be maintained for the address of the flood-damaged property. The flood insurance requirement is transferred to any new owner of the address and continues for as long as the address exists. If you sell your home, call the NFIP direct servicing agency at 800-638-6620 to transfer your policy to the new homeowner.

If you are a renter who received a GFIP policy:

Flood insurance coverage must be maintained on the contents of the rental property for as long as the renter remains at the flood-damaged address. If you move from your damaged rental property, the flood insurance requirement is not transferred to the next renter.

How to Get or Renew an NFIP Policy

Contact your insurance agent to discuss the cost of a standard flood insurance policy. If you don’t have an agent, you can call 800-427-4661 for an insurance agent referral. Visit www.FloodSmart.gov or www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program for more information about flood insurance.

If You Received Disaster Assistance, You Must Maintain Flood Insurance

The National Flood Insurance Reform Act and FEMA regulations require applicants who receive federal financial assistance to buy and maintain flood insurance. This is as a condition to receive assistance for future flood damage to any insurable property for acquisition or construction purposes. If your household received disaster assistance after Harvey, and you live in a special flood hazard area, you must maintain flood insurance.To find out if you have a flood insurance requirement, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS – Video Relay Service) (TTY: 800-462-7585). Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).

To learn more about GFIP, visit https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/133710.

Harvey impacted 41,500 square miles of Texas. If it rains it can flood. That means all Texans should purchase or renew flood insurance policies. The 2020 hurricane season begins June 1, but a policy protects you from financial losses from other flood events all year.

For More Information

For additional information about Hurricane Harvey and Texas recovery, visit:

The Hurricane Harvey disaster web page atwww.fema.gov/disaster/4332
Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMAharvey
The FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at www.twitter.com/FEMARegion6 or
The Texas Division of Emergency Management website at https://tdem.texas.gov.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/2020 based on information from FEMA and Congressman Dan Crenshaw’s Office

912 Days after Hurricane Harvey

New Presentations on Barker-Addicks Upstream Case and State of Regional Flood Mitigation

On February 19, the Bayou City Initiative hosted presentations by Charles Irvine of Irvine & Connor, PLLC and Professor Jim Blackburn of Rice University. Irvine was the Court-appointed, Co-lead Counsel for the Addicks-Barker “Upstream” case. Blackburn is co-director of the Severe Storm Prevention, Education and Evacuation from Disaster (SSPEED) Center at Rice and a faculty scholar at the Baker Institute – just two of many distinctions.

The oral explanations that accompanied each of these presentations provided much of the interest. But even without those, they are still understandable and compelling. Let me attempt to fill in some of the gap.

Barker-Addicks Upstream Case: What Corps Knew and Did

Irvine focused mainly on what the Army Corps knew about flooding potential upstream of the reservoirs and what they consciously permitted to happen through inaction. His presentation is packed with memos and reports dating back to 1973.

In a landmark ruling last December, the judge ruled that the US Government and Army Corps were liable in all 13 test cases for a “taking” private property for public use without just compensation.” That language comes from the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution.

The Barker-Addicks cases have been divided into upstream and downstream groups because of their different characteristics. On February 19, 2020, Judge Loren A. Smith dismissed all the downstream cases outright. According to the Houston Chronicle, he said that property owners had no right to sue the government for inundating their land in what he called a “2000-year storm.”

Both of these cases set potential precedent for people in the Lake Houston area. The downstream cases contain some circumstances that parallel SJRA actions during Harvey.

The upstream cases contain elements that apply to future flooding now that the SJRA has consciously chosen to balance upstream boating, property and commercial interests with downstream safety.

All in all, it’s an interesting read. The last slide in Irvine’s presentation shows him and co-counsel standing in front of a wall with a quote from Abraham Lincoln. The quote says, “It is as much the duty of government to render prompt justice against itself, in favor of citizens, as it is to administer the same, between private individuals.”

State of Region and Prescriptions for Future

Blackburns presentation can roughly be broken into two parts: what has been done since Harvey and what still needs to be done to protect us in the future.

Regular readers will recognize many past projects from the archives of ReduceFlooding.com although Blackburn’s purview is admittedly wider than mine. I focus mainly on the Lake Houston Area; Blackburn focuses on the region.

Blackburn, however, makes many prescriptions to reduce future flooding re:

Development in flood plains
Acknowledging climate change
Impacts to low-income and minority areas
A black-mold public-health crisis
Location of hazardous waste sites
Cancer clusters
Allocation of public funds
Design of freeways that flood
Tunneling as a mitigation alternative
Flood alert systems
Ike-Dike Options and more

Blackburn does not shy from controversy. But it’s not necessary to agree with each of his observations. It is necessary to discuss them if we are going to move beyond the thinking that keeps us mired in the past.

To download both presentations, click here.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/26/2020 with thanks to Charles Irvine, Jim Blackburn and the Bayou City Initiative

911 Days after Hurricane Harvey