Giles Family Struggles to Overcome Two Floods; Prays for Perry Homes to Do Right Thing

Three generations of the Giles family live together under the same roof in Elm Grove. Jerry Happ, Catrina Giles father, and Evonne Happ, plus Catrina’s children CJ, Dallas and Maverick. They had never flooded, not even in Harvey, until Perry Homes clear-cut 268 acres a block north of them without installing promised detention ponds. Then on May 7th and September 19th of 2019, they flooded twice. This is the story of how those floods affected a family and tore a neighborhood apart. As I drive up to their home on Shady Garden Drive for the interview, the first thing I noticed is that the foundation of their home is raised well above street level. In fact, it appears to be level with the top of my Chevy Tahoe. This is not an isolated case of a low-lying home.

Water Flows Down Street from Direction of Woodridge Village

Rehak: You said you wanted to make sure that Perry Homes knew about the damage that they inflicted on your community. Tell me what happened on May 7. Let’s start there. Where was the water coming from?

View from Giles front porch during Imelda

CJ (Catrina’s Oldest Son): It started off in the garage and my grandparents’ bedroom, which are on the north side of the house. Then it came in the back door and under the kitchen cabinets. And then it was just everywhere.

Rehak: It came in from the north? (The direction of Perry Homes’ development)

CJ: Yes.

Rehak: How high did it eventually get?

C. Giles: (Pointing to an electrical plug) Just under the outlets.

Gasoline, Paint, Paint Thinner Mixed with Floodwaters

Rehak: Tell me about the damage it caused. 

CJ: We had a lot of personal items in boxes in the garage. It completely destroyed everything under two feet. All our tools got really messed up. There were a lot of things floating around in the garage. Paint. Gasoline. Paint thinner was mixed in with the water. So, it was a pretty big mess.

J. Happ: It came in, like CJ said, from the north. We had a bedroom set downstairs here…

E. Happ: My sister gave it to us before she passed away. Now it’s gone.

Current Felt Inside the House

J. Happ: The water was so powerful! The pressure of the water was so intense that it caused boxes underneath the bed to move around. 

E. Happ: It broke my grandmother’s dishes that we stored under there! 

CJ: We had an entire tote filled with family pictures. The lid popped off from hitting the sides so hard. The pictures are all gone now.

Family Heirlooms Destroyed

Rehak: You talked about your grandmother’s china. How old would that have been?

E. Happ: I’m 62. (pausing to calculate then giving up) It was old. They don’t make that kind of crystal anymore. 

J. Happ: It was very old. Maybe late 1800’s.

E. Happ: And my bedroom furniture. I mean, no amount of money could ever replace that.

J. Happ: So, it was very devastating. A lot of personal items were in that room, and in the garage being stored at the time. They’re all gone now.

Rehak: I’m curious. You say the water pressure moved things around. It almost sounds like there was a current.

J. Happ: Oh, absolutely. Yes.

C. Giles: Everything in the lower cabinets was all destroyed.

It wasn’t, you know, water just coming in and oozing up. There was a current. Stuff was moving, even inside the cabinets.

Catrina Giles

Swing Set Picked Up by Flood and Moved

E. Happ: See that swing set back there by the big tree? The current picked it up and moved it against the shed.

Force of flood moved swing set and slide against shed (right)

J. Happ: When that water started coming in, we did the best we could. But we couldn’t move things fast enough. All of the furniture and appliances downstairs got damaged and had to be thrown out. 

May flood took entire kitchen including appliances, plus washer/drier in utility room.

Refuse to Evacuate to Save Seven Animals

C. Giles: They asked us if we wanted to evacuate. Thank God we had the upstairs. Because they would only allow us to take one animal. And at the time we had seven.

We all have post traumatic stress now.

Evonne Happ

C. Giles: Yeah, It even affected our animals. They all lost weight. And two of them have died. One died shortly after the first flood from a snake bite. And the other just died from the stress. She had undergone her annual checkup, but her body just gave up at Christmas. We had to put her to sleep.

E. Happ: My dog’s scared to go out when it’s raining, even on the front porch. He used to sit on the front porch all the time with me. He won’t do it now if it’s raining, even if it’s just drizzling. He hides under the table. He’s scared of the rain because he KNOWS we’ll flood again. We. Could. Not. Control. Anything. And we got double the water the second time. 

Second Flood Twice as Worse as First

J. Happ: Twenty-seven inches in the garage.

Rehak: You got about a foot of water in the May flood and double that in the second?

CJ: Twenty-two inches IN the house.

Rehak: Tell me about life BETWEEN the two floods.

C. Giles: It was very stressful because my husband was working in Pittsburgh for the first flood and Finland for the second. We are just trying to manage. Although we did have insurance for the house, we didn’t have it for the contents.

CJ: And we’re one of the few here with flood insurance to begin with. 

“Just Not Comfortable Living Here Anymore”

C. Giles: Eventually we are going to hopefully try to sell. We’re just not comfortable living here anymore.

Rehak: And you had to pull out tile, cabinets?

J. Happ: Yes. We had to get two new sets of the cabinets, appliances, furniture, everythng. We were still paying on the first ones that were in the trash. When “Oh my God.” Yeah. “The second ones are apparently flooding.”

Effects on Family

Rehak: How did the rebuild affect you as a family?  

J. Happ: We all lived upstairs in cramped quarters for the better part of a year. All our appliances were gone. We had no way to cook. So, we either had to eat out or bring it in. 

We struggled as a family. It was a real hardship.

Jerry Happ, Catrina Giles father

All day long you have to listen to them hammer and saw. We had to go through all kinds of inspections for mildew. And before we could even get that, we had to get the driers, dehumidifiers and fans in here. We had that loud noise for, well, a month, before we could finally shut them down. There were a lot of different things going on at the time that caused a lot of real hardship.

C. Giles: That said, we basically have a brand-new home. We even have a new roof. 

Rehak: How did the roof get involved?

C. Giles: In May, we had hail damage. 

Rehak: Was Imelda just a repeat in September? Were you all still living upstairs and going through all the noise, construction and havoc?

Group: Yeah. Uh-huh. 

Finished First Rebuild Two Weeks Before Second Flood

C. Giles: We had just finished our rebuild two weeks before Imelda.

Floodwater in Giles living room during Imelda. When family saw water coming up during second flood, they immediately started moving furniture upstairs.

Rehak: And you’re done now with the second rebuild?

C. Giles: We have the windows and doors that need to be replaced. The front door and the sliding glass doors must be taken out. And these windows, because the muddy water came through them. 

When water receded, a thick layer of mud covered everything. So much sediment could only have come from one place: Woodridge Village.

Rehak: You’re considering selling the house?

Impact of Floods on Neighborhood

C. Giles: We know it’s NOT going to be a fast turnaround. Realtors said that we have to have several big storms and NOT flood for people to have confidence that this is going to be a safe neighborhood again. Meanwhile, the majority of our neighbors have already left.

Rehak: How many people on the block? 

C. Giles: On our corner, we’ve lost all four families. It’s like a ghost town here. In the cul de sac, they’re all gone, too.

Picture of neighbors house. Water still had not receded well after dark

E. Happ: At least 20 families here are gone. I sit on the porch all day because I smoke, so I see things and keep count.

Rehak: How far down the block did homes flood?

C. Giles: On our street, only two or three houses didn’t get affected by the first flood, but everybody got affected in the second. It was more…devastating. 

Home Values Under Water

J. Happ: The house across the street, around the corner, they finished remodeling the whole inside just before the May flood. And they were getting ready to sell it. The day before the flood, their realtor was going to put up a sign, but he decided to hold off. Then we had the flood. Well, they had the house up for $220,000. They only sold it for $115,000. They lost $100,000.

E. Happ: People in here had to just walk away from their homes.

Rehak: Really?

Group: Yeah. Yes.

E. Happ: Houses are still sitting there. 

CJ: There’s a house…they never gutted it from the first flood. They just up and left.

Rehak: How is that affecting you? Are there squatters or animals moving in?

Crime Up

C. Giles: Well, crime has picked up. We have all kinds of homes being broken into now. I mean, people are still living in campers and stuff and their houses are getting broken into. It’s just sad.

E. Happ: Contractors have left their vehicles in the neighborhood overnight. They’ve got broken into and all their equipment stolen. Luckily, that has not happened to our contractors.

C. Giles: The thieves don’t realize or care that people still live here. They think we’re all gone.

Rehak: Where do you go from here?

Post Traumatic Stress and Spinning in Circles

C. Giles: We are just taking it one day at a time and finally finding some normalcy. But then, the other night when it rained, I just sat there, you know, praying, “Please watch over my house.” Even my little autistic one, Maverick, who drew the picture of the house crying, could not go to sleep till like midnight.

Picture of house crying, by seven-year-old autistic Maverick Giles. The black part is tears, says Maverick. He says it represents him missing his home.

CJ: None of us sleep.

E. Happ: Maverick was so nervous. All he could do when he came in the house was spin in circles.

That’s how Maverick dealt with the house being all topsy-turvy. He’d just spin in circles.

Evonne Happ

C. Giles: It would be hard to move now. People are losing money on their houses and we’re just not in a place where we can afford that. So, we’re just trying to hang in there.

From Left to Right: Jerry Happ, Evonne Happ, CJ and Catrina Giles in front of their home on Shady Gardens in Elm Grove, now almost restored a second time.

E. Happ: We’ve been living here for the past five years. We’re gonna be leaving in the summertime, probably by August. I’ll go back to South Carolina. I can deal with those damn hurricanes; you can get out of their way. This! It just happened so fast. Each time.

Long-Distance Help

Rehak (to Catrina): What does your husband do?

C. Giles: He’s a quality manager working on a large project in Finland now.

Rehak: So, you’re restoring all this by yourself without your husband’s help?

C. Giles: He helped coordinate the insurance, inspections and contractors, but for the rip-out and rebuilding of our home…he hasn’t been able to be a part of that because of his work.  

Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right

Rehak: What do you feel about Perry Homes at this point?

C. Giles: Well…there’s anger. They just really need to be held accountable for what happened.

J. Happ: These houses were built more than 35 years ago. They’ve gone through hurricanes. You know, large rainstorms, whatever. NEVER been flooded. All of this happened since they started building that development.

C. Giles: Right. Our street flooded during Harvey. But the water never came up in the yard even. Perry just needs to know that they not only affected adults. They affected animals. They affected children.

Some children have a Ziploc bag of their clothes right beside their bed. That’s so if they flood again, they have a change of clothes.

Catrina Giles

Rehak: If you had Kathy Perry Britton sitting right here across the table from you, what would you say to her?

C. Giles: Well. (long pause) I’d be nice. Two wrongs don’t make a right. So, we would pray for her and hope that she made the right decision and fixed that (pointing to development). Because too many people have been affected by this. Our community has been tarnished. 

Kingwood Storm-Water Line Inspections Update

Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin announced that Kingwood Storm-Water Line Inspections will continue and improve. 

Houston Public Works will inspect junctures more critically. Martin’s office elaborated no further. 

How It Works

“Most inspections already conducted have been clear,” said Martin. “Only a few spots needed debris removal.” The City, he says, addresses areas with debris in the lines prior to moving on to the next neighborhood. They use specialized equipment and “confined-space” personnel to remove the debris. To date, the City has inspected nearly 150,000 linear feet, or approximately 28 miles, of storm-water lines.

Order of Priority

The City has completed Elm Grove, Hunter’s Ridge, North & South Woodland Hills, Bear Branch, Forest Cove, Greentree Village, and Kings Crossing. This week, Houston Public Works started on Kings Point. Houston Public Works now expects to complete one community each week. 

When Public Works finishes in a community, they post photos from their storm-water line inspection to Council Member Martin’s Facebook Photo Albums. If you see Houston Public Works crews conducting an inspection, Martin invites you to please say “hi” and watch how they work.

Public Works inspects a drain on Shady Maple as Elm Grove resident Keith Stewart looks on.

Houston Public Works has prioritized villages in Kingwood by the number of homes impacted during Imelda. The Department hopes to complete the project by June 1, 2020, weather permitting. 

Working with HOAs to Alert Residents

Prior to Public Works moving to a new Village, Martin’s office will work directly with the affected HOA to make them aware of the impending storm water-line inspection.

How You Can Help Avoid Streets Flooding

Martin encourages the community to participate in the City’s Adopt-A-Drain program. 

Other ways residents can help:

  • Make sure trash cans don’t tip over before pickup.
  • Dispose of yard clippings and leaves properly.
  • Clear gutters before bad weather.
  • Never throw trash down drains or inlets.

Just In Time for Storms Next Week

Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner warns, “Widespread rainfall amounts Sun-Wednesday night look to average 1-2 inches across much of the area.” However, also says we could see totals of 3-4 inches or even higher along and east of I-45 if a surface low tracks over the area next Wednesday.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/7/2020

892 Days since Harvey and 141 since Imelda

Lake Conroe at 199 Feet: Photos Show Little Impact on Boating, Fishing, Commerce

On January 25th Sharon Mize and her husband, B Ray, drove around Lake Conroe to see the impact of the lower lake levels on boating, fishing and commerce. Even though the water level was still at 199 feet, they saw dozens of boaters; full parking lots at the boat ramps and restaurants; and people getting boats in and out of the water.

On Jan. 25, 2020, SJRA recorded the lake level at slightly more than 199 feet. Screen capture by Sharon Mize.

An Outsider’s View on a Cold and Blustery Day

The Mizes quickly point out that they do not have enough history with Lake Conroe to determine whether what they saw was “normal.” However, they characterized the activity as “healthy,” despite a cold, blustery, overcast January day.

As you look at the photos below, look not only at the activity in the shot, look at the waterlines on piers and docks relative to the water level.

Photo taken from Wolfies restaurant at Lake Conroe Park
House and slip across from Wolfies. Note fisherman at right.
Bulkheading across from Wolfies shows normal and current water lines.
Slips by restaurants at Waterpoint Marina. Note normal water level on posts and smile on woman.
Activity at Waterpoint Marina
Boats tied up at restaurants at Waterpoint Marina. A restaurant owner told me that business was down seasonally, but that it was normal year over year. The owner estimated winter was down 20% compared to the peak in summer during vacation season.
Waterline at Waterpoint Marina
Boat Ramp still usable at La Torretta
Walden Yacht Club. Note normal waterline on pier in foreground.
Fishermen near Walden Yacht Club
Note difference between water level and normal waterline on docks at Walden Yacht Club. The heaviest orange color shows the most common level of the lake. B Ray Mize estimates the lake was down about 12 to 18 inches compared to that.
Boats entering and leaving harbor at Walden Yacht Club
Another waterline on docks at Walden Yacht Club
Shoreline across from Scott’s Ridge Boat Ramp. No excessive exposure of sediment at 199 feet.
Boats by Scott’s Ridge Boat Ramp
Scott’s Ridge Boat Ramp Parking Lot filled with empty boat trailers.
Boat about to land at Scott’s Ridge boat ramp
Paradise Point North Boat Launch

Exception Noted for People at North End of Lake

A Lake Conroe resident told me that the lower level impacted people at the far north end of the lake the most. This stands to reason. Water levels are lowest there. Grand Harbor felt the effect of lowering the most. However, she quickly added that the canals were poorly maintained, silted in, and not dredged deep enough to start with. A video by a Grand Harbor resident posted to YouTube before the SJRA started lowering the lake underscores these points.

201 Feet a Target Level, But Average is Lower

Note that the SJRA targets a level of 201 feet. When the water goes above 201, the SJRA starts releasing water so it rarely goes above that except briefly in major floods. However, the water level frequently drops below 201, due to evaporation combined with low rainfall.

In fact, during the months SJRA intentionally lowers the lake 1-2 feet, the lake level AVERAGES about 199.5. So, Lake Conroe residents would only lose about another half foot.

The 46-year January average for Lake Conroe’s level is 199.54, according to the SJRA. Note also that the average for any month has never exceeded 200.44 since the lake was built.

Source: SJRA presentation by Chuck Gilman before Jan 21 board meeting. See page 23. Lake is currently down less than one-half foot compared to 46-year January average. Note also that the average never reaches more than 200.44 in any month.

SJRA policy calls for not releasing any water when the lake level drops below 200 in the spring or 199 during hurricane season.

Make Your Voice Heard

The SJRA will hold its next board meeting on Feb. 20. Please attend and explain how the SJRA release affected you and why you value the lake lowering policy.

For more background on this controversy, see the Lake Lowering page on this web site.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/6/2020 based photos and input from Sharon and B Ray Mize

891 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Donna Dewhirst’s Harvey Experience

At its Feb. 20 board meeting, the San Jacinto River Authority will decide whether to continue lowering Lake Conroe temporarily until other flood mitigation measures can be put in place. Before then, Donna Dewhirst, a resident of Walden on Lake Houston, wanted to share some reminders of the damage that Harvey and the 80,000 CFS Lake Conroe release inflicted on the Lake Houston area.

A Horror Story in Pictures

Dewhirst’s outdoor kitchen took on knee-deep water. In the background, that’s the second story of her boat dock.
As water started to subside, Dewhirst found trees and other debris lodged in her dock. The flood destroyed her boat.
A 70-foot surprise became visible when floodwaters receded. The flood also destroyed Dewhirst’s boat.
The railroad bridge just down from her caught another boat swept away in the flood.

“The water reached my back porch at the foundation of my home, but amazingly my house and garage got no water in them,” said Dewhirst.

Dewhirst feels lucky.
Her neighbors less so.
As water receded, the extent of flooding became more apparent.

“It was horrific,” said Dewhirst. “But we were lucky compared to others. I planned returning to a flooded home, but God of Heaven spared me. My son in law had put Flex Seal on the back doors and taped it with duct tape a few feet up. I’m sure that helped. But honestly from the water line on the house, it truly was a sheer miracle we didn’t flood.”

Can It Be Averted In the Future?

Aerial view of Aquatic Drive on Walden on Lake Houston after the Conroe release. Dewhirst believes this photo came from Greg Toole. If not, please let me know. I will correct the credit or remove the image if the author wishes.

If lowering Lake Conroe temporarily until other flood mitigation measures can be put in place, such as additional flood gates on the Lake Houston dam, I’m all for it.

For more information about that program and how to make your voice heard, visit the Lake Lowering page on this web site.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/5/2020

890 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 15 days before the SJRA decision


Life at Ground Zero in Elm Grove

Nancy Vera and Edythe Cogdill live across the street from each other at the northern end of Village Springs. They moved to Elm Grove to build an idyllic life for themselves and their families. For years, it was a quiet, peaceful neighborhood filled with friends and block parties. Kids played in the streets and rode their bikes to schools on greenbelts. From their front porches, they could look north across the Montgomery County line and see forest laced with streams and trails. Then the bulldozers came. And spring rains. Suddenly, they found themselves at ground zero in a battle with Mother Nature, corporate giants, and a neighboring county that cared more about development than protecting downstream residents from flooding. Each woman flooded twice last year. As I interviewed them together, they shared their thoughts on every aspect of the experience.

Cogdill and Vera live at the tip of this 268-acre clear-cut funnel created by Perry Homes. See white dot for approximate location. Perry still has yet to install 75% of the promised detention.

Rehak: How badly did you flood in May and September?

Cogdill: We had about nine, 10 inches, in May. And 22 inches outside the fence during Imelda, but only 12 or 13 inches in the house. Our fence deflected a lot of water. 

Edythe Cogdill looks with worry at Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village. Her home and camper are behind her. Her home flooded twice last year from Woodridge. She captured the harrowing ordeals on video to share with the world.

Rehak: And Nancy, in May, how much did you get?

Vera: We got two feet.

Rehak: And in Imelda? 

Vera: Three.

Impact of Flooding on Neighborhood and Home Values

Rehak: We walked your block and discussed each house. All but one flooded. And you are the only two original families left. It’s like you’re living at ground zero.

Vera (left) and Cogdill (right) fret about the impact of renters on their once idyllic neighborhood.

Cogdill: Yes.

Rehak: Most of these other houses have sold to investors?

Cogdill: All with the exception of the one that has a brother living in it now. That family has to keep the house because they just bought it last year; they can’t afford to sell. 

Rehak: Talk to me about property values in the neighborhood. 

Cogdill: The house next door sold for $93,000. Our appraisal last year was $214,000.

Rehak: So it went for about half?

Cogdill: Another sold for $105,000. 

Vera: It was appraised before the floods at over $200,000.

Rehak: Again, about 50 percent. Would that be a fair estimate for these others up and down the block?

Vera: That’s what I’ve been hearing. My son’s friend’s house sold for eighty. That’s on the next street over.

Vera: Most people are getting $80,000 to $100,000 now.

Homes on their block seem to have been in a perpetual state of repair since last May.

Rehak: And what would that one have gone for before?

Vera: $160,000 to $200,000 depending on square footage.

Rehak: Still, about 50 percent. 

Vera: Yes. 

Remodeling Right Before Flood

Cogdill: We totally remodeled our house in March of 2018, a year before the flood. All new paint inside and out. Totally gutted the bathroom and redid it. Added a very expensive back porch. And then it flooded. 

Rehak: Did you have flood insurance?

Cogdill: We did.

Rehak: You did, too? (To Vera)

Vera: We did not have flood insurance in May. But I got flood insurance within a week after the first flood. 

Vera’s living room has been reduced to “life with lawn furniture.” She has lived this way for almost a year. She and her husband have so little faith in Perry’s promises to fix Woodridge that they postponed repairs until after hurricane season.

Flood Insurance Experiences in Back-to-Back Floods

Rehak: Talk to me about your flood insurance experiences. You said one of your neighbors had a problem. Even though most of the house was rebuilt after the first flood, they didn’t get credit for that?

Cogdill: The adjuster merged the claims because they did not have their inspection complete before the second flood. They were going to get something out of the second flood, but it didn’t nearly cover the loss. They had to redo everything. And they weren’t reimbursed for everything. 

After the second flood in five months and hassles with insurance adjusters, Vera’s neighbors gave up. An investor bought their headaches for 50 cents on the dollar.

And then they took a $10,000 loss on their camper. They bought the camper to live in after the May flood. They were days away from moving back into their house. And then everything – house AND camper – flooded again in September. So they were upside down. Her insurance gave them $10,000 less than what they owed on it. 

Never-ending Parade of Contractors

Vera: I just want to get everybody out of my house, because every day, every day, every day, somebody is there.

Rehak: You have no privacy anymore?

Cogdill: You have contractors that say, “We’ll be there at 7:00 a.m.” And then they don’t come. Or you might take off work to let someone in and they don’t show. 

Vera: And I had to buy cameras to put in my house, so I can see them. 

Cogdill: The lady with the camper worked from home. And they would pound on her  door every time, “Well, we’re here.” And she would be on a conference call. She just said, “I can’t do this anymore.” They’re gone now.

Managing Repairs and Full-Time Jobs

Rehak: I hadn’t really considered the “time off from work” aspect of all this. Nancy, you and your husband both work.

Vera: He can’t really take off because he’s overseeing a massive construction project. So I’m doing all the taking off.

Rehak: Where do you work?

Vera: I work for an insurance company. We handle benefits for school systems that we sell insurance to.

Cogdill: I was the construction manager on our rebuild. We were completely done with the remodel from the first flood.

Rehak: How long did it take you?

Finishing First Repairs Then Flooding Again

Cogdill: We finished two weeks before the September flood.

Rehak: How did that feel?

Cogdill: I sat down and I cried. It was exactly like the May flood. I was home alone and calling my husband every ten minutes, and then … then when it came in the back door, I just started bawling. And nobody could get home until right before dark. It started like eight o’clock in the morning.

Home Alone in Rising Waters

Rehak: What does it feel like when the water is coming up? 

Cogdill: Everybody’s telling me on the phone, “Do this and do that. Put this up and get the dogs. Be sure you get your medicines. And I’m just looking around like, wow, OK, the dogs are walking through puddles … in the house. We lost our car in the first flood. It was in the driveway.

Postponing Rebuild and Wondering

Rehak: Nancy, after the May flood, you were a little skeptical about what Perry was  going to do. So, you didn’t rebuild immediately. 

Vera: We lived in a house with no walls, nothing all summer. We put up that Tyvek paper on all the walls. So that kinda helped. My house never got too hot. We were lucky; our air conditioning was brand new. It held up when everybody else was losing theirs.

Rehak: So, when the second flood came, you didn’t have demo to worry about? 

The Vera kitchen after two floods, the first without insurance.

Vera: Partially. We had more damage the second time. A lot more.

Rehak: That’s right. You said it went up another foot. When did you make the decision to renovate and why?

Vera: We waited until hurricane season was over. And we said we would try to get it done as soon as possible. I was my own project manager to save money. We’re still on the fence as to whether we should sell and walk out.

I Bought This To Be My LIFE

Rehak: Let’s talk about that. Do you think Perry will sort this out?

Vera: You want to have hope.

Cogdill: You hope that they’re human. You want to keep your home.

Vera: This is my home. It’s not an investment. I bought this to be my LIFE. 

Cogdill: This is where I wanted to raise our kids. That’s the reason I live here. 

Vera: I don’t want to give up hope because in my gut I don’t want to sell my house. But then do you trust that they can fix it after you flooded twice … and you see that they’re not actually out there doing ANYTHING to problem solve?

The Cogdill and Vera families fret over the Perry detention pond that seems to be under perpetual construction. Building additional detention capacity that might help prevent future flooding does not seem to be a high priority for Perry. Meanwhile, they live in a state of perpetual fear.

Cogdill: It’s fixin’ to be, you know, flood season and all that. Why have they not been doing anything? 

Rehak: What would you like to see done out there now?

Cogdill: This is such a hard question because there have been so many things out there that people have said could happen, may happen. The most recent one is to make a 300-acre lake out of it if Harris County Flood Control takes over. But I have worries with that, too. Look at all the places that flood in Harris County.

Vera: Right now, we’re very gun shy about anything. We don’t have the correct answer either, because we’re not experts. All we know is that we don’t want to flood again.

Biggest Fear for Neighborhood

Rehak: Beyond flooding again, what’s your biggest fear for the neighborhood? 

Cogdill: Renters won’t take care of property as much as homeowners. They’re not going to keep up their yards. They’re not going to care about landscaping.

Rehak: Beyond your block, how many homes in this area have flipped or are up for sale.

Vera: Close to a hundred.

Ten homes in a row for lease in North Kingwood Forest by the same company. These are directly across Taylor Gully from Vera and Cogdill.

Cogdill: I would say 40 percent. 

Rehak: How many more homes do you think flooded the second time than the first? 

Vera: About 200 flooded the first time. At least 400 the second.

Living in a State of High Alert

Rehak: What would make you happy at this point?

Cogdill: We just want things back to normal.

Rehak: What do you consider normal? 

Cogdill: Not living with the fear. To have everybody’s homes that have been destroyed fixed, repaired, restored back to the original. 

Cogdill can never escape the fear of living with the development in the background. She worries about flooding a third time before someone fixes the problem.

Vera: Not to worry every time there’s a storm coming. We were up all night last night, even though we were told we were not going to flood again. But everybody was still glued to the TV, because we’re always on high alert. We ARE going to flood again because nobody has solved this problem. What do I want? To NOT live with anxiety all the time. But it’s always there.

Cogdill: I want to get back to a place where everybody is not whining, complaining, or scared. I want everybody’s homes fixed and to say, “Hey, we’re having a block party this month.” I just want to live in a normal community that’s not consumed with fear. 

Accountability and Oversight

Rehak: What role do you see Montgomery County Government playing in all of this?

Cogdill: Montgomery County should be liable. City of Houston should be liable. And once these people start being held liable over this stuff, maybe they’ll stop letting it slip through the cracks. You know, it’s just somebody somewhere along the way pushed a bunch of stuff under the rug. And all of them shut their eyes to it. They all should have been involved. But my understanding is that Montgomery County won’t come inspect it. They have a job. And they should do it. 

Vera: My biggest concern is that I don’t know what we can do about it. And we get a lot of spring rain.  

Running Out of Hope

Rehak: Have you considered raising your foundation?

Vera: It was going to be like close to a hundred thousand dollars to do it.

A never-ending story: Once immaculate lawns and proudly maintained homes have given way to trash piles.

Rehak: Last question. What do you feel about the way Perry Homes has handled this?

Vera: I think they’re sick. 

Such is life at ground zero in the flood zone.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/4/2020 with thanks to Nancy Vera and Edythe Cogdill for sharing their experience

890 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 139 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.

Would Purchase of Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village by HCFCD be a “Bailout”?

Last week, according to the Houston Chronicle, Harris County Commissioners discussed in executive session a deal to purchase the Woodridge Village development in Montgomery County. Woodridge Village has contributed to repeated flooding of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest. At issue: the possibility of turning the land into a regional detention facility that could help the affected communities and others on the East Fork of the San Jacinto.

But shortly before the crucial meeting, the Houston Chronicle printed an article calling it a “bailout” of Perry Homes. As I read and reread the article, I cringed. The headline screamed “A homebuilder in the floodplain wants a bailout. Should Harris County cut a check?”

Article Raises More Questions than Answers

This article left me with more questions than answers.

How did the reporter arrive at the conclusion that Perry Homes wanted a “bailout”? He never explained.

He called it an unprecedented deal. But flood control authorities routinely purchase land for detention projects. 

The author implied that developers “bungled” the project, but never explained how. 

He quoted Commissioner Jack Cagle as saying that the builder made unwise decisions. But the reporter never explained what those were. 

The reporter consistently implied that residents’ claims were unsubstantiated. But photographs and videos taken during the event clearly show water streaming from Woodridge Village directly into the streets of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest.

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies

Bizarrely, the article implied that Harris County Commissioners would be letting developers “off the hook.” What hook? Yes, Perry Homes is being sued by hundreds of homeowners. But Commissioners have nothing to do with the lawsuits and can’t influence them. The lawsuits are moving forward independently, as the article points out later.

The article claimed the parcel being considered for purchase is inside city limits. It is NOT. It is, however, within the City of Houston’s extra-territorial jurisdiction.

Another inaccuracy: The article said “Elm Grove” sits inside the 100- and 500-year flood plains. Only a portion of it does. 

Getting to the Heart of the Mystery

The article claims that the new development also sits in floodplains. I agree. But now we’re getting to the crux of the flooding issue and the mystery surrounding these floods. This is where the Chronicle could have won a Pulitzer.

LJA Engineering, which prepared the drainage analysis for Perry Homes, claims the property does not sit in floodplains. They also claim the property contained no wetlands. Hmmmm. The wetlands clearly show up on the USGS National Wetlands Inventory. This is where a good investigative reporter would have started digging. But there’s no discussion of these issues.

More than a year and a half after Perry Homes clear-cut this land and Elm Grove flooded twice, Perry Homes still has not even completed a quarter of the required detention pond capacity.

A glance at the construction plans and drainage analysis would have shown that Perry Homes did not build what was on paper. They failed to follow the permitted plans.

Adding Insult to Inaccuracy

To add insult to inaccuracy, the article then goes on to claim that portions of Kingwood have flooded repeatedly in the last five years, as if that explains Perry’s problems. But those areas are not even in the same watershed as Elm Grove! They have separate issues; those other areas were built in the floodway of the San Jacinto river. Elm Grove, on the other hand, never flooded before Perry clear-cut 268 acres immediately upstream from them and then filled existing streams.

Dubious Slant Could Rile Up Voters, Torpedo Deal

Whether intentional, unintentional or both, the article’s omissions, inaccuracies, and mischaracterizations could rile up voters who may fear their tax dollars are being wasted by the “bailout” of a billion-dollar company that they don’t especially like. That kind of publicity often scares authorities who fear blowback. And that, in turn, could torpedo any land purchase and doom desperate people to more flooding. I sincerely hope not.

Advice for Houston Chronicle

If the Chronicle wants to write about this issue, I suggest they research it. Don’t just call both sides and think you have done a good job of balanced reporting. Get to the damn truth. Then maybe more people would buy subscriptions. Why:

People’s lives, homes, lifesavings, and sanity are at stake. I sincerely hope the Houston Chronicle starts digging for answers, instead of shoveling bull.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/4/2020

889 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.

City of Houston Releases “Living With Water™” Report

More than 850 days after Hurricane Harvey, the City of Houston has released a 170-page report called Living with Water™. (Caution: 60-meg download.)

A Primer on Green Flood Mitigation

In many ways, Living with Water is a primer on flood mitigation in the Bayou City. It lays out many of the problems we face as a region. It also points to many innovative solutions. It even takes three neighborhoods within the City (Greenspoint, Kashmere Gardens, and Independence Heights) and shows how various “green” strategies could reduce flood risk.

So far, nothing to argue with. The primary value of Living with Water lies in raising awareness of opportunities that can be used to solve problems throughout the region.

High-Level Ideas with No Actionable Plan Yet

But if you were looking for specifics – case studies, costs, plans, timetables, and budget line items associated with recommendations – you will be sorely disappointed. This isn’t that kind of report. And the absence of those specifics 887 days after Harvey will frustrate many who believe we should be far past brainstorming at this point.

Living with Water contains many magic-wand solutions that people in workshops often develop.

For instance, they identified “cooperation” as a strategy. Yet they failed to identify how to get upstream interests to factor downstream impacts into their development costs willingly.

From 2001 to 2016, most new development took place outside the Houston city limits. Yet during the first two decades of this century, the region added approximately three million people, nearly doubling in size. This creates development pressure in low-lying and risky areas that can impact downstream areas.

Another example: the creation of “interceptor streets.” They are never fully defined, but have something to do with storing stormwater under historic streets. Ten years after the implementation of the drainage fee, have we had one such project developed anywhere in the City?

Finally: a recommendation to “Bring back the prairie.” Great. Now how?

The Benefit: A Shared Vision of the Future

Regardless, it’s important that we share a possible vision of the future if we are ever to agree politically on solutions. Living with Water paints a positive vision of what that future could be. It also provides many tangible examples of how we could get there.

In the end, people will remember Living with Water for one thing. It shows how we could turn stormwater from the enemy into a series of amenities that enrich City life.

Whether this effort turns into reality or “credenza-ware” will depend on how quickly the City can implement pilot programs that demonstrate practical, achievable, cost-effective, flood-reducing benefits.

Posted by Bob Rehak on February 2, 2020

887 Days after Hurricane Harvey

What Happened to Sand From West Fork Dredging?

People often ask, “What happened to all that sand they took out of the river?” During the Army Corps Emergency West Fork San Jacinto Dredging Project in 2018 and 2019, they pumped approximately 2.3 million cubic yards of sand upriver to two “placement areas.”

Placement Area 1

The first placement area: an active sand mine south of the Kingwood College between Sorters-McClellan Road and the West Fork. Note all the sand in the picture below. This sand mine was for sale, but the dredging spoils gave it new life. From here, sand goes to new construction projects across north Houston and southeast Montgomery County.

Looking SE at Placement Area 1, the Eagle Mine. West Fork San Jacinto in lower right. Sorters-McClellan Road cuts diagonally through top of frame above sand mine. Photo taken 1/20/2020.

Placement Area 2

The second placement area: an old pit on Townsend behind some flooded apartments in Humble.

Townsend in foreground turns from east/west to north/south. The apartments were heavily flooded during Harvey. West Fork and Army Corps Command Post in background. Some of this sand being sold too.

Placement Area 3: Berry Madden’s Property

Placement Area 3 is Berry Madden’s property south of the West Fork but north of FM1960. The water below is a back channel of the West Fork. Here, the spoils are being barged in from the mouth bar. The barges offload in the center left and the spoils are trucked inland. Should the dredgers shift over from mechanical to hydraulic dredging, this property can accommodate that.

Berry Madden’s property south of San Jacinto West Fork, west of Kings Lake Estates. Photo taken 1/20/2020. This placement area is just starting up. It will accommodate additional sand taken from the West Fork Mouth Bar. See below.

A Look at Mechanical Dredging

Currently, DRC is mechanically dredging the West Fork Mouth Bar. In hydraulic dredging, sand is pumped upstream continuously via pipeline. In mechanical, excavators scoop sand onto a barge, which shuttles it to a placement area as the pictures below show.

Excavator loads sand from west end of mouth bar onto waiting dredge. Photo by Josh Alberson 2/1/2020.
Wider shot shows a second excavator and another barge working together farther east. Photo by Josh Alberson 2/1/2020.
60-80 cubic yards are loaded onto a barge which is pushed upriver to Madden’s property. Photo by Josh Alberson 2/1/2020.
After offloading, it returns to mouth bar for another load. Round trip time on Saturday afternoon: about 3 hours. Photo by Josh Alberson 2/1/2020.
Back at the mouth bar, it’s time for a reload. Photo by Rachel Taylor, 2/1/2020.
Bottoms up. Photo by Rachel Taylor, 2/1/2020.

Posted by Bob Rehak with photos from Josh Alberson and Rachel Taylor on February 2, 2020

887 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Six TCEQ Investigations Lead to 13 Citations for Woodridge Village Developer and Contractors

Since flooding in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest last year, the TCEQ has completed half a dozen investigations of Woodridge Village with more in the works. Woodridge Village is the troubled Perry Homes development where contractors clearcut 268 acres while installing less than 25% of the required detention capacity.

The TCEQ has repeatedly charged Perry contractors and subsidiaries with stormwater pollution violations and unauthorized discharge of sediment. Below are results of six investigations that led to a total of 13 citations. Together the 449 pages of these investigations indicate a lax attitude toward regulations, repeated failures to comply, poor coordination among vendors, and lack of awareness of responsibilities.

Investigation 1571093 of Figure Four Partners in June 2019

On June 17 and 18, 2019, TCEQ investigators cited Figure Four Partners, LTD for “failure to prevent the unauthorized discharge of sediment-laden water from the construction site which could contribute to pollution in waters of the state of Texas.” (See Investigation 1571093 and attachments.)

Investigators found Figure Four failed to implement and maintain best management practices. They tracked the illegal discharge 2.5 miles down Taylor Gully. Where the stream entered woods, lack of access prevented tracking the discharge further.

TCEQ ordered the operator to install adequate sediment controls to minimize discharges from the site.

Investigation 1579654 of Rebel Contractors in June 2019

This was an investigation of Rebel Contractors, which had responsibility for the southern 80 acres of the site.

The TCEQ report starts by noting that two previous complaints about Rebel Contractors had been referred to Montgomery County for investigation.

In this investigation, TCEQ collected water samples upstream and adjacent to the development that were not impacted. They also collected samples above the outfall from the development and downstream of it that were.

They found that total suspended solids (TSS) in the non-impacted samples ranged from 29 to 45 milligrams/liter. The impacted samples, however, ranged from 245 to 620 milligrams per liter.

Investigators also looked at total dissolved solids (TDS). Non-impacted samples ranged from 128 to 158 milligrams per liter. Impacted samples ranged from 2053 to 2804 milligrams per liter.

Water from and below the site had significantly higher TSS and TDS.

Investigators allege Rebel failed to implement and maintain effective Best Management Practices. They cited Rebel for “failure to prevent the unauthorized discharge of sediment-laden water from the construction site which could contribute to pollution in waters of the state of Texas.” They also cited Rebel for failure to prepare a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. It took Rebel six weeks to prepare and submit the plan to the TCEQ.

(See Investigation 1579654 and attachments.)

Investigation 1604733 of Figure Four Partners in October 2019

On October 25, 2019, investigators returned to the site and found Figure Four had violations similar to June. They ordered Figure Four, once again, to install adequate sediment controls that minimized discharges from the site. (See Investigation 1604733 and attachments.) They ordered Figure Four to install adequate controls that reduced discharges.

Investigation 1579655 of Double Oak Construction in June 2019

Double Oak Construction is responsible for clearing and grubbing on the Woodridge site. In June, TCEQ conducted an investigation during which they collected the previously mentioned water samples. They cited Double Oak for failure to prevent unauthorized discharges of sediment-laden water and failure to prepare a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan.

(See Investigation 1579655 and attachments.)

They also found that Double Oak could not identify where discharges went. They thought it was Galveston Bay.

By the end of August last year, Double Oak still had not submitted a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan.

Investigation 1604738 of Rebel Contractors in October 2019

Second verse same as the first. Investigators found elevated levels of suspended and dissolves solids from the site relative to non-impacted areas. TCEQ alleges Rebel failed to implement and maintain Best Management Practices. They also allege discharge of pollutants, i.e., sediment-laden stormwater and failure to post a construction permit.

TCEQ ordered Rebel to control discharges and post a permit. It took Rebel 7 weeks to post the permit.

(See Investigation 1604738 and attachments.)

Investigation 1604741 of D&J Construction in October 2019

TCEQ cited D&J for failure to prepare a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan and failure to include required information on their construction site notice.

(See Investigation 1604741 and attachments.)

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/1/2020

886 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 135 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.

David Seitzinger Letter to SJRA Focuses on Lake Levels and Drought

David Seitzinger, a Kingwood professional engineer, has studied Harvey flooding since it happened. In this letter to the SJRA Board, Seitzinger urges the SJRA to continue its seasonal lake lowering strategy until other flood mitigation measures can be implemented. Here, Seitzinger addresses one of the main causes of misunderstanding about the policy. Many Lake Conroe residents believe the lake will be lowered 1 or 2 feet from its current level (whatever that may be). However, the policy states the lake will NOT be lower below 200 or 199 from its normal target of 201. The SJRA has NOT lowered the lake since last October. Seitzinger shows that evaporation and below-normal rainfalls have taken the lake lower and kept it down, not the SJRA.

Text of Seitzinger Letter

San Jacinto River Authority
P.O. Box 329
Conroe, Texas 77305
Re: Lake Level Vote

Dear Board Members,

My message to the Board is to renew and maintain the terms of the SJRA/COH Temporary Flood Mitigation Strategy for Lake Houston and Lake Conroe for 2020.

The agreement is contingent upon the dredging operation in Lake Houston. Unfortunately, the “stream mouth bar”, the most significant river obstacle, has not been removed due to FEMA and Army Corps of Engineers limits that were applied to the first dredging contract, not agreed to by the City of Houston. A new dredging contract and associated funding were released, but contractor mobilization is just starting. This is expected to delay the complete removal by at least one year.

Impact of Drought

I have read about the complaints of the Montgomery County citizens at the recent Board meeting. I think that the lowering of the level as required by the contract is not the real problem. The real problem is the “moderate drought” conditions in the Lake Conroe watershed limiting the ability to refill the lake that successfully occurred in 2018. If we look at Huntsville for watershed drought conditions, its 2019 rainfall is 13″ behind normal. Conroe, on the other hand, is 8″ ahead of normal due to the effects of Imelda that were limited to East Texas.

Watershed drought conditions are not rare occurrences. Looking back over the past 20 years, two other drought periods (2001 and 2011-14) have created low lake levels well below the current level of 199 feet. There was also a period in 2005-06, where the lake level was reduced to 197 feet for six months to repair dam damage due to Rita. I am not sure how many bulkheads were replaced and if property values dropped as a result of those lake level conditions.

Steps Being Taken to Mitigate Flooding

City of Houston and Harris County are taking rapid steps to remove flood-causing obstacles in the West Fork of the San Jacinto River that will reduce flooding risk in the Kingwood/Humble/Atascocita area.

  1. HCFCD and SJRA are leading a comprehensive study of the San Jacinta watershed to model flooding conditions and identify mitigation strategies, which are expected to look at Lake Conroe water releases.
  2. COH completion of the “stream mouth bar” dredging at the juncture of the West Fork and Lake Houston.
  3. COH and CWA design and construction of additional gales at Lake Houston.

I have attached reference materials below for the history of water levels at Lake Conroe to support my lake levels and rainfall statements.

Sincerely,
David Seitzinger

Lake Conroe Operation Requirements and Compliance for 2018 to 2020 To-Date

  1. Lake level requirements by “SJRA/COH Temporary Flood Mitigation Strategy”
  2. Lake level 2018 with complete compliance
  3. Lake level 2019 in compliance until October 2019. Lake level is not able to recover due to low rain fall in the lake watershed. Rainfall at Huntsville is is 13 inches below normal and classified as a Moderate Drought conditions. Conroe is ahead of annual by 8 inches due to Imelda in September. Imelda rain did not fall in Lake Conroe’s watershed.

Lake Conroe Last 20 Years of Lake Levels Highlighting Low Level Periods

Rainfall 2019 History Below the Dam

Lake Conroe Water Levels

Historical Variation in Reservoir Storage

Actual Specific Historical Lake Levels

Reservoir Description by USGS

Water level at Lake Conroe has been generally stable with a typical 1- to 2-foot drop in water level during the summer. The exceptions have been in 2001 when drought conditions caused summer water level to fall 3 feet below pool and in 2005-20-06 when damage to the dam caused by Hurricane Rita required the water level to be held at 4 feet below pool for about six months.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/31/2020

855 Days after Hurricane Harvey