News Archives - Page 21 of 277

HCFCD Issues Maintenance Update after Tax Increase

9/4/25 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) issued an update on its maintenance activity to Commissioners Court in a transmittal on 8/26/25. Without explaining exactly where (geographically) the money went, the 7-page overview details HCFCD’s increase in activity enabled by its November 2024 “Proposition A” maintenance tax.

The tax provides another $100 million annually dedicated to maintenance. See some of the highlights below.

Focus of Efforts To Date

To date, HCFCD has focused on three main things:

Developing a Sustainable Infrastructure Practices Program
Scaling maintenance programs while addressing a Deferred Maintenance Backlog and expanding Citizen Services
Developing an Asset Management Program

It hopes to meet citizen’s maintenance expectations by Fiscal Year 2028.

Since the start of their “Major Repair and Replace” program, HCFCD has designed 65 projects, constructed 10, and completed two.

The number of “Moderate Repair and Replace” projects handled through “on-call contracts” increased from 3 to 11 so far this year. Spending on that program has nearly tripled from $2.7 million to $7.8 million.

New Equipment

HCFCD purchased $17 million of new equipment, including excavators, dozers, vehicles and chainsaws. The District has yet to take delivery of all the equipment but says, “This investment strengthens both preventive maintenance and repair efforts, allowing crews to work more efficiently and respond quickly to emerging needs.”

The District hopes to receive most of the equipment in Fiscal Year 2026.

Desilting Has Largest Percentage Increase, But…

In addition, HCFCD’s channel desilting efforts increased by 117%. Out of 2500 miles of channels in 23 watersheds, HCFCD went from desilting a total of 24.6 miles of channels to 53.5 miles. That’s a little more than 2% of the total mileage. But it is double the previous 1%.

The update does not address needed maintenance intervals. I hope that number increases. At that rate, it will take half a century before crews return to your channel.

Recruiting Challenge

Finding employees, especially equipment operators, to scale up operations has been challenging. Of the 54 new hires authorized by Commissioners Court, 22 positions have been filled and 11 offers are pending. “Recruiting has been challenging,” says the update. 24 job offers had to be withdrawn for various reasons.

Fast-Action Funding Grows by $330,000

Funding for HCFCD’s Fast Action Service Teams, which handle community concerns such as debris and fallen trees that block channels, has already increased from $1.04 million per year to $1.36 million per year.

New Computer System

To help run its Asset Management program, HCFCD is digitizing its computer systems and assets. The District hopes to complete and deploy a new Computerized Maintenance Management System by the end of 2026.

Consultant Search

HCFCD also is seeking a consultant to help scale its maintenance programs and address the backlog of deferred work. It hopes to conclude the review process, which started in May, by early Fall 2025.

Looking Ahead

HCFCD’s report concludes with these encouraging words. “The progress outlined in this report demonstrates the tangible benefits of sustained investment in maintenance and the significant return Proposition A has delivered for Harris County residents.”

“By combining new funding with strategic scaling of staff, equipment, and operational practices, the Flood Control District is rapidly addressing decades of deferred maintenance while laying the foundation for a proactive, resilient system.”

“As the Maintenance Matters program continues to grow, the Flood Control District remains committed to transparency, accountability, and community partnership. FY2026 will mark another year of historic investment, ensuring that Harris County’s flood risk reduction infrastructure is not only restored and maintained, but strengthened to serve future generations.”

For More Information or to File a Maintenance Request…

See the entire 7-page update here.

To file a service request, visit HCFCD.org.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/4/2025

2928 Days since Hurricane Harvey

City Controller Finds Houston Underprepared for Disasters

9/3/25 – A new study by City of Houston Controller Chris Hollins found that Houston is underprepared for disasters. FEMA ranks Harris County #1 nationally for hurricane risk. However, Houston has roughly half the disaster reserves of other cities studied and half the amount recommended by Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Best Practices.

The study dated 9/2/25 by the Controller’s Budget and Financial Affairs Committee was called Weathering the Storm: Houston’s Financial Preparedness for Natural Disasters.

It reviews the City’s disaster reserve funding policies and economic vulnerabilities that limit flexibility in disasters.

It also proposes strategies to make Houston more financially prepared for future disasters.

Houston Has History of Disasters

Houston has faced 25 FEMA-declared disasters since 1983 with frequency rising sharply during the last decade.

FEMA gives Houston/Harris County and Miami/Dade County the highest possible hurricane risk scores – a perfect 100. The scores reflect expected losses, social vulnerability and community resilience.

In recent years, this area exxperienced the second and tenth costliest storms in U.S. history (Harvey and Ike).

Economic Vulnerabilities

The report next looks at the causes of Houston’s economic vulnerability. They include:

Structural budget deficits
Property tax cap
Sales tax volatility
Public safety costs
State legislative policies

After a temporary boost from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) during Covid, Houston’s disaster fund will experience some of the sharpest declines in history.

A number of state and local laws, such as property tax caps, limit Houston’s revenue. Police, fire and debt consume 75% of the City’s budget, leaving little flexibility.

Disaster Reserve Funding

In 2024, the City’s disaster reserve fund peaked at a record high – $385 million above the minimum mandated by policy. However, that surplus has been drawn down to close budget gaps.

At present, Houston’s reserves lag behind peer cities and recommended best practices. The target as a percent of the total general fund in:

Houston is 8-9%
Dallas 19-20%
San Antonio 15-16%
Miami 20%
GFOA Best Practices 16.7%+

Recommended Policy Changes

The report recommends:

Raising the minimum fund balance to strengthen reserves
Raising the allocation percentage to strengthen the City’s safety net
Allocating excesses above the minimum to create a consistent funding mechanism
Clawing back dollars not dedicated to grow reserves without raising taxes
Separating economic and disaster uses for special funds to preserve disaster funds during economic downturns.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/3/25

2927 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Flickinger Explains Vote on Disaster-Recovery Funds

9/2/2025 – The following is reprinted from Houston District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger’s newsletter. It relates to the purchase of backup generators to keep critical city facilities such as sewage treatment plants, running when power goes out during storms. This issue has plagued the Lake Houston Area. Some of the money below will still go toward generators, just not as much.

“In August, City Council approved the submission of a plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for how the City will allocate nearly $315 million in federal disaster recovery funds from the Derecho storm and Hurricane Beryl last year. Council Members Huffman, Peck, and I co-authored a joint op-ed explaining our vote against the proposed plan. We submitted this to the Houston Chronicle for publishing, but they refused to do so. You can read what we wrote below:

Why We Voted Against the $100 Million Home Repair Amendment

As Houston City Council Members, our responsibility is to make decisions that improve the quality of life and safety of Houstonians in the most responsible and fiscally prudent way possible. That’s why, when faced with a $315 million disaster recovery action plan, we could not support an amendment that would have redirected $50 million away from critical disaster recovery tools and into additional home repair funding.

The amendment proposed raising home repair funding from $50 million to $100 million, split evenly between single-family and multi-family homes. While the intention was noble, the extra dollars would have come from the budget set aside for generators at essential city facilities. These generators power community centers, sewage lift stations, and police and fire stations—places that become lifelines when disaster strikes.

We are deeply sympathetic to Houstonians whose homes were damaged by storms. But we voted no for three key reasons:

Generators Are Vital for Disaster Recovery

When the power goes out, safety risks increase dramatically. Community centers must be able to provide shelter, and first responders need reliable facilities to do their jobs. We must continue to make sure that our water and wastewater plants have electricity to provide these services as well.

A University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs survey found that 88% of registered voters in Harris County are concerned about outages lasting more than a day this summer. That is not an abstract fear—it is based on lived experience. For the first time, we have an opportunity to obtain generators, and cutting the funding jeopardizes public safety at the very moment Houstonians need it most.

The Home Repair Program is Inefficient

Currently, the program doesn’t just fix storm damage—it often rebuilds entire homes. Instead of only fixing storm damage, the City pays for repairs needed in the rest of the house, whether the damage was due to a storm or not. What might begin as a small roof repair can become a complete home rebuild. This drives the average cost per home to about $200,000, per Mayor Whitmire’s office.

For $50 million in single family home repairs, that would mean that we are only able to assist approximately 250 homes. In a city of 2.3 million people, while incredibly impactful to the small number of people receiving the benefit, it is negligible for the rest of the population. With smarter policies, we could stretch these dollars further and help more people. Until those changes are made, pouring in more money only perpetuates inefficiency.

Furthermore, the multi-family housing aspect of this program is even more problematic. Multi-family housing essentially means apartment complexes. While we must make sure that people have safe places to live, apartment complexes are businesses that almost without exception should have had insurance for protection.

Businesses are crucial to our economy, and apartments are no exception; however, paying to essentially remodel an apartment complex with this money does not help prepare anyone for future storms.

The Actual Need is Unclear

Damage estimates are made immediately after storms, but we are now more than a year out from the derecho and Hurricane Beryl. Many homeowners and multi-family owners have already completed repairs. Based on past storm data, the final need may be much lower than $100 million.

The City of Houston still has $40 million in home repair funding from Winter Storm Uri that Houstonians can access for home damages that must be addressed as well. Scaling up to manage a program of this size could require additional staff and new systems—raising the risk of falling short on federal requirements and jeopardizing future HUD funding.

We have already seen this exact scenario play out in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Although we know Mayor Whitmire and his administration will handle this process with care and accuracy, we do not know yet the scale on which we would need to increase this program in order meet the demands.

We continue to support Mayor Whitmire’s commitment towards disaster recovery and response, and he and his team have done a phenomenal job in recent storms to make sure that Houstonians were cared for. He faced a difficult task in shaping this action plan, and we commend him for listening to residents who called for home repair assistance.

His decision to shift $50 million toward repairs—when the original plan had none—was a fair and thoughtful compromise. At this stage, however, $100 million does not advance our goal of preparing Houston for disasters. Given the choice of repairing 250 homes and an indeterminable number of private apartment complexes versus addressing needs for 2.3 million people, we chose the latter.

We remain committed to supporting Houstonians in times of crisis. But we must do it in a way that is sustainable, efficient, and does not undermine other critical recovery tools.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/2/25 based on CoH Council Member Flickinger’s September Newsletter

2926 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Why I Endorse Alexandra Mealer in new Congressional District 9

2/16/26 – Update – Mealer now endorsed by President Trump – Two local Republicans have announced their intention to run for Congress in the newly redrawn U.S. Congressional District 9. Alexandra Mealer, who ran for Harris County Judge in the 2022 election, will square off against State Representative Briscoe Cain in a primary. President Trump has endorsed Mealer.

I am also strongly endorsing Alex Mealer based on her distinguished background and her continued commitment to improving flood-mitigation infrastructure in our region.

In making this decision, I also considered Cain’s voting record in the legislature. He voted against a Lake Houston Area Dredging District this year (HB 1532), even though it wouldn’t have raised taxes. He also did not vote for the so-called “Ike Dike” bill (HB 1089), which created a Gulf Coast Protection Account in the state’s general fund.

Mealer by a reminder of the depth of flooding during Hurricane Harvey *at Torchy’s Tacos in Kingwood Town Center*

Alex Mealer’s Distinguished Background

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

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

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

In 2021, Mealer began her campaign against incumbent Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. She shocked political insiders by winning a nine-way primary in which opponents outspent her 3:1. She went on to win the Republican nomination in a landslide runoff victory.

In the general election, Mealer received approximately 45,000 more votes than any other Republican on the ballot. But the first-timer narrowly lost to Hidalgo. She secured more than 49% of the vote in the nation’s third largest county (the size of 6 Congressional Districts).

Currently, she works as a VP for a private financial institution and serves as a representative of 14 cities on the METRO board where she also chairs the public safety committee.

A Force of Nature

I first met Mealer when she ran for county judge in 2021. She spent days studying flood issues in the Lake Houston Area and meeting with area residents. She and I have stayed in touch ever since. We frequently discuss Harris County flood issues, many of which originate upstream.

Mealer has seemingly inexhaustible reserves of energy. Even after her razor-thin loss in the county judge race, she never gave up trying to help the people of Harris County.

Within one day after her narrow loss, she started working with a legal team and subject-matter experts to craft legislation that could have potentially expanded the geographic scope of the Harris County Flood Control District.

The idea? Create a regional Resiliency District that could someday grow as large as the entire San Jacinto River Basin. Then she pushed for it in Austin, where State Rep. Dennis Paul ultimately led the effort to reform and expand the Harris County Flood Control District.

Even though it didn’t pass this session, the idea still has legs. There is a growing recognition that people must work together across jurisdictional boundaries if they will ever truly address flooding problems.

Here is a white paper that Mealer wrote on the subject immediately following her race for County Judge.

Rest of Region and World Depend on CD9

A map of the new CD9 shows that the district stretches from Cleveland to the ship channel and Port of Houston. It includes refinery complexes in Pasadena, Deer Park, and Baytown. If CD9 were a country, it would have approximately the 20^th largest economy in the world, according to Mealer.

The new CD9 also includes the East Fork San Jacinto, Luce Bayou, the Luce Bayou Inter-Basin Transfer Project, the Trinity River, the Lake Houston Dam, Colony Ridge, all of Liberty County and major parts of Harris County.

From north to south, water weaves through CD9 into CD2 and back into CD9.

*Map of new Congressional District 9 (shown in blue*)

Any flood-mitigation solution must recognize the interdependence of these areas for their collective safety. CD9 cannot be operated independently as a fiefdom. Cain’s vote on the Lake Houston Drainage District Bill would lead one to conclude he just doesn’t understand that. Or if he does, he doesn’t care.

CD9 is Houston’s economic gateway to the world. It needs world-class infrastructure.

Lake Houston Dam and Harris County Flood Projects

The inclusion of the Lake Houston Dam in the new CD9 will put major funding and leadership responsibilities on the new congressional representative. The City just started a major repair project on the dam. Houston has also been studying ways to add more floodgates for several years now.

A strong representative in CD9 could help with those projects. A strong representative could also help Harris County reach well beyond the 2018 flood bond.

Heavy vehicular traffic near refineries places exceptional stress on infrastructure. And in military fashion, Mealer has made infrastructure her mission.

She and I spent most of the day yesterday scouting drainage channels plus dredging and maintenance needs in the Lake Houston Area all the way down to Crosby and Barrett Station. At one point, the rain started coming down so hard, we got soaked.

*Mealer caught in downpour at Bens Branch and Kingwood Drive.*

Mealer smiled through it all and pushed our recon patrol forward for another four hours. That was on a Sunday. On a major holiday weekend.

I don’t know about you. But I feel this area needs that kind of committed leadership. And that’s why I’m endorsing her.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 216/26

3093 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Protesters Disrupt Crenshaw Town Hall in Kingwood on Harvey’s 8th Anniversary

8/30/25 – On the eighth anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, more than 400 residents crowded into the Kingwood Community Center to hear Congressman Dan Crenshaw talk. Unfortunately, a group of unruly agitators wouldn’t let the Congressman speak about flood mitigation to an audience whose lives had been upended by flooding.

They kept shouting questions about random, unrelated topics, such as lactation consulting. And before Crenshaw could answer one question, attackers would cut him off with another. Sometimes the attackers even stepped on each other.

Check out this representative 50-second clip of the hour-long audio recording I made…from the FRONT row. Transcription was hopeless.

It appeared as though the provocateurs were trying to get the police to eject them. That would have given them ammunition to slime Crenshaw further on social media.

The experience was an hour-long dystopian view of mob rule. Disruption, disturbance and disparagement replaced civilized discourse and debate. The volume of protesters’ voices drowned out Crenshaw’s attempts to illuminate issues.

That’s a real shame because he has a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard. Crenshaw is smart. Plus…

He has a deep understanding of issues and a gift for explaining them in ways that help people find common ground.
Bob Rehak

*Dan Crenshaw patiently addresses protesters at Kingwood town hall*

Shouts Overpower Microphone

Even though Crenshaw had a microphone, I had trouble hearing him. So, for those who attended hoping to hear what Crenshaw has done for flood mitigation in the area, here is partial text of his remarks obtained later from his staff.

Crenshaw’s Remarks on Flood Mitigation

“Through my work in Washington, I’ve been able to pull down federal dollars to help our local communities here in Lake Houston.”

“As you probably know, earlier this year we finally wrapped up a project that I had advocated for since I took office. The complete restoration of Lake Houston to pre-Harvey conditions. To date, over $150 million of federal funds have been used to dredge Lake Houston. The last $30 plus million project was completed near the convergence of the East Fork, West Fork and the lake.”

“I look forward to seeing the City maintain the lake with the newly approved Lake Houston Dredging District. This project was a long-fought effort by Charles Cunningham, Fred Flickinger and Twila Carter. It was unfortunate that my opponent, Steve Toth, voted against helping this community.

“While the Lake Houston Dam is long overdue, I feel confident that we are on a good path and I am committed to expediting any federal permits required to get this project completed. For updates on the project, you should subscribe to Fred Flickinger’s newsletter.”

“Some other projects in the area that I secured Community Project Funding for are as follows:”

FY26 Projects -Submitted but Not Yet Approved

Woodridge Stormwater Detention Basin – $ 1M (We asked for $3 million.)

Purpose: The project aims to decrease flooding elevation within the San Jacinto watershed. It supplements funding obtained in previous years. [See below.]

Designed as a wet-bottom basin with a permanent pool of water and constructed with native wetland vegetation and features, this stormwater detention basin will function to treat and clean stormwater. The permanent pool of water will settle out solids, while the native vegetation will provide habitat for aquatic species that filter and clean stormwater.

FY24 Community Projects Signed into Law

Ford Road Improvement Project – $7 million

Purpose: This request will support Ford Road improvements from US 59 in Montgomery County to the Harris County line. The current road is undersized and serves as one of only three evacuation routes for the Kingwood area. Commissioner Gray is currently constructing this project.

Kingwood Diversion Channel – Walnut Lane Bridge Project- $4 million

Purpose: The project includes the widening and reconstruction of Walnut Lane Bridge in Kingwood. This bridge, in its current configuration, will restrict flood flows unless widened to accommodate the future expansion of the Kingwood Diversion Channel currently being designed by the Harris County Flood Control District.

Taylor Gully Channel Conveyance Improvements Project-$1.75 million

Purpose: This project is designed to reduce flood risk in the Kingwood area. This project will create a detention basin and improve stormwater conveyance to minimize flood risks. Engineering studies show that completion of this project will result in substantial reductions in flooding along Taylor Gully. The studies show that this project will remove the 100-year floodplain from over 115 acres of flood area and from 276 structures.

FY23 Community Projects Signed into Law

Lake Houston Dam Spillway Project – $8 million

Purpose: This recently completed project reinforced the existing dam structure. The aging structure needed reinforcement and a project to replace this structure is underway. The dam gates will not be using this structure.

Woodridge Stormwater Detention Basin Project – $5 million

Purpose: The project involves creating a detention basin to alleviate flood risks in the Kingwood area. This project is critical for flood mitigation efforts in the district.

Harris County Municipal Utility District (HCMUD) 468 Stormwater Detention Basin Project-$2 million

Purpose: This project is for the excavation of a stormwater detention basin located in the Cypress Creek watershed. The Cypress Creek watershed is highly developed and has a lack of regional stormwater detention basins for flood mitigation. This project is critical for flood mitigation efforts in the district and provides upstream detention to Kingwood

FY22 Community Projects Signed Into Law

Kingwood Diversion Channel – $1.6 million

Purpose: The Kingwood Diversion Channel improvements are proposed to divert stormwater runoff from the Bens Branch channel to lower the risk of structural flooding along the portion of Bens Branch within the Kingwood area. This project will also provide capacity to allow for future local City of Houston neighborhood drainage improvements to outfall into the Kingwood Diversion Channel.

Taylor Gully Channel Conveyance Improvements – $1.6 million

This project will mitigate flooding on the north side of Kingwood.

TC Jester Stormwater Detention Basin Project – $9.96 million

Purpose: This request is for TC Jester Detention Basin, which is a stormwater detention mitigation project within the Cypress Creek Watershed that is intended to address current flood damage reduction needs within the Cypress Creek Watershed. This project will provide upstream detention to Kingwood.

Westador Stormwater Detention Basin Project – $8.85 million

Purpose: This project will also provide upstream detention to Kingwood.

Each of these wins – border security funding, energy permitting, flood infrastructure – came from listening to our community and then acting decisively.

Crenshaw Deserves Even More Credit

Crenshaw didn’t say it, but the money he helped obtain for the Woodridge and Taylor Gully Projects also helped those projects qualify for $33 million dollars in CDBG-MIT grants. Harris County Flood Control District obtained those through the Texas General Land Office and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In contrast, Crenshaw’s primary opponent, State Representative Steve Toth, voted against the bill to create a Lake Houston Dredging District, even though it would not have raised taxes.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/30/2025

2923 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.

Dawn of a Disaster: Harvey Remembered

8/29/25 – Eight years ago today, the Lake Houston Area woke up to the dawn of a disaster. During the previous day and night, the San Jacinto River rose 22 feet above flood stage at US59.

San Jacinto West Fork at 59 during Harvey. — *Looking S toward Humble at the US59 bridge under swollen West Fork San Jacinto*

It swept several townhomes in Forest Cove off their foundations. And destroyed all the rest for blocks around.

*Forest Cove Townhome destroyed by Harvey.*

Rising floodwaters eventually claimed the lives of 15 people in the Kingwood area – 12 of them in a senior center more than a mile from the river.

Residents trying to escape as Harvey's floodwaters rose — *Residents trying to escape Kingwood Village Estates as Harvey’s floodwaters rose*

Harvey was not a single day event. It lasted the better part of a week. Different areas fell to its driving rains and howling winds at different times.

*Rainfall during Harvey recorded at the US59 Bridge over the San Jacinto West Fork. From Harris County Flood Control District’s Flood Warning System*.

The Lake Houston Area bore the brunt of not only the storm, but water funneled downstream from an area 50% larger than Harris County itself.

*Watershed Map of the San Jacinto River Basin*

That included a massive 79,000 cubic feet per second from Lake Conroe, the largest release ever by the SJRA.

*Where more than 400,000 Cubic Feet Per Second came from.*

Before It Was All Over…

16,000 homes and 3,300 businesses in the Lake Houston Area flooded.

Jennifer Manning: "We lived in Kingwood from 1992-2012 before buying a house in Walden that was 'built above the '94 flood.' We finished our rehab in June." Ten months! — *Multiply this times 16,000*

Damage included 44% of all businesses in the Lake Houston Chamber and 100% of all businesses in Kingwood’s Town Center.

*Harvey Flood in Kings Harbor. Photo by Sally Geis.*

Kingwood High School flooded to the second floor. Thousands of students would be bussed to another high school for a year.

The flood also destroyed thousands of cars. The owners parked many of them on higher ground that they thought was safe.

*Flood damaged cars hauled to a holding facility near Bush Intercontinental Airport*

Displaced families shuffled from one safe haven to another as the floodwaters spread.

Harvey evacuation. Sally Geiss — *Sally Geis Harvey Rescue. From a condo near the river, she evacuated up West Lake Houston Parkway. Kingwood Town Center in background.*

Neighborhoods turned into islands, like lily pads, as rising water cut off evacuation routes for those who waited too long.

Carolanne Norris took this shot as she and her family hiked to safety on Valley Manor. Shot is looking back down Woods Estates. Kings Forest Pool is on right. — *Two and a quarter miles north of the West Fork, Carolanne Norris took this shot as she and her family hiked to safety on Valley Manor. Shot is looking back down Woods Estates.*

Raging currents damaged the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge. They also wiped out the UnionPacific bridge which they had to completely rebuild.

UP Bridge — *Repair work underway on the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge that parallels US59.*

Rushing floodwaters also destroyed the southbound US59 bridge.

*US59 during Harvey. Photo by Melinda Ray.*

TXDoT spent almost a year repairing the southbound lanes. Their supports were weakened by scouring.

I-69 repairs — *Southbound lanes of I-69 bridge took almost a year to rebuild.*

Grocery stores? Restaurants? Gone. People lived on Igloo cooler cuisine, potato chips and granola bars.

*Whataburger in the new HEB shopping center during flooding from Hurricane Harvey.* *Photo courtesy of John Knoezer.*

will this get any of the $750 million in CDBG-MIT funds from the GLO? — *Humble shopping area near US59 and Townsen*

Communications? Knocked out.

Electricity? Gone. For days or weeks in some cases. Gas stations couldn’t pump gas. Forget about air conditioning. People gutted homes in sweltering heat.

Photo by Kendall Taft: "Two feet of sheetrock removal, with floors covered in drywall muck." Atascocita Shores. — *Photo by Kendall Taft: “Two feet of sheetrock removal, with floors covered in drywall muck.” Atascocita Shores.*

Mountains of discarded family treasures littered streets for weeks as looters pillaged the community.

*Debris on Woods Estates Drive in Kingwood months after Harvey.* *Video by Paul Margaritis*.

Families lived in campers and RVs or with friends for months while restoring homes.

*Home, Home on the Driveway! The Slaughter family lived in a trailer for almost 9 months as they gutted and restored their home.*

*Slaughter’s House. Gutted to the studs.*

Troubles Just Beginning

But the hardest part was still to come: understanding why all this destruction happened and determining what could be done to prevent it from happening again. And finally, organizing politically to build the solutions.

We would soon discover that as much as we were united by disaster, we were also divided by recovery. That would become the dawn of a another disaster. But more on that in a future post.

For more on Harvey, see the Flood Control District’s full 32-page report on the storm.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/29/25 with thanks to the hundreds of people who have contributed pictures

2922 Days since Hurricane Harvey

SCIPP Research Sheds New Light on Key Elements of Tropical Systems

8/28/25 – NOAA’s Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program (SCIPP) just published its annual report. It includes new research findings on three key elements of tropical systems: a lengthening tropical season, stalling storms, and tropical cyclone size at landfall.

SCIPP publishes fascinating reports tailored to the south central region of the U.S. including Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

The government/university partnership conducts research to understand climate hazard trends and patterns that are useful to decision makers. The information below is summarized from their annual report.

Tropical Season Lengthens 16 days

SCIPP analysis of Atlantic hurricane season length from 1970 to 2022 found that storms are forming increasingly earlier AND later in the season. In 1970, the first named storm formed around July 27th. However, by 2022, the date shifted to around May 31st. That represents an increase of season length of 11 days per decade … just on the front end.

On the back end, in 1970, the last named storm dissipated around October 24th. However, in 2022, the last storm dissipated around November 18th. This represents a roughly 5-day per decade shift, say the researchers.

“While improvements in observational practices raised some concerns about data quality,” they say, “our results suggest that the primary driver of season expansion is the earlier onset and prolonged persistence of favorable conditions for tropical cyclones, such as warm sea surface temperatures, elevated humidity, and reduced wind shear.”

The researchers recommend that the National Hurricane Center consider moving the start of hurricane season to May 15th to heighten awareness of these early season storms. They have presented their work widely within the scientific community. For more information, see Dr. Vincent Brown’s virtual presentation to the Inland Marine Underwriters Association.

Stalling Storms Increasing 1.5% Per Year

SCIPP researchers also found seasonality in stalling storms. Stalling is most common in October (17.3% of storms) and least common in August (8.2%).

Their analysis showed a significant increase in annual stalling frequency during the satellite era (1966–2020) at 1.5% per year.

They also found an increase in the proportion of stalling storms relative to all storms.
SCIPP 2024-2025 Annual Report

Stalling storms were also significantly more likely to reach major-hurricane intensity.

These findings have been presented to stakeholders, academic audiences, and emergency managers to help them better prepare for future stalling events in vulnerable regions.

“Size at Landfall” Increasing Later in Season

The third featured project was a database of tropical cyclone size at landfall.

Size at landfall is critical in determining the extent and severity of storm impacts.
SCIPP 2024-2025 Annual Report

Accurate size data allows emergency managers, planners, and policymakers to better estimate potential exposure, improve evacuation planning, allocate resources, and design infrastructure that accounts for the full spatial footprint of storms. Their database supports:

Enhanced risk assessments
Insurance modeling
Building codes
Long-term coastal planning.

The analysis found no statistically significant long-term change in size at landfall, However, it did find that:

Parts of the season—particularly September through November—exhibited larger landfall sizes compared to other months.
Average landfall size was comparable between the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast.
Size did not differ significantly across Category 1–4 storms.

Implications of the Three Studies

SCIPP says that collectively, these three studies highlight the “critical need to better understand tropical cyclone characteristics that directly affect coastal populations.”

The researchers hope to translate their scientific findings into actionable guidance for emergency management, infrastructure planning, and long-term community resilience.

The annual report also contains fascinating findings by leading academic institutions in the region on:

Hazard mitigation in areas without hazard mitigation planning capabilities
Heat stress and football-game kickoff times
Impacts of fiscal decentralization on Disaster Risk Reduction
Climate migration
Case studies
Workshop and intern opportunities
More

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Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/28/2025

2921 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Stats for Gulf Coast and Texas Going Back to 1850

8/27/2025 – This week marks the 8th anniversary of Hurricane Harvey and the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina – two of the most destructive storms in recent American history. So I wanted to see what the hurricane stats tell us about this part of the hurricane season as far back as we can reliably see.

The National Hurricane Center has an excellent climatology page for the broader Atlantic basin. But I could not find any lists on their site for the Gulf and Texas. So I asked ChatGPT for some research help narrowing the geographic scope. Here’s what it found in the data.

Notable Late August Major Hurricanes to Strike Gulf Coast

Several major hurricanes have struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in late August (roughly August 20–31) over the years. Here are the most notable ones:

1. Hurricane Katrina (2005)

Dates: August 23 – 30, 2005
Landfall: August 29 in southeast Louisiana and Mississippi
Impact: One of the costliest and deadliest U.S. hurricanes; catastrophic flooding in New Orleans after levee failures.

2. Hurricane Laura (2020)

Dates: August 20 – 29, 2020
Landfall: August 27 near Cameron, Louisiana (Category 4, 150 mph winds)
Impact: Devastated southwest Louisiana, massive storm surge and wind destruction.

3. Hurricane Harvey (2017)

Dates: August 17 – September 2, 2017
Landfall: August 25 near Rockport, Texas (Category 4)
Impact: Record-breaking rainfall in Houston region (up to 60″), catastrophic flooding across southeast Texas.

4. Hurricane Isaac (2012)

Dates: August 21 – September 1, 2012
Landfall: August 28 in southeast Louisiana (Category 1)
Impact: Widespread flooding, long-duration storm surge, power outages.

5. Hurricane Gustav (2008)

Dates: August 25 – September 4, 2008
Landfall: September 1 in Louisiana (Category 2), but struck the Gulf Coast region late August while strengthening.

6. Hurricane Andrew (1992)

Dates: August 16 – 28, 1992
Landfall: August 24 in South Florida, then August 26 in Louisiana (Category 3)
Impact: One of the most destructive U.S. hurricanes prior to Katrina.

Other Notable Late-August Gulf Hurricanes

1886 Indianola — Aug 20 • TX • Cat 4
1945 Texas Hurricane — Aug 27 • TX • Cat 3.
Hurricane Camille (1969): Landfall August 17 (slightly before “late August,” but historic impact on Mississippi).
Hurricane Allen (1980): Active early to mid-August, not late August.
1999 Bret — Aug 22 • TX • Cat 3.
Hurricane Ida (2021): Formed August 26, made landfall August 29 in Louisiana as Category 4.

✅ Pattern: Late August is part of the peak hurricane season in the Gulf; multiple historic storms—including Katrina, Harvey, Laura, and Ida—all struck between August 25–29.

Two Thirds of All Gulf Coast Hurricanes Strike in August and September

Next, I asked ChatGPT to graph the distribution of all hurricanes (not just majors) to strike the Gulf Coast by month since 1851. NOAA last updated this information in 2020. So, these numbers do not include the last 5 years.

The total was 212; 141 in August and September. That works out to 66.5% of the total.

Counts by month (1851–2020) of all Gulf Coast Hurricanes:

June: 9
July: 17
August: 58
September: 83
October: 39
November: 6

👉 The peak is September, followed by August, then a secondary bump in October. Early (June–July) and late (November) landfalls are much rarer.

Texas Shows Even More Pronounced Concentration in August/September

By contrast, seventy-one percent of all Texas Hurricanes happen in August and September, a slightly higher concentration. We also get proportionately fewer in October compared to the entire Gulf.

Texas hurricane landfalls by month from 1851-2020 include:

June: 5
July: 7
August: 25
September: 29
October: 9
November: 1

Pattern of Active Decades

The distribution suggests clusters of active decades rather than a steady increase or decrease.

List of Texas Hurricane Landfalls

Here’s a historical list of Texas hurricane landfalls (1851–2020), drawn from NOAA’s official Hurricane Research Division dataset. I’ve grouped them by month and included year, name (if available), and Saffir–Simpson category.

June (5 total)

1871 – Indianola hurricane (Cat 3)
1886 – Indianola hurricane (Cat 4, destroyed the city)
1934 – June hurricane (Cat 2)
1957 – Audrey (Cat 3, TX/LA border, strongest in LA but impacted TX)
1960 – Unnamed June storm (Cat 1)

Beryl last year would be a notable addition to this list if we expanded the range of years.

July (7 total)

1867 – Unnamed hurricane (Cat 3, Galveston)
1888 – Unnamed hurricane (Cat 2, TX/LA border)
1909 – July hurricane (Cat 3, Port Arthur region)
1916 – July hurricane (Cat 3, Baffin Bay region)
1933 – July hurricane (Cat 3, south Texas)
1943 – July hurricane (Cat 1, Galveston/Houston area)
1970 – Celia (Cat 3, Corpus Christi, devastating wind damage)

August (25 total)

1880 – Indianola hurricane (Cat 2)
1915 – Galveston hurricane (Cat 4)
1932 – Freeport hurricane (Cat 4)
1942 – August hurricane (Cat 3, near Port O’Connor)
1945 – Texas hurricane (Cat 3, Matagorda)
1947 – Hurricane #4 (Cat 1, Brownsville region)
1961 – Carla (Cat 4, Matagorda)
1967 – Beulah (Cat 3, Brownsville)
1980 – Allen (Cat 3, near Brownsville)
1983 – Alicia (Cat 3, Galveston/Houston)
1999 – Bret (Cat 3, Padre Island, sparsely populated region)
2005 – Rita (Cat 3, TX/LA border, strongest impacts in LA but landfall partly in TX)
2008 – Dolly (Cat 1, near Brownsville)
2008 – Ike (Cat 2, Galveston/Houston, catastrophic surge)
2017 – Harvey (Cat 4, Rockport/Port Aransas, record flooding in Houston area)
(and numerous weaker Cat 1–2 storms in between)

September (29 total)

1900 – Galveston hurricane (Cat 4, deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history)
1919 – Florida Keys / Corpus Christi hurricane (Cat 4, catastrophic in Corpus Christi)
1933 – September hurricane (Cat 3, Brownsville)
1967 – Beulah (still active early September after Aug landfall)
2002 – Lili (weaker in TX, major in LA)
2020 – Hanna (Cat 1, South Padre region)
(plus ~20 others Cat 1–3 from NOAA HRD record, mostly South Texas landfalls)

October (9 total)

1837 – Racer’s Storm (Cat 3, Galveston/Houston area, extensive damage)
1886 – October hurricane (Cat 2, south TX)
1912 – October hurricane (Cat 2, Gulf coast TX/LA border)
1949 – October hurricane (Cat 2, Freeport area)
1989 – Jerry (Cat 1, near Galveston)

November (1 total)

1980 – Hurricane Jeanne (Cat 1, weakened quickly at landfall in south Texas)

✅ Key Pattern:

Peak months for Texas hurricane landfalls are August & September
The most destructive TX hurricanes historically include:
- 1900 Galveston (Cat 4)
- 1915 Galveston (Cat 4)
- 1919 Corpus Christi (Cat 4)
- 1961 Carla (Cat 4)
- 1983 Alicia (Cat 3)
- 2008 Ike (Cat 2, massive surge)
- 2017 Harvey (Cat 4, catastrophic flooding)

1900 Galveston Hurricane Still Deadliest Ever

The 1900 Galveston Hurricane (September 8, 1900) remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Estimated deaths range from 6,000 to 12,000. But the most widely cited figure is 8,000. Roughly one-third of Galveston’s population perished, thousands of homes were destroyed, and the disaster reshaped how the U.S. approached hurricane forecasting and preparedness.

By contrast, Hurricane Harvey in 2017 killed 68 people statewide and 36 in Harris County. You can attribute the improvement (reduction) to better forecasting and infrastructure.

For more information about Texas hurricanes (including tropical storms) going back to the 1500s, see Texas Hurricane History by David Roth of the National Weather Service.

For more interesting Hurricane records, see this post.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/27/2025 with research assistance from ChatGPT

2920 Days since Hurricane Harvey

MoCo Adopts New Drainage Criteria Manual 8 Years After Harvey

Montgomery County has finally updated its drainage criteria manual…eight years after Hurricane Harvey caused widespread flooding that exposed shortcomings in its previous manual which dated to the 1980s.

Unanimously Approved

MoCo Commissioners approved the new manual unanimously this morning. The draft of the new manual was first proposed in early 2024. That followed a minor update in 2019 from the county’s old 1988 drainage criteria manual in effect at the time of Harvey.

The new manual does not adopt all of the minimum drainage recommendations proposed by Harris County for areas draining into Harris, though it is a vast improvement over the previous iteration.

Minimum Drainage Requirements Proposed by Harris County

The minimum drainage requirements proposed by Harris County included five key measures:

1. Using Atlas 14 rainfall rates for sizing storm water conveyance and detention systems.
2. Requiring a minimum detention rate of 0.55 acre-feet per acre of detention for any new development on tracts one acre or larger. A single-family residential structure and accessory building proposed on an existing lot is exempt from providing detention.
3. Prohibiting the use of hydrograph timing as a substitute for detention on any project, unless it directly outfalls into Galveston Bay.
4. Requiring “no net fill” in the current mapped 500-year floodplain, except in areas identified as coastal zones only.
5. Requiring the minimum Finished Flood Elevation of new habitable structures be established at or waterproofed to the 500-year flood elevation as shown on the effective Flood Insurance Study.

Major Changes in New MoCo Drainage Criteria Manual

MoCo’s new drainage criteria manual includes some, but not all, of those recommendations.

Comparison of Recommendations
*Measure*	*Harris*	*Montgomery*
Use of Atlas 14 Rainfall Standards	Yes	Yes
Minimum Detention Rate	.55 acre feet/acre	.55 acre feet/acre for areas greater than 20 acres (see page 57)
Prohibit Hydrographic Timing	Yes	Yes, but with limitations (see page 68)
No Net Fill in 500-Yr Floodplain	Prohibited	Still allowed
Finished Floor Elevation	At 500-yr flood elevation	Requires drainage be maintained one foot below lowest finished floor elevation for 100-year event (See page 54)

It’s not perfect. But it’s a vast improvement. Assuming the county enforces them.

For ease of future reference, you can find Montgomery County’s new, updated Drainage Criteria Manual on the Reports page under the Regulations tab.

Suggestions by MoCo Resident

Montgomery County resident Chad Price addressed Commissioners Court before the vote. He applauded most of the updates in the manual. However, he also urged commissioners to adopt ALL of Harris County’s minimum requirements.

*Chad Price addressing MoCo Commissioners Court*. *The drainage discussion starts at 1:14 into the video.*

Price emphasized the uncertainty surrounding rainfall rates, the increasing frequency of storms that exceed predicted maximums, and flood maps that have yet to be updated to reflect Atlas-14.

He made two excellent points:

We must not design drainage systems based on outdated data.
Better flood regulations are not about stopping growth—they’re about making sure growth is sustainable and safe.

In that regard, Price urged commissioners to update building codes, require smarter drainage planning, preserve natural floodplains, and use science-based floodplain mapping. He said, “These steps will reduce long-term costs to taxpayers, protect property values, and most importantly, safeguard our communities.”

Next Up

Montgomery County’s Floodplain Manager currently shows floodplain regulations adopted in 2014. That’s before the Tax Day, Memorial Day, Harvey, Imelda and May Day 2024 floods. Given the thousands of homes in MoCo that flood repeatedly, there may be some opportunities for improvement in those floodplain regs.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/26/25

2919 Days since Hurricane Harvey

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

Northpark Shaping Up

8/25/25 – For the first time since authorities broke ground for the Northpark expansion project in April 2023, it’s possible to clearly see the outlines of the finished project on the ground. The first all-weather evacuation route from Kingwood is shaping up nicely.

For the most part, contractors have straightened out the zigs and zags. They have finished large sections of the westbound lanes. Drainage for the eastbound lanes is progressing nicely. And soon they will start pouring concrete for large sections of the remaining eastbound lanes.

Pictures Taken on 8/25/25

The drone pictures below show the progress…starting from Russell Palmer Road and heading east.

*Notice how virtually all of the old Eastbound concrete has been removed as far as the eye can see.*

*Looking W from near Warren’s Southern Gardens*

Contractors are installing drainage under the westbound lanes. However, the drainage work is moving from west to east.

*Looking West from near the Kolache Factory and the entrance to Kings Mill.*

*Today, they were working near the Kolache Factory.*

*Father west, sidewalks have already been installed on the north side of the street.*

The photo above shows approximately where the bridge over the railroad tracks and Loop 494 will start. Notice how two lanes veer right to make room for the bridge.

*Connecting the drainage from the east and west sides of the railroad tracks will require the twin five foot steel pipes stockpiled in the foreground.*

However, work on boring under the tracks has stalled for now. But the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority believes that the utility conflicts which have delayed that operation will soon be resolved. Then boring under the tracks can resume.