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Jim & Melissa Balcom’s Hurricane Harvey Story: A Cautionary Tale

Interview by Bob Rehak

Jim and Melissa Balcom live in a spectacular three-story home built on pylons 12 feet above the ground and 20 feet above the San Jacinto West Fork. Their home fronts on the north bank immediately west of River Grove Park. They named one son River, another Talon (like the eagles that perch outside their windows), and their dog Rio. To say they love the river lifestyle would be an understatement. But they admit it comes with a high level of anxiety. Jim, who is a contractor, built the house himself on property that Melissa’s father owned for decades. Jim wrangled with the City of Houston and FEMA for TWO YEARS over permits.

Their home now sits about 125 feet from the West Fork. Before Harvey, it was 300 feet. The flood eroded a peninsula and small channel between them and the river. The peninsula used to have a thick stand of trees on it. They’re all gone now. Harvey gave the Balcoms a spectacular view, but it also gave them a constant reminder of the river’s terrifying power.

I interviewed the Balcoms on December 30, 2018, as the river was coming out of its banks for the fifth time last year.

Permitting Gauntlet and Post-Harvey Repairs

Rehak: You have a beautiful property here. Tell me the history.

Jim: Back in 2007, we started the permitting process through the city and FEMA. We went back and forth with them for two years. They were trying to shut down all building in the floodway and there was a huge lawsuit over it. But since we were in the process before they passed the ordinance about not building in the floodway, they let us finish. But dealing with them was very hard. I always tell people that if you want to buy property out here, you better look into it first.

It’s very soft sand down here. The engineer told us we would have to go 25 feet down to go 25 feet up with pylons. It’s flooding now at a rate that’s 10 times normal. (Pointing to the rising water) A few more feet and we have to pack our bags and get out of here!

The Encroaching River

Melissa: Before Harvey, there used to be a giant bank of trees just off our property that formed a little canal. You couldn’t even see the river. Harvey took all that out.

*Aerial photo of Balcom property taken two weeks after Harvey.*

That peninsula went all the way down to River Grove Park.

*Note peninsula along north side of river before Harvey. Now you see it…*

*After Harvey, now you don’t see it. The peninsula eroded away, leaving the Balcoms almost two hundred feet closer to the river.*

Melissa: Now it’s all gone.

Jim: We decided we were going to move in here and we were committed. Our house is all steel framing. We have a hundred yards of concrete in the foundation. The first finished floor is 20 feet above the normal river level, but we still had one foot in the house, which is about where that window ledge is.

*Harvey floodwaters came up more than 20 feet to the bottom of the Balcom’s window ledge.*

Pre-Harvey Prep

Rehak: Tell me about your prep before Harvey. You knew it was coming.

Melissa: We were ready to evacuate. We had our bags packed and were ready to go. We’d put everything up. At 3 a.m., we got a call from a friend in Conroe telling us about the dam release. So, we threw our bags in the truck and rushed over to another friend’s house in Trailwood. Our goal was just to get out. We thought the water would go under the house and everything would be fine.

That Sinking Feeling

Melissa: But before you knew it, our Trailwood friends were starting to flood.Their house had neverflooded. Then we’re in a panic trying to help them save their house…which is not on stilts. Then we heard that there was water in Kingwood high school and we knew that our house was flooded, because if water got in the high school, it’s high enough to flood us.

Disappearing Neighborhood

Jim: This neighborhood is slowly going away. Pretty soon, it won’t be here. There used to be a hundred homes here. Then it went down to 60 after the ’94 flood. Then 50. Now we’re down to 25. That house on the corner has water in it every time it floods. I don’t even know how they’re surviving.

Melissa: We moved here because my dad owned the lot for a long time. He’s a CPA by trade and does contracting as a hobby, too, so it was fun to think about building this kind of house. But it took six years to build. Everything took exponentially longer than it would to build a regular house.

Engineering Challenge

Jim: We had to go 25 feet down before we got to any kind of stable ground. The engineer I used was from Galveston. There, they only go 10 feet down. Sometimes less.

He designed an 18-inch solid slab, with three layers of rebar and grade beams around the edge. It all ties into the pylons. We have 4×16 steel beams. It also has an 8-inch thick concrete stairwell in the center. Everything at ground level is designed to let the water flow through, like these louvered shutters.

Rehak: How did you determine the height of the first floor?

Jim: We built this house three feet higher than FEMA required.

Melissa: It was based on the ‘94 flood.

Jim: Downstairs, the slab is at 50 feet elevation. 56 is the height of the spillway at the dam. The water elevation is normally at 42.5. Our finished floor was 14 feet above the slab, or 64 feet. We thought we were smart to do that. But still, with all of that, we had a foot of water in the first finished floor. From the ground to where the water came was 15 feet.

So at this spot, the flood reached 65 feet.

*A subtle reminder and conversation starter, the Balcoms painted this high water mark next to their front door.*

Melissa: The neighbor’s house is set lower than ours. She had eight feet of water in hers. Hers was built 20 years before ours, so FEMA wasn’t requiring what they’re requiring now.

Rehak: So, they’re not permitting anything down here anymore?

Jim: After we got our permit, they tried to shut everything down. They let the people who had already applied continue. Then they tried to shut down all floodway permits, but later pulled back on that.

A Home’s Value

Melissa: You may have noticed the for-sale sign down the block. That lot has been for sale the entire time we have lived here. People come out here and they look at it and say, “Wow, look at this. This is really beautiful. It’s great. Then when they go to get the permit, it’s impossible to get because of the location.

Rehak: Is it impossible or just cost prohibitive?

Jim: It took us two years of steady work with the city. Then they said, OK, now you have to get FEMA’s approval. They did everything they could to talk us out of it. It was just one thing after another – endless stuff you had to do. And that was before Harvey when things were flowing better around here.

Rehak: So, having gone through all that, living in this gorgeous house with this gorgeous view, is it worth it in your opinion? Would you do it all over again?

Melissa: NO!

Rehak: (Laughing) That was pretty quick.

Jim: It’s really scary to think you could lose your home.

Melissa: We will never be able to sell our house. It’s worth only what its value is to us. We can’t say, “OK, well let’s move.” There’s no way to get out of the house what we put into it. That’s because of Harvey.

Changes in River Behavior

Jim: We don’t know that for sure. I think anywhere on a waterway, you’re at risk. But what’s bad for us at this point is that it keeps flooding and keeps leaving mud in the yard and it didn’t used to do that. We’ve lived here for a long time. Every once in a while, water would come up in the yard, but nothing like it does now.

Rehak: In the eight years before Harvey that you lived here, how often did the water come up?

Melissa: Three times that we had to leave and go stay in a hotel. At 48 feet, the river starts to get in our yard. Anything over 50 feet, that’s when we have to leave to get our stuff out safely.

Endless Mud and Dead Trees

Rehak: What was involved in the cleanup?

*After Harvey, sediment covered the stairs up to the second floor. Two to three feet covered the ground.*

Melissa: After Harvey there were two to three feet of sediment underneath our house. We had to get a bulldozer and push it all over the yard. Harvey destroyed a houseboat and another house just up the canal from us and left debris all over our yard. Then there were all the trees that fell. We had to pick those up, too.

Jim: We lost several 100-foot pine trees. They’re dying left and right from all the silt that the flood left on top of everything.

*Part of the tree tangle that the Balcoms had to clear from their property after Harvey*

Melissa: That was the biggest part of the cleanup. The dirt everywhere. It gets in your house.

Rehak: How long did it take you to clean up after the flood?

Jim: We’re still cleaning. With this recent flooding, there are so many branches and so much mud, it’s hard to really get it cleaned up completely.

Eagles Outside Your Living Room

Rehak: You said there were eagles living around here. Tell me about that.

Jim: Lately, we’ve had them flying nearby. Two weeks ago, we had two full grown eagles fly into the tree behind the house. White headed. Full grown. We’ve seen them several times.

Rehak: Are you concerned about the impact of high rises on wildlife?

Soil Like Baby Powder in a Glass of Water

Jim: Yes, but a bigger concern is people’s safety. After spending two years to get a permit for this house, I can’t imagine how they would get a permit for all of that. The river is out of control. The flooding is out of control. And then to build a road! The soil is so unstable. It’s like if you poured baby powder in a glass of water. If you’re not from around here, you can’t imagine what it’s like. They would have to put in pylons. It would cost a billion dollars to do that. I can’t imagine how much money that would cost.

Untamed Nature

Rehak: Still, you chose to live here.

Jim: My son caught a 44-pound catfish right on that bank when he was ten. We have eagles perching outside our living room window.

*Pair of adult Bald Eagles perched in tree outside Balcom’s window.*

Rehak: You are big nature people. If you take the anxiety of the flooding away, are you still happy you live here?

Melissa: Oh, absolutely.

Jim: We have the most unique house around. In some ways were the lucky ones. But we’re also the unlucky ones, too. In normal conditions, prior to Harvey, the water would get in the yard occasionally. But we never had to evacuate until the Tax-Day flood, the Memorial-Day flood, and Harvey. And those were followed by five more floods this year!

Future of North-Shore Area: Increasing Isolation

Rehak: What do you see as the future down here.

Jim: I feel like eventually were going to be one of the few remaining here.

Rehak: You’re becoming increasingly isolated. Is that good or bad?

Jim: We like the isolation, but I feel that we’re really at risk because of the river. We could lose everything we have.

*Visual warning to high-rise developers. Photo taken by Jim Balcom near River Bend during Harvey. Note wet marks on pole. Water was actually several feet higher than shown here.*

Melissa: We budgeted for all the trouble. But we have friends in Trailwood and Kingwood Lakes that should have never flooded. That wasn’t supposed to happen to them. So, it was a lot more devastating to them…even though we live right here.

I thank the Balcoms and leave, thinking about the folly of permitting new structures in such a dangerous area, even as the County and City are buying out and tearing down hundreds of homes nearby that were destroyed by repeated flooding. With all the Balcoms did, they still flooded. And Romerica plans to build 5000 condos EIGHT feet LOWER than the level that the Balcoms flooded at.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/15/2019

563 Days after Hurricane Harvey

John Rocco’s Harvey Experience: Death and Destruction in the X-Zone

John Rocco lives in Kingwood Greens where 225 out of 225 homes flooded according to statistics compiled by the Kingwood Service Association. John is a man of few words. He let these images tell the story for him and sketched out a few details (see below). All images were taken after he was able to re-enter his home. I can only imagine his horror. It looks like his whole home was shaken, not stirred. But the home wasn’t the real tragedy.

John Rocco #1 — *An inch of mud and flood damage up to the door knob.*

John Rocco #2 — *Fine layers of silt cover everything.*

John Rocco #3 — *Large screen TV flipped off its stand*

John Rocco #7 — *What 240,000 CFS can do to your home*

John Rocco #8 — *His life was turned upside down.*

John Rocco #11 — *Room no longer fit for living*

John Rocco #12 — *Uncalm after the storm*

John Rocco #13 — *Come right in and sit awhile!*

Death and Destruction in the X-Zone

Said Rocco, “I’m supposedly not in a flood plain (Zone X) and I did the research on the build up of the Greens area after the 1994 flood before buying here in 2015. My house was built in 2005. Before moving here, I lived on Scenic Shore in Kings Point since 2001.”

“My son lost his house in the Enclave as well as his business next to the FEDEX store. We restored both as well as my house. My neighbor and I rescued the 90-year-old next door just as the water was within an inch of covering her bed in her first floor master. She had no idea. Unfortunately, she died about 2 months later.”

“My wife was suffering with stage 4 cancer. I had to carry her out of the house in waist deep water to a rescue boat that our son arranged to pick us up. She was in shock. She caught pneumonia twice, spent time in the hospital. She passed away in May, 2018, nine months later. I’m not blaming the flood per se, but it certainly had an effect.”

“I will say this. I will not restore all this again if we don’t get appropriate actions to mitigate flooding problems.”

Directly Impacted by Mouth Bar

Thank you, John, for reminding our political leaders of the pain that thousands of residents suffered. The homes in Kingwood Greens, like those in Foster’s Mill, Kings Point, Kings River and Atascocita Point were directly impacted by the mouth bar.

A year and a half after Harvey, a year after Mayor Turner said the mouth bar would be removed, and six months after “everybody but Trump” met in Austin and agreed in principle to remove it, not one cubic yard has been removed.

Performance, Not Promises

As we head into another election season AND another hurricane season, we need to remind our elected officials that it’s time for performance, not promises.

Posted by Bob Rehak on March 14, 2019

562 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Melissa Sturgis’ Harvey Story: Three Generations of Antiques Out on the Curb

This is another in a series of looks back at Harvey, as told through the photos of its victims.

Melissa Sturgis, self-described “oil-patch gypsy,” is still angry. “My entire home. Treasured antiques, three generations back from New England, are on this curb. Furniture and collectibles from eight years overseas in Malaysia, London and Russia. It’s a crime.”

Melissa Sturgis #4. Treasured antiques 3 generations back from New England are on this curb. Furniture and collectibles from 8 years overseas in Malaysia, London and Russia. — *Photo courtesy of Melissa Sturgis. Her entire home, three generations of family antiques, and treasures acquired from traveling the world for eight years…all went to the curb after Hurricane Harvey.*

Melissa Sturgis #1 — *What was left on the inside of Melissa Sturgis’ home after Harvey.*

Melissa Sturgis #2 — *Melissa Sturgis, who is 5’10”, shows how high the water got during Harvey.*

Melissa Sturgis #7 — *Family heirloom warped beyond usability.*

Melissa Sturgis #6 — *Catch of the day. Fish on the floor after Harvey.*

Melissa Sturgis #13 — *Harvey’s wake-up call.*

Melissa Sturgis #12 — *“Someone bring a mop.”*

Melissa Sturgis #11 — Morning after Harvey. Melissa Sturgis’ Slip ‘N Slide Dining Room.

Melissa Sturgis #5 — *Shattered dreams left behind by Hurricane Harvey.*

Silver Lining

Melissa Sturgis lives in Alaska now and says she is not moving back, though she keeps in touch with all of her Kingwood friends.

“Harvey was devastating, but it actually had a silver lining. It shook us out of complacency and made us more resilient…taught us that life is about more than things….it’s about perfect strangers coming together to help one another. People opening their home to the five of us for several days.”

“As a side note, my brother in law, sister in law, nephew and 2 cats from Sugarland were forced to evacuate. They drove hours in the torrential rain to get to my house in KW for safety–then lost their two cars in my driveway—AND THEY NEVER FLOODED IN SUGARLAND. And my sister in law had cancer at the time….and still does.”

“Yes it was tortuous, tossing out Great Grandma’s Dining Room table onto the pile….as Grandma (who also flooded and was evacuated from Arbor Terrace in Town Center) sat on the sidewalk watching her things and her mother’s antiques get tossed. Excruciating. But we survived. I’m just grateful I am no longer there. I was in Kingwood last week visiting my mother in law and Fosters Mill Estates STILL has houses abandoned or partially fixed and for sale. Some are still being worked on. It’s awful.”

Why I’m Posting These Now

Melissa donated her pictures to the cause in the hope that they will help create awareness of the devastation that flooding causes, and perhaps, just perhaps, they may create some positive change, too. Thanks, Melissa!

I’m posting these now for several reasons:

Council Member Martin and Mayor Turner are hosting a town hall meeting on March 21st
It’s been a year since Mayor Turner promised the community 10 additional flood gates for Lake Houston and dredging of the mouth bar.
Sand mining contributed to the Harvey Disaster and bills that would strengthen sand mining regulation have reached the Natural Resources and Energy Resources committees in the State House of Representatives.
Romerica is proposing to build 25-50 story high rises near the floodway of the San Jacinto. Regulators need to be reminded of what Harvey did to people who trusted them for protection.
Hopefully, we won’t repeat the mistakes of the past…if people remember.

If you have pictures from Harvey that you would like to share with the world, please send them through the submissions page of this web site.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/13/2019

561 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Sign of Recovery: Last FEMA Trailer Leaves Kings Forest

David Burress, head of the Kings Forest architectural review committee, sent me this picture yesterday. It shows what he believes to be the last FEMA trailer leaving Kings Forest. It’s a modest, although important sign of recovery.

Kings Forest lies north of Kingwood Drive, 1.5 to 2 miles from the San Jacinto River. Despite the distance and a marked elevation change, 108 out of 250 Kings Forest homes flooded during Hurricane Harvey – 43%.

*Last FEMA trailer leaving Kings Forest after Hurricane Harvey*

Burress snapped this with his cell phone from across the street. “This was the last remaining trailer that I am aware of,” he said. “Most people didn’t even know it was there.”

While symbolic, the absence of trailers does not mean the recovery is behind us.

Many Still Struggle with 3 Cs: Cash, Confidence, Contractors

Many still live in part of their homes while the remainder undergoes repairs. The most common reasons cited for the lengthy repairs? The 3Cs: cash, confidence, and contractors.

Some thought they didn’t need flood insurance because they lived outside the 500-year floodplain. They now find themselves trying to pay out of pocket for repairs costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Still more struggle with the lack of reliable contractors. Many of those have elected to do repair work themselves. For them, life has become an endless string of 16-hour days. They hold down jobs during the day and spend the remainder of their waking hours on do-it-yourself repair projects.

Others are intentionally delaying repairs until they see more progress on flood mitigation. They lack confidence in government to protect them.

Looking Forward to Fall Elections

Some tell me that they look forward to November elections. They’re tired of promises and want performance. For these people, casting their votes will be another small, but symbolic victory.

Posted by Bob Rehak on March 13, 2019

561 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Yes, They Really Are Moving Sand Out of the River

At a community meeting last night, someone asked whether the Army Corps was REALLY taking sand out of the river. They didn’t see any dump trucks and they were concerned that the project was just a big hoax, on the order of Roswell, aliens and UFOs.

You have no idea how often I hear comments like this! Where are they putting all the sand? How does it get there?

Yes, they really are moving sand out of the river. But it’s not with trucks. Two dredges are pumping it though 24-inch pipe and six booster pumps miles upstream. One dredge is south of the Kingwood Country Club. The other is just east of Kings Harbor.

The first dredge is pumping sand back to an abandoned sand pit south of Kingwood College on Sorters Road. The second dredge is pumping it back to a pit on Townsend Boulevard in Humble. Here’s what it looked like today at the Townsend Pit.

*Placement Area #1 on Townsend in Humble just east of North Houston Avenue. The old sand pit is nearly full.*

*Keeping the sand evenly dispersed is a challenge. Bulldozers keep it from building up near the pipe on the left.*
Placement Area #1 is almost filled.

After the sediment drops out of suspension and settles to the bottom of the pit, sediment-free water returns to the river through this drain.

*Picture of pit taken in October 2018 as dredging was beginning. The pit is now almost completely filled.*

*It takes six booster pumps and five miles of pipeline to get the sand where it’s going.*
*Before the job is done, the Army Corps will have picked up a volume of sand equivalent to the Astrodome and moved it five miles.*

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/12/2019

660 Days After Harvey

Cambio, Zeve and Gilman Update Pachyderm Club on Lake Houston Area Flood Mitigation Efforts

Three local luminaries updated residents on the status of various flood mitigation issues and projects Monday night at the March meeting of the Lake Houston Pachyderm Club.

Kaaren Cambio, is the field representative for Congressman Dan Crenshaw and a board director for the SJRA.
Matt Zeve is the Deputy Executive Director for the Harris County Flood Control District. His team is responsible for managing $2.5 billion dollars worth of projects approved last year as part of the Harris County Flood Bond.
Chuck Gilman is the Director of Flood Management with the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA).

Each talked for about 20 minutes.

HUD Homeowner-Grant Update

Cambio explained the holdup for homeowners who may have recently applied for HUD grants from funds that became available in January. Grant restrictions require that at least 70 percent of the money goes to people with low to moderate incomes (LMI). But not enough LMI households have applied yet to reach the 70% goal. As a consequence, applications for the other 30% are being held up.” If you think you may be eligible for assistance, but have not yet applied, check out the State of Texas General Land Office’s Recover Texas website. This will help point you in the right direction no matter where you live.

Mouth Bar Dredging

Cambio also addressed the FEMA/Army Corps Dredging Project on the West Fork and the possibility of extending it to the mouth bar. Cambio said the City has not yet refiled a permit request for long-term storage of the spoils. The original permit request last April was reportedly kicked back. The Corps required more information about the volume of sand to be removed from the mouth bar and the method of storage. The landowner was invited to refile when the information about the volume of sand due to Harvey was determined. However, Tetra Tech has not yet supplied the City with the results of its core sampling study. So the permit request has not yet been refiled and the entire project is at a standstill. “The Corps is still waiting on the permit application,” said Cambio.

Stephen Costello, the mayor’s flood czar did not return inquiries about the delays. In mid-January, he said that he expected results by the end of that month. In the meantime, two local geologists developed a reliable way to estimate the volume without core sampling.

*The giant sand bar at the mouth of the West Fork that is backing water up throughout the Humble/Kingwood area during floods.*

Dam Gates and Upstream Detention

Cambio also briefly addressed upstream detention and additional gates for the Lake Houston Dam. “Future projects are determined by the watershed studies that are underway,” she said. “Those projects need to be based on knowledge. Potential upstream detention is something we are hopeful for. But we need the San Jacinto River Basin STUDY currently underway to make sure we do the right projects in the right places. We need to base the study on projected development for the next 50 years.”

“Dam gates could be done with HUD CDBG-DR money if the rules allow. But we don’t have HUD requirements yet for how the money can be spent. We also don’t have the permits required.”

Flood Bond Project Prioritization

Matt Zeve addressed several misperceptions regarding project prioritization for flood bond projects. He emphasized that:

No projects are being eliminated, and in fact, some may be added.
The county is not shifting money from rich areas to poor.
LMI data is no longer part of the formula being used to determine which projects kick off first.

“The worst projects will be handled first.” Zeve then went on to define how he defined worst. He used the example of homes that experienced a 100-year level of flooding on a two -year rain. Compared to a neighborhood that experienced a 100-year level of flooding on a 50-year rain, the area that flooded on the smaller rain would be handled first.

To see the current formula for prioritizing projects, see the HCFCD website.

More Than Half of Flood Bond Projects Already Started

Zeve also emphasized that 134 out of the 237 projects in the flood bond have already started and that they are broadly distributed throughout the county. He said the county is “looking far beyond Harvey” with the flood bond money. He’s addressing projects that were needed before Harvey as well as projects that will help with future floods still decades away.

Zeve stated that the bond fund contains money set aside to help fund gates once they are designed. (Editorial comment: …assuming that the San Jacinto River Basin study determines they are needed.)

Huffman-Area Drainage Survey Kicking Off

Finally, Zeve addressed a study being kicked off in the Huffman area. It was approved in November 2018, The project will include an engineering investigation into the sources of flooding and offer options for reducing flood damages. Here is a link to the scope of work document. To view the entire scope, click here.

Seasonal Lowering of Lake Conroe

Gilman said that the SJRA board voted for the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe again this year. He explained how that should help mitigate flooding somewhat until other mitigation measures can be put in place. For details of how the plan works, click here.

He also discussed four key pieces of legislation. SB7 and HB13 which would establish resiliency funds to help jumpstart mitigation projects in the future. Case in point: it took FEMA almost a year to approve a $2 million watershed study that could affect additional dredging, detention and gates. The project is just now kicking off and will take another year to 18 months to complete.

I previously reported on SB7 when it was called SB695. The bill was renumbered when it became one of the Lieutenant Governor’s Top Twenty picks for this legislative session, according to Cambio. That greatly enhances its chances of success. HB13 is a comparable house bill, currently in the Natural Resources committee. If both pass, they would go to a conference committee to iron out differences.

Here is the current text of SB7 and a legislative summary of the bill. The Water and Rural Affairs committee heard testimony on it yesterday.

Gilman also urged the public to support SB6. It relates to emergency and disaster management, response, and recovery. SB8 relates to state and regional flood planning.

The Pachyderm Club plans to have another flood-related meeting in May. It will feature Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle addressing readiness for hurricane season which starts on June 1. Most hurricanes that make landfall in Texas occur in August and September with the statistical peak occurring on September 11. But it’s never too early to get those hurricane kits ready.

Major Unanswered Questions Remain

All in all, there was a lot of encouraging news last night. But…

Like a lot of things related to flood mitigation, the more you know, the more questions you have. For instance, why hasn’t Tetra Tech collected the mouth bar core samples that Costello says are so crucial? How will that affect $18 million in remobilization fees if the Corps leaves the river before the mouth bar project is approved? $18 million could go a long way toward dredging the mouth bar. This is far from pocket change. It’s major bank. Taxpayers deserve to know.

To See Video of Meeting

The Pachyderm Club streamed the video of their meeting. To view it, click here. The HCFCD portion begins at the 30:20 mark on the video. SJRA begins at 42:00.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/12/2019

560 Days after Hurricane Harvey

The Long Reach of Harvey

While much of the press after Harvey focused on the wisdom of development in floodways and floodplains, the plight of homes and businesses much further from the San Jacinto was largely overlooked. Amy Slaughter and Jennifer Trimble bought homes more than a mile from the river, thinking they beyond the reach of floods. They weren’t. Homes near mine, almost two miles from the river, also flooded.

Page 13 of the Harris County Flood Control District’s final report on Harvey states, “Of the 154,170 homes flooded, 48,850 were within the 1% (100-yr) floodplain, 34,970 within the .2% (500-yr) floodplain, and 70,370 were outside of the 1% (100-yr) and .2% (500-yr) floodplains.” In other words, 46% were not in a marked flood plain. Which helps to explain the staggering number of uninsured homeowners.

Sixty-four percent of all the homes flooded did not have flood insurance.

Below are some more pictures that two readers recently submitted after recent posts about The Night 11,000 Lake Houston Area Residents Became Homeless and The Night of the Intruder.

Photos by Carolanne Norris

*Carolanne Norris took this shot while sitting on her stairs, watching her home fill with water.*

Looking toward Kingwood Drive from Woods Estates and Twin Grove. Carolanne Norris took this from an upstairs window as the floodwaters rose during Harvey. Note the water level near the stop sign one block north of Kingwood Drive.

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. — Carolanne Norris took this shot as she and her family hiked to safety. Shot is looking back down Woods Estates from a hill near Valley Manor . The Kings Forest Pool is on right. This is more than 1.75 miles from the river as the crow flies.

"Bath anyone?" Photo of Carolanne Norris' tub after Harvey's floodwaters went down. — *“Bath anyone?” Photo of Carolanne Norris’ tub after Harvey’s floodwaters went down and she could get back in her home.*

"The water was strong enough to pick up my island and slam it into my double ovens." Photo by Carolanne Norris. — *“The water was strong enough to pick up my island with a granite counter (bottom) and slam it into my double ovens.” Photo by Carolanne Norris.*

Carolanne Norris' home took on 44 inches of water. — *Carolanne Norris’ home took on 44 inches of water. Wakes from all the rescue boats had water lapping at her first-floor eaves.*

"Nice reminder that you sometimes have to laugh when all you want to do is cry." Photo by Carolanne Norris. — *“Nice reminder that you sometimes have to laugh when all you want to do is cry.” Photo by Carolanne Norris.*

Photos by Karen Favero

*The Cleanup After Harvey Begins. Photo by Karen Favero. Favero lived in the Kingwood Town Center Apartments in a first floor unit. Distance from river is about 1.25 miles.*

Flooded apartment in Kingwood Town Center as Harvey's Floodwaters Receded. Photo by Karen Favero. — *Flooded apartment in Kingwood Town Center as Harvey’s Floodwaters Receded. Photo by Karen Favero.*

Car at Kingwood Town Center Apartments floated away by Harvey. Photo by Karen Favero. — *Car at Kingwood Town Center Apartments floated out of its parking spot by Harvey. Photo by Karen Favero.*

Cars floated by Harvey into new parking spots. Photo by Karen Favero. — *More cars floated by Harvey into new parking spots. Photo by Karen Favero.*

*House on Kings Trail After Harvey. Photo by Karen Favero.*

Folly of High Rise Development near the Floodway

Images like these so far from the river can only make one marvel at the folly of high-rise developers who insist on building on the edge of the current floodway. They know full well that, when new new flood maps are redrawn, their property will be IN the floodway. Of course, by that time, they will likely have resold it to unsuspecting buyers who are thrilled with the river views.

Underscoring Urgent Need for Flood Mitigation

If you have pictures that you would like to share, please send them to me via the Submissions Page of this web site. My thanks to Karen and Carolanne for sharing their experiences. They underscore the urgent need to put flood mitigation measures in place. It’s been more than a year and a half since Harvey and six months since the Everybody But Trump meeting in Austin. That that meeting, City officials came away hopeful that we were close to an agreement with FEMA to remove at least part of the Mouth Bar.

Sadly, not much has happened since then. But City Council Member Dave Martin, Mayor Turner and Stephen Costello have scheduled a meeting for March 21 at the Kingwood Community Center. That will be one year after Turner promised the community more gates for Lake Houston and additional dredging to reduce our flood risk.

Posted by Bob Rehak on March 11, 2019

559 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Decline in Readers and Ads Leads Hundreds of Newspapers to Fold. So What’s the Connection to Flooding?

A lengthy Associated Press article today talked about the long, slow demise of community newspapers around the country. Now you may ask, “What does this have to do with flooding?” It doesn’t directly relate. But indirectly, it does…or at least with the slow pace of recovery from disasters, such as Harvey.

Our founding fathers considered the press so important that they talked about it in terms of “The Fourth Estate,” a fourth branch of government (after the executive, legislative and judicial branches).

But with so many newspapers folding or cutting back, who’s ensuring government is doing its job?

Press as Government’s Report Card

Without someone looking over the shoulders of officials, would they act fairly? Would they spend your money wisely? Would they always follow rules?

Even with the press attending public meetings, it’s often difficult to learn how your money is being spent. Even big city newsrooms are on life support these days. Few editors rush out to do investigative stories on financial irregularities at city hall (I’m using city hall in the generic sense here). That could take months. They have a deadline at five. It’s much easier and more profitable to run a story on grandma’s nut bread recipe, or the best barbecue in Houston. Now there’s some real meat for people to sink their teeth into.

Link Between Editorial Costs and Ad Revenues

One of my local heroes is Cynthia Calvert, owner of the Tribune newspapers. I’ve seen Cynthia and her reporters at many local meetings when not one other soul shows up. School board meetings have to be the worst. This costs Calvert money. Not only to cover the meeting. But to print the story later and distribute it. And since she distributes her paper free of charge, she needs to sell a lot of ads to cover the cost.

Most newspapers closely watch their advertising-to-editorial ratio. If ad revenue dips, editorial must get trimmed. It takes financial courage to have a reporter investigate a story for weeks that may lead nowhere and have no payoff.

Mitigation Molasses

Against this backdrop, ask yourself why the city has been so slow to implement mitigation efforts since Harvey. Is it all the fault of other branches of government moving too slowly as the City would have you believe? Or is the City missing opportunities? Why can’t we get weekly updates on the status of mitigation efforts? Why will no one set deadlines and stick to them?

One thing is for sure. When Dave Martin holds his town hall meeting on March 21st, we’ll get the story that he, Costello and the Mayor want us to hear. Members of the press will dutifully report whatever they say. But how many will report what they don’t say and why?

How to Get Better Government

If you want better government, if you want faster flood mitigation, subscribe to your local newspaper and tell the editor you want answers. And for paper’s like Cynthia’s, make sure you tell local merchants how much you appreciate merchants who support their local papers with advertising. The payoff may not be immediate. But the connection is there. When officials know someone is watching, they’re on their best behavior.

Posted by Bob Rehak on March 10, 2019

558 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Night of the Intruder: More Reader Submissions

Two weeks ago, when the San Jacinto River Authority reconsidered whether to lower Lake Conroe seasonally again this year, I put out a call for pictures from Harvey. I wanted the people of Lake Conroe to see how much the people of Lake Houston suffered from floodwaters. The community responded with dozens of images. I have just now finished posting the last of them on the Submissions page. If you’ve never been to this page before, check it out. The images speak volumes…silently.

Submissions from Karen Hudak

As I edited Karen Hudak’s pictures, I could almost feel what must have been her panic. Waking up in the dark to see water creeping up. Scrambling to elevate belongings. Pausing to photograph a panicked deer. Peering out a second story window to see how bad things were. Loading up a truck to escape then finding the water was rising too fast to get away.

*Night of the Intruder. By Karen Hudak.*

Barrington Homes about to be Engulfed as Harvey's Floodwaters Rose. By Karen Hudak. — *Barrington Homes about to be Engulfed as Harvey’s Floodwaters Rose. By Karen Hudak.*

Sheltering in Attic as Harvey's Floodwaters Rose in Utility Room. By Karen Hudak. — *Sheltering in Attic as Harvey’s Floodwaters Rose in Utility Room. By Karen Hudak.*

*Deer Seeking Shelter During the Storm. By Karen Hudak.*

*Rescue Truck that Needed Rescuing. Photo by Karen Hudak.*

Submissions by Diana Aston

Diana Aston also submitted several pictures that captured the overwhelmingness of the event. They capture floodwaters rising outside, engulfing homes, swallowing cars, and her garage. And finally the return to shattered dreams…down the toilet.

16th Hole Marker, Kingwood Country Club Lake Course, As Harvey's Floodwaters Rose. By Diana Aston — *16th Hole Marker, Kingwood Country Club Lake Course, As Harvey’s Floodwaters Rose. By Diana Aston*

*Flooding Cars in the Barrington during Harvey by Diana Aston*

Harvey's Floodwaters Creeping into Barrington Garage by Diana Aston — *A Losing Battle. Harvey’s Floodwaters Creeping into Barrington Garage by Diana Aston*

*Toilet after Harvey Flood. By Diana Aston.*

My thanks to Karen and Diana for allowing me to share their pictures with the world.

To see more pictures submitted by others, browse through the gallery on the Submissions page. To share your images with the world, follow the instructions on the page.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/9/19 with photos from Karen Hudak and Diana Aston

557 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Demolition of Home-Buyout Properties in Forest Cove Scheduled to Begin March 11

Houston City Council Member Dave Martin announced today that Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) will begin demolition of several home-buyout properties in Forest Cove next week.

*What 240,000 CFS can do to steel and stone.*

The demolition in the Forest Cove Town Home community will begin with units:

803 and 805 Timberline Court
1060 Marina Drive

HCFCD plans to submit the demolition request for 1050 Marina Drive shortly.

*Units in the Forest Cove townhome association destroyed by Harvey.*

County Completing Buyouts

Currently there are several other units that are almost completely under HCFD’s ownership. When they are completely owned, their demolition will follow.

Martin thanked City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods Director TaKasha Francis for her assistance with expediting the demolition permits.

*Within a few years, this could become part of Harris County’s new Edgewater Park.*

“These town homes are a constant reminder to the community of the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey,” said Martin. “HCFCD has done a tremendous job in keeping our office informed on the status of the demolition process for these Hurricane Harvey buyout properties.”

To learn more about HCFCD’s buyout program, visit their website.

Harvey swept away several of the townhomes in this area, leaving nothing but the foundations. Owners of several of the surviving units reported water as high as 17 to 22 feet at the peak of the flood.

*Perched on the precipice with a waterfront view.*

*Before the City picked up the trash. After Harvey, the townhomes became a convenient location for illegal dumpers, looters and squatters.*

A Metamorphosis in the Making

I will cover this story as it develops. I have talked with both Harris County County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle and the City of Houston Parks Board about this area. It’s about to undergo a metamorphosis. Within several years, this could become part of beautiful riverfront park that adds new luster to the community, provides a recreational resource to residents, and puts distance between homes and future floods.

Posted by Bob Rehak on March 8, 2019

556 Days since Hurricane Harvey