11/16/25 – Dozens of Kingwood volunteers – young and old – turned out yesterday for Round 4 of Median Madness. Armed with lopping shears, muscle, determination and smiles, they de-vined another section of Northpark Drive just east of West Lake Houston Parkway.
They cut, pulled and stacked mountains of vines that had been creeping out into traffic and reducing visibility. City of Houston Parks Dept. and HPD assisted the effort organized by City Council Member Fred Flickinger’s District E office.
What a Difference a Day Makes!
The work was exhausting, but fun. In a matter of hours, an ad hoc group of volunteers eliminated an eyesore and helped restore one of the worst sections on one of the major arteries in Kingwood. The pictures below tell the story.
The registration team from City Council Member Fred Flickingers District E office.City Council Member Fred Flickinger set the tone for the Vine-Wrestling Championship.Volunteers stretched out for blocks.The joy of triumph.
In the end, the vines were no match for the volunteers…
…or the Houston Parks Department.
Many thanks to the sponsors: Chick-Fil-A, Trees for Kingwood and Houston Parks Department. Also to Council Member Fred Flickinger for organizing the event. And let’s not forget HPD who kept the volunteers safe from traffic as they worked.
Finally, thanks also to all the Greenbelt Guardians, who were well represented.
The Result
The volunteers proved once again that making a difference can be fun and rewarding.
I took the shot below this morning. A day after the event, no more vines or branches were intruding on the roadway! As one of the volunteers said, “I’m so proud of our team! Citizens 1. Ugly Vines 0.”
She can’t wait for the Median Madness Round 5. “This is the tip of the iceberg,” she said.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/16/25
3001 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20251115-DJI_20251115094424_0405_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-11-16 15:15:322025-11-16 15:15:33Median Madness Volunteers De-Vine Another Section of Northpark
11/15/2025 – Today marks 3000 days since Hurricane Harvey – 8.2 years.
In that time, I’ve researched and written 2,941 articles about flooding that have been read 2,737,740 times.
Those articles contained 1,989,909 words (not counting this one). That roughly equals 25 novels.
I’ve also shot 63,526 photos to support that work.
Before I run out of Coke Zeros and power bars, I’d like to look back and ask:
What have we accomplished since Harvey?
What have we learned that can reduce future flooding?
What We Have Accomplished
I asked Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) for a table showing how many structures have been removed from floodplains since Harvey and where. I wanted to show how much we have gotten for our tax dollars.
Unfortunately, they didn’t provide me with exact information requested. Instead, they referred me to two pages on their website.
One showed general areas where they were buying out homes. It provided a round number for the number of buyouts to date: 3,000. But they have 5,000 remaining to close on. Total cost for 8,000: $1 billion dollars. Prorated cost for 3000: $375 million. They never did tell me how many were in each watershed.
The other link led to a list of completed mitigation projects. It showed we’ve spent $1.7 billion to date. But as far as I could see, only a couple of the project summaries linked to the spending page disclosed how many homes were removed from floodplains. That adds another 900 homes. Now, we’re up to 3,900.
So, for each reported home that HCFCD has removed from floodplains since Harvey, they’ve spent somewhere between $436,000 and $538,000.
In fairness, most of the projects completed to date do not involve construction. Said another way, we’ve spent a lot of money preparing for construction on other projects with preliminary studies and right-of-way acquisition. It could also be that the summaries of some projects simply did not list their benefits.
But of the 41 total projects completed to date, it appears that only a handful involved actual construction that removes homes from floodplains.
What Have We Learned?
So what can we deduce from those observations?
It costs far more to remove homes from floodplains than they are worth in most cases.
After floods, private profit turns into public cost. Wouldn’t it be much more cost effective to just:
Not build homes and businesses in risky floodplains or elevate them?
Teach people how to avoid flood risk and give them the tools to do so?
Unify floodplain standards throughout the region, so people downstream don’t bear the brunt of insufficient mitigation upstream?
Actually enforce those floodplain standards instead of looking the other way?
Turn those floodplains into parks that support recreation, healthier lifestyles and home values in adjacent neighborhoods?
Stay involved in mitigation efforts after a flood instead of pretending the next flood is a 100-years away?
So far, we’ve spent a little more than $2 billion to prevent another Harvey. But the storm cost $125 billion. Let’s not forget that. That’s the last lesson.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/15/25
3,000 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Harvey-Damage.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2025-11-15 12:44:012025-11-15 12:44:02What Have We Accomplished and Learned in 3000 Days Since Harvey?
11/14/25 – Both Harris County Commissioners Court and the San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group agreed yesterday to keep new, updated Harris County floodplain maps secret from the public. They accepted Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) explanation that they couldn’t release the maps until FEMA finished vetting them…a process that has gone years longer than scheduled and could drag on for years more. Neither group:
Asked for an explanation of what was taking FEMA so long
Asked how withholding the maps could negatively impact Harris County residents
Pointed to any FEMA regulations requiring that FEMA must release information first
Agreed to pressure FEMA to speed up the vetting process
Addressed why local authorities elsewhere are releasing updated maps before FEMA.
However, a spokesperson for HCFCD insisted after the meetings that HCFCD had a contract with FEMA that prohibited HCFCD from releasing maps paid for with taxpayer money. However, she could not immediately produce the contract for this post.
Other Areas in Texas Released Updated Maps Ahead of FEMA
Other authorities elsewhere seem to have no trouble releasing their updated maps based on Atlas 14. Take the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), for instance. They have posted a DRAFT floodplain viewer since 2022 with disclaimers, even though FEMA has not yet released its versions of the maps.
Screen capture on 11/14/25. Site also contains disclaimer.
The SARA maps even show the 30-year chance-of-flooding to help mortgage applicants understand their flood risk.
San Antonio River Authority Draft Floodplain Viewer showing 30-year flood risk.
Williamson County (Georgetown/Round Rock) also has released its Atlas-14-based floodplain maps ahead of FEMA. The maps feature a slider that lets you compare the extent of old and new floodplains.
11/14/25 Screen capture of old/new floodplain comparison in Williamson County’s draft viewer.
So, it is possible to release new maps ahead of FEMA. No regulations that I can find prohibit it. If Harris County’s contract prohibits it, I will do a followup post when HCFCD produces the contract.
San Jacinto River Flood Planning Group Decides Not to Press Map Update Issue
The San Jacinto River Flood Planning Group (RFPG) met yesterday. Among other things, they voted on a progress report for the Texas Water Development Board that showed their work to date on the next iteration of the state flood plan.
Their interim report identified floodplain expansion everywhere in the river basin except Harris County.
That’s because maps for Harris County were redacted at the request of HCFCD. And that generated a lot of discussion.
One member of the committee said, “We have omitted mapping within Harris County as part of this tech memo deliverable, since that’s posted to the public.” [Emphasis added.] That same member later added, “Not incorporating that maybe oversimplifies or otherwise misleads the general audience.” That member proposed updating the maps before submitting the report to TWDB.
However, instead, the committee decided to simply edit text to remove FEMA’s delivery date for the new maps which HCFCD claims FEMA has repeatedly missed.
“It’s not a change to technical content or substantive content, it’s just going to be how it narrates,” another member said.
The committee also discussed applying political pressure on FEMA to release the maps, but decided not to.
Harris County Commissioners Court Takes No Action on Map Updates
Harris County Commissioners Court on 11/13/25 also included a discussion of the status of flood map updates. (See Item 325 on the agenda.)
Commissioner Tom Ramsey kicked off the discussion by saying, “We have known that FEMA is going to, at some point, issue new floodplain maps for Harris County. And we sit here waiting for FEMA to release these.” Later, he said there would be a significant difference in the extent of floodplains. “The existing 500-year floodplain is now going to be the 100.”
Commissioner Adrian Garcia then said, “This is not my first rodeo related to maps.” He continued. “It’s going to be tough enough when FEMA releases the maps on us, because…
“We’re going to find … developers holding properties that now are going to potentially be un-developable.”
Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia
Garcia suggested that perhaps the National Association of Counties (NACo) “move this item along because it is in limbo.” Then he added, “The federal government needs to own this. They need to do their part. And then we can work it at the local level.”
Tina Petersen, executive director of HCFCD claimed, “The responsibilities of FEMA have always been clear. They are responsible for releasing the flood insurance rate maps.” While that’s a true statement, FEMA is moving away from basing NFIP insurance rates strictly on flood zones. However, the maps will remain critical for mandatory flood-insurance purchase requirements for federally backed mortgages.
Commissioner Rodney Ellis tried to pin Petersen down by asking if other places were releasing updated flood maps and adding disclaimers like “draft” or “preliminary.”
Petersen dodged the question. Her 55-second response boiled down to, “We believe we are close. We believe it is prudent to wait.”
Petersen also dodged Ellis questions relating to FOIA requests and how much the new maps cost the county.
Commissioner Leslie Briones asked for an update on what FEMA has accomplished in the second half of the year. Petersen replied, “Really, where FEMA is at now is all of the data that has been submitted from the flood control district has been reviewed, and they are currently working to develop the draft flood insurance rate maps.”
Briones concluded the discussion. “We are all in and making sure we’re supporting you so that we can get the information out and work in support as strongly as possible,” she said.
That concluded the discussion. Commissioners took no action. They just moved to the next agenda item.
No Good Answers
In the end, the recognition of higher flood risk could increase flood insurance premiums and make floodplain properties more difficult to develop.
Kicking the can down the road and pointing fingers at FEMA, an agency undergoing radical change, avoids difficult conversations now. But it also exposes Harris County residents to higher flood risk.
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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/San-Antonio-River-Authority-30-year-map-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1340&ssl=113402560adminadmin2025-11-14 12:46:272025-11-15 18:30:52New Floodplain Maps Remain Secret For Now – At Least in Harris County
11/12/25 – My weird nephew Izzy called this morning. He was all excited about what he thought would be a tax refund check from Harris County. He had just finished scanning through the San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group’s latest report and had convinced himself that the check was in the mail.
The Holiday Miracle
“Uncle Bob! Uncle Bob! Did you see what happened?”
“No Izzy. Calm down. What happened?”
“Harris County solved all its flooding problems and they didn’t even have to spend half the money in the flood bond!”
“Whoa there, Izzy. That sounds a little too good to be true. What makes you think that?”
(Flipping through a loose-leaf binder with hundreds of pages): “Lookee here, Uncle Bob. Every map in the book is like this. Yessiree.”
“Yep, Uncle Bob. Every county in the river basin has flooding problems ‘cept Harris County. We done solved all our problems! I’m going to get me a new motorcycle with my refund check.”
“What’s wrong with your old motorcycle, Izzy?”
“It got flooded out.”
“And why do you think the county would give you a refund, Izzy?”
“They solved all our problems but only spent half the money. They geniuses.”
Izzy Gets an Education
“But that’s not how bonds work, Izzy. They don’t borrow the money until they need it.”
(Suddenly deflated) “You got to be kidding me.”
“Sorry Iz. I could use a refund check, too.”
“Oh, man. I was going to splurge and get me some nacho cheese Doritos with the change.”
“I’ll treat you to Doritos, Izzy, but I want to figure out what’s going on here.”
Uncle Bob’s Shocking Discovery
(Flipping through the report) “See, Uncle Bob. Harris County has NO flooding problems anymore, anywhere, nohow. I’m going to drop my flood insurance. That’ll save me some serious bank.”
“I wouldn’t drop it just yet, Izzy.”
“Why not?”
“Did you read this explanation on page 14, Izzy?”
“Read? Who reads anymore, Uncle Bob? That’s so old school.”
“It says the flooding in Harris County is still bad. They just aren’t saying how bad.”
“Why?”
“They claim they’ve been trying to figure out how to dish up the bad news…for four years.”
“Damn straight. I just can’t believe they’d try to trick me like this. They ‘da govmint. They ain’t supposed to trick people. Lives depend on this.”
“What do you say we drown our sorrows in some nacho cheese Doritos while I explain about government, Izzy?”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/12/25
2997 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/No-Flooding-in-Harris-e1762992703859.png?fit=1100%2C809&ssl=18091100adminadmin2025-11-12 17:53:122025-11-12 20:27:29Izzy Finds Harris County Magically Solved All Its Flooding Problems Overnight
11/11/25 – The San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group will consider adopting a set of proposed minimum floodplain management practices for the entire river basin at its meeting on November 13. The standards are part of a requirement by the Texas Water Development Board for the 2028 update of the state’s next flood plan.
The recommendations start on page 22 of the technical document. However, the document is 634 pages long and 214 megabytes in size. So, I’ve extracted them for easy reference.
They are targeted to floodplain managers in cities and counties in the San Jacinto River Basin. But they affect everyone from developers, homebuilders, and home buyers to home owners, insurers and first responders. So, I will add some explanatory comments below the proposed regs for those who may not understand their logic or language.
Proposed Minimum Floodplain Management Practices
Participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
All regulatory entities to implement ordinances that meet minimum requirements per the NFIP
All regulatory entities to remain active NFIP participants in good standing
All regulatory entities to participate in the Community Rating System (CRS) Program to reduce flood insurance rate premiums across the region.
Development of “No Adverse Impact” Policies
All regulatory entities to define a no adverse impact policy.
The no adverse impact policy should be focused on preventing negative impacts. Evaluation of impacts should be completed using best available hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, where appropriate.
Establish Minimum Finished Floor Elevations
All new habitable structures shall have a finished floor elevation established at or above or waterproofed to the FEMA effective 0.2% Annual Chance of Exceedance (ACE) flood elevation as shown on effective FIRMs except in areas designated as coastal flood zones.
Where regulatory mapping has been updated using Atlas 14 or newer rainfall data, all new habitable structures shall have a finished floor elevation established at or above or waterproofed to the FEMA effective 1.0% ACE flood elevation as shown on effective FIRMs except in areas designated as coastal flood zones.
In areas designated as coastal flood zones, all new habitable structures shall have a finished floor elevation established at or above or waterproofed to the FEMA effective 1.0% ACE flood elevation as shown on effective FIRMS plus 1 foot of freeboard.
All new critical facilities shall have a finished floor elevation established at or above or waterproofed to the FEMA effective 0.2% ACE flood elevation as shown on effective FIRMs plus 2 feet of freeboard except in areas designated as coastal flood zones.
Where regulatory mapping has been updated using Atlas 14 or newer rainfall data, all new critical facilities shall have a finished floor elevation established at or above or waterproofed to the FEMA effective 1.0% ACE flood elevation as shown on effective FIRMs plus 2 feet of freeboard except in areas designated as coastal flood zones.
In areas designated as coastal flood zones, all new critical facilities shall have a finished floor elevation established at or above or waterproofed to the FEMA effective 1.0%ACE flood elevation as shown on effective FIRMS plus 2 feet of freeboard.
Encourage Use of Best Available Data
Utilize the latest rainfall data, NOAA Atlas 14 or newer rainfall data, when conducting new analyses, designing drainage infrastructure, or developing regulations and criteria.
Compensatory Storage Requirements in the 1.0% ACE Floodplain
Any reduction in floodplain storage or conveyance capacity within the 1.0% ACE regulatory floodplain must be offset with a hydraulically equivalent (one-to-one) volume of mitigation sufficient to offset the reduction, except in areas identified as coastal flood zones.
A full hydrologic and hydraulic analysis should be performed to demonstrate that floodplain fill mitigation provided is sufficient.
Compensatory Storage Requirements in the 0.2/% ACE Floodplain
Any reduction in floodplain storage or conveyance capacity within the 0.2% ACE regulatory floodplain must be offset with a hydraulically equivalent (one-to-one) volume of mitigation sufficient to offset the reduction, except in areas identified as coastal flood zones.
A full hydrologic and hydraulic analysis should be performed to demonstrate that floodplain fill mitigation provided is sufficient.
Development of Detailed Hydrologic and Hydraulic Analysis Criteria/Requirements
All regulatory entities to develop hydrologic and hydraulic modeling criteria or requirements.
All regulatory entities to identify features of a proposed development that would warrant a full hydrologic and hydraulic analysis.
Incentivizing the Preservation of the Floodplain
All regulatory entities to explore and develop systems for incentivizing the preservation of the floodplain directly within the regulatory floodplain or within 100 feet of the banks of unstudied streams.
Nature-Based Solutions
All regulatory entities to adopt criteria for design of nature-based solutions for drainage infrastructure and stormwater quality management. TWDB’s nature-based solutions guidance manual should be referenced when adopting criteria.
All regulatory entities to establish criteria that would require new construction to incorporate, or minimally consider, nature-based solutions in design of drainage infrastructure and mitigation.
Operations and Maintenance
All flood-related authorities who own and operate drainage infrastructure to create a maintenance plan for those assets to manage and reduce future replacement costs.
All flood-related authorities who own and operate drainage infrastructure to develop and maintain an asset management plan, including GIS dataset of assets, to support maintenance of infrastructure. Datasets to leverage infrastructure toolkit that has been prepared by the TWDB to improve the assessment of drainage infrastructure condition and functionality.
Property Acquisition Program
All regulatory entities to develop property acquisition program for repetitive loss structures.
Flood Warning System
All regulatory entities to develop flood warning system for public awareness.
Hazard Mitigation Plan
All regulatory entities to develop a Hazard Mitigation Plan to help prepare for, respond to, and recover from flood events and maximize funding eligibility for disaster recovery funding.
Explaining the Proposed Minimum Floodplain Regulations
If you’re scratching your head about anything above, the following explanations may help.
NFIP and CRS
The National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System (CRS) encourages counties and municipalities to go beyond minimum floodplain management requirements in exchange for discounts on flood insurance premiums for their residents.
CRS rewards local governments that implement regulations which:
Reduce flood losses
Encourage accurate insurance rating
Promote awareness of flood risk
Depending on the strength of a community’s practices, it could earn its residents anywhere from 0% to 45% discounts on their flood insurance premiums. Currently, Houston and Harris County earn 25% discounts. Montgomery County earns 15%.
So encourage your elected officials. This recommendation hits you in the pocketbook.
No Adverse Impact
Chapter 11.086 of the Texas Water Code says “No person may divert or impound the natural flow of surface waters in this state, or permit a diversion or impounding by him to continue, in a manner that damages the property of another by the overflow of the water diverted or impounded.”
The San Jacinto Flood Groups recommendation encourages local governments to adopt policies and best practices that prevent such adverse impacts.
Finished Floor Elevations
These recommendations encourage cities and counties to establish minimum heights above expected flood levels for buildings. “Finished floor” refers to living space. Sometimes people park cars under the first finished floor. This recommendation does not count garages below living space.
Together these recommendations say that if an area has adopted Atlas 14 (the latest rainfall probability statistics) and flood maps have been updated, the first finished floor can be set at or above the 100-year (1%) flood level. Otherwise, the first finished floor should be elevated at or above the 500-year (.02%) flood level.
Critical facilities, such as hospitals, fire stations, police stations and evacuation centers should always be at least 2 feet above the 500-year flood elevation.
Compensatory Storage Requirements
This recommendation is the same as “no net fill” requirements already in effect for many 100-year floodplains in the region. It has the effect of saying, “You can’t bring dirt into the floodplain, but you can move it around.” For instance, to elevate homes, builders would have to use the dirt excavated from a detention basin. It’s designed to prevent constriction of the floodplain, which could raise flood heights.
Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) Analyses
H&H Studies define where and how flooding occurs, including how fast runoff occurs, how fast it will move and where it will go. They replace flood maps based on outdated or incomplete data. They incorporate Atlas 14 rainfall data and account for new development, impervious cover, and drainage changes, including recent channel improvements or detention basins.
They enable updated floodplain mapping and help build regional consistency in data and methodology. That in turn helps improve local floodplain regulations and insurance accuracy.
Floodplain Preservation and Nature-Based Solutions
The farther homes are from floodplains, the safer they are. Preventing flood damage is vastly cheaper than correcting damage afterwards, often by a factor of 5 to 10 times or more.
Floodplain preservation provides permanent benefits including economic continuity, insurance savings, environmental benefits, and recreational benefits. It also avoids post-flood recovery costs including infrastructure repair, housing assistance, insurance claims, business disruption, and environmental cleanup.
O&M, Property Acquisition, Flood-Warning System, and Hazard Mitigation Plan
The last four floodplain management recommendations emphasize preparation.
Regular maintenance, for instance, can keep channels from becoming clogged with sediment.
Buyouts in areas that flood repeatedly prevent future damage and mitigation costs.
Flood warning systems can tell people when to evacuate or streets to avoid in a flood.
A hazard mitigation plan helps identify natural hazards, assess risks and vulnerabilities, and outline long-term strategies to deal with them.
11/10/25 – The Texas Water Development Board’s San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group will meet on Thursday, November 13, to consider adopting a technical memorandum that shows the river basin’s 100-year floodplains more than doubling in size.
However, even though the group acknowledges the superiority of Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) MAAPnext floodplain models, Harris County refuses to release updated flood maps. As a consequence, hundreds of pages of maps in the 634-page document show nothing for Harris County flood risk. Why?
Example of redacted map from page 98.
You can find the answer at the top of Page 14. “MAAPnext mapping information has not yet been made available to the public and will not be released to the public by HCFCD until late 2025 or early 2026. Given the sensitivity of this information…”
“… HCFCD has asked that MAAPnext mapping information not be shared publicly so that they can continue to carefully and thoughtfully control the roll out of this information to Harris County residents.”
Page 14, Draft Region 6 Technical Memorandum dated November 2025
HCFCD did not respond to a request for explanation or comment.
Redacted Information Exposes Public to Unnecessary Risk
This isn’t national-defense information. It’s public-safety information that you need to protect your family and life savings.
The County has been on the verge of releasing this information since 2021. But the County has postponed the release multiple times without a good explanation.
I have little faith in the late 2025/early 2026 release date. They have simply postponed it too many times. And in fact, a quick check of the MAAPnext website shows they’ve already delayed release again. Now they predict the END of 2026.
HCFCD blames delays on FEMA. But HCFCD doesn’t even need FEMA’s permission to release what they now have.
FEMA’s authority extends to flood insurance maps. But other counties release flood-map updates before FEMA for their own regulatory and public safety purposes. And that’s how this information could help.
Why We Need This Information Now
People need this data to make important decisions, such as:
Should I buy this house?
What is the real flooding risk at my house?
Should I buy flood insurance?
Can I afford flood insurance on top of my mortgage?
Is my parent’s house at risk? My children’s?
Is the assisted living center where my relatives live at risk for flooding?
Would you want to make one of these decisions knowing the government deliberately withheld information that could save a loved one’s life or your life savings? These are life-altering decisions affecting potentially hundreds of thousands of people.
A Houston Chronicle investigation found that 65,000 homes have been built in floodplains since Harvey – a number based on old pre-Atlas-14 flood maps.
The Region 6 Technical Report suggests that number may be radically understated. If floodplains cover twice as many square miles, it stands to reason more people will be affected.
Harris County has updated maps.
Not releasing the maps is a public-safety scandal.
Bob Rehak
Even worse, not explaining why the public can’t see information that could save lives and life savings is an even bigger scandal.
Meeting Information
The San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group (RFPG) will meet on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 10:00 AM at the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, 1660 W Bay Area Blvd, Friendswood, TX 77546, Board Room.
The public may attend and address the RFPG in-person. Or as a courtesy you may virtually access the meeting “as technology permits.” The link for virtual access can be found at: sanjacintofloodplanning.org. And here is the agenda.
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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Region-6-Floodplain-Expansion.png?fit=2544%2C1786&ssl=117862544adminadmin2025-11-10 18:59:482025-11-10 19:11:46100-Year Floodplains Doubling in Size, But HCFCD Won’t Release New Maps
11/9/2025 – In a continuing effort to make ReduceFlooding.com as useful to readers as possible, I have added a new tab on the Reports Page. It’s called Real-Time Conditions and Floodplain Extents. The information on this page comes from national, state and local sources.
On one page, you can find numerous links to sources that can help you understand your flood risk when you are deciding whether to evacuate, fleeing from a flood, or buying a home.
For instance, want to see how high the water got during a particular flood in the Humble/Kingwood Area downstream from the US59 Bridge? Check out the interagency Flood Decision Support Toolbox below.
Interagency Flood Risk Management Flood Decision Support Toolbox shows real-time weather information and includes the estimated depth of water in hypothetical flooding scenarios. You can answer questions like “Will my house flood if a flood event causes the San Jacinto River to rise 10ft?”
TexMesonet displays real-time and seasonal data from weather stations across the state including precipitation, soil moisture, and other measurements.
National Water Prediction Service – Monitors and predicts river levels/flood peaks. Also acts as gateway to other NOAA information such as weather forecasts, precipitation estimates, extreme events, etc.
Harris County Flood Warning System – shows a network of gages throughout the Houston region that provide precipitation and stream levels during various time periods. Includes historical information.
Harris County Flood Education Mapping Tool – shows channels and mapped floodplains in Harris County. Not real time, but useful for cross reference with flood warning system.
Houston Public Works Floodplain Viewer – is similar to Harris County Flood Education Mapping Tool, but shows additional street level detail, making it easy to visualize extent of mapped floodplains. Useful for homebuyers.
Caution: Flood Maps May Not Yet Be Updated to Atlas 14
Please be aware of the date on maps that show the extent of floodplains. As of this writing, most pre-date NOAA’s Atlas 14 rainfall probability statistics. When FEMA officially updates maps, the floodplains will likely expand. For instance, Harris County Flood Control District advises people that 100-year floodplains could become 500-year floodplains when FEMA releases updated maps.
Additional weather related links can be found on the Links page under the Weather/Flood/Climate Tab.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/9/2025
2994 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20251109-InFRM-Decision-Support-Tool-Box-Flood-Extent-During-Harvey.jpg?fit=1100%2C810&ssl=18101100adminadmin2025-11-09 19:32:452025-11-09 19:49:28New Feature on ReduceFlooding.com
11/8/25 – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has not just battled nature’s extremes this year. It has also battled political superstorms that have left both employees and citizens exposed and uncertain.
Disasters So Far in 2025
Despite a quieter than normal hurricane season so far this year, the U.S. has suffered:
Wildfires in Southern California that burned 57,529 acres and more than 18,000 structures. They cause 200,000 people to evacuate and killed up to 440 people.
A outbreak of 118 tornados across the Mississippi Valley from Illinois to Louisiana between March 13 and March 16, killing 43 people and causing an estimated $11 billion in damage.
It’s not that FEMA was unresponsive in these events. It’s just that the agency has been hampered by political crosswinds and uncertainty. Early in the year, the Trump administration announced that it wanted to eliminate FEMA. But more recently, as disasters piled up, the administration has said it wants to restructure FEMA.
At the same time, FEMA has eliminated the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. The exact value of such grants is unknown. However estimates range from almost $900 million to $3.6 billion.
FEMA’s own budget could be cut, too. Though not yet fully enacted, the administration’s FY2026 budget proposal included a cut of about $646 million for FEMA from prior levels.
Why Response at Federal Level Makes More Sense for Rare Disasters
The Administration has said it wants state and local governments to take on the cost for disaster recovery. State and local governments already provide much of the funding for minor disasters. But can they provide the funding needed for the type of major disasters mentioned above?
Shortly before the government shutdown started, the Wall Street Journal ran an illuminating article about the changing focus at FEMA.
“The city [St. Louis] doesn’t have the finances, institutional knowledge or equipment to rapidly respond to catastrophic disasters like the tornado that struck in May, which the city estimates caused $1.6 billion in damage,” it said.
“Any one individual municipality, county or even state can go years to decades without a major disaster that they have to respond to,” continued the article in the Balanced Weather Blog.
“The idea that these levels of government are going to maintain the large, complex infrastructure needed to effectively and adequately respond to rare catastrophic events is not only nonsensical, it would be an incredibly poor use of taxpayer money,” it continued.
“Having a robust FEMA enables the ongoing maintenance of the needed disaster response infrastructure at a federal level which can then be deployed when and where it is needed.”
Economies of Scale
That makes sense to me. Would you ask each state to provide its own Army, Navy and Air Force? Of course not.
Certain tasks require economies of scale to match threats. That’s what FEMA provides. The ability to shift people and resources where they’re needed when they’re needed makes more economic sense than forcing each of 50 states to duplicate those resources for a disaster that may never strike in a lifetime.
That said, I believe it’s also incumbent on cities, counties and states to shoulder as much of the burden as they can.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/8/2025
2993 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/federal-emergency-management-agency-fema-logo-png_seeklogo-397813.png?fit=1100%2C601&ssl=16011100adminadmin2025-11-08 21:14:362025-11-09 09:43:31Why We Need FEMA
Faced with that potential loss, you would think HCFCD would be scurrying to launch projects. But the last two commissioners court agendas offer a glimpse into an institution hampered by malaise.
October 30 Agenda
The October 30th agenda showed just four items under Flood Control District.
One had to do with recognizing a vendor name change
Another had to do with buying out a single property to prevent future flood damage to it
Two had to do with purchasing four tracts of land for stormwater conveyance improvements.
In fairness, the agenda included several additional Flood-Control items under the Purchasing department. They included:
Five vendor name changes
Two maintenance contract extensions
Feasibility study for a detention basin in the Greens Bayou watershed
A bid calendar
A professional services procurement policy
Under Transmittals, Commissioners received a Preliminary engineering report for mainstream improvements to Halls Bayou that was completed 4.5 months earlier. They also received notice that two mowing contracts would be advertised for bidding.
The agenda included no capital-improvement or construction contracts that would actually reduce flood risk.
Ironically, all that could harm disadvantaged constituents that the majority on commissioners court says need help the most – minorities with low-to-moderate incomes. Reportedly, more than 70% of the $322 million in projects endangered by a looming February 28, 2026 deadline would benefit that group.
At the current rate of one new construction project a month, it could take HCFCD another 11 to 12 years to complete the 137 projects remaining in the Flood Bond.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/7/25
2992 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Forest-Green-Location-Map-2-scaled-e1762557412221.jpg?fit=1100%2C688&ssl=16881100adminadmin2025-11-07 17:46:442025-11-07 18:19:55Harris County Commissioners Court Agendas Reflect HCFCD Slowdown
11/6/25 – Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger has scheduled another round of Median Madness for November 15. The focus this time will be a stretch of Northpark near the Kroger at the intersection with West Lake Houston Parkway.
Median Madness events not only beautify Kingwood medians, they improve traffic safety by improving visibility and removing roadway incursions.
The November 15 event will make up for one last May that had to be rescheduled because of rain.
How to Sign Up
Flickinger invites residents to join in continuing these efforts to keep District E beautiful. Those interested in volunteering can contact the District E office at districte@houstontx.gov to get involved.
Said Flickinger, “Your teamwork and commitment continue to make a tremendous impact on our community medians and the overall appearance of our city.”
Thank You to All Supporters
Flickinger also thanked the Houston Police Department, Houston Parks and Recreation Department, the Houston Toolbank, Council Member Julian Ramirez and generous sponsors for helping to make this upcoming event a success in the spirit of past events.
Sponsors for this event include Chick-Fil-A, Trees for Kingwood and Houston Parks and Recreation.
Read more about the community’s efforts and see photos from the last event here:
Please bring water, gloves, and shears. And wear closed-toed shoes. All ages are welcome, but those under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/6/25
2991 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20251106-Screenshot-2025-11-06-at-8.23.03-PM.jpg?fit=1100%2C700&ssl=17001100adminadmin2025-11-06 20:28:152025-11-06 20:31:46Save the Date: Median Madness Round 4 Scheduled for November 15
