Below is a digest of seven flood-related items in the news lately.

Dubai Floods 

On April 18, 2024, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates saw the heaviest flooding in 75 years. That’s as far back as their records go. Dubai began data collection efforts in 1949. The floods followed several cloud-seeding flights. They probably did not cause the heavy rain, but many believe they contributed to it. Highways, the airport and large parts of the city were under water.

“By the end of Tuesday, more than 142 millimeters (5.59 inches) of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours. An average year sees 94.7 millimeters (3.73 inches) of rain at Dubai International Airport,” said the AP. Wave after wave of thunderstorms from a strong low-pressure system triggered heavy rains in neighboring Oman that killed 19 people.

Sally Geiss, a former Kingwood resident, sent me a link to a dramatic collection of videos of the flooding on NotTheBee.com.

Regional Flood Planning Group Recommendations

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved amendments to the first-ever regional flood plans. They recommend additional solutions to reduce the risk and impact of flooding across the state. The amendments bring the total estimated cost of flood-risk-reduction solutions for all 15 planning regions to more than $54 billion.

Significantly, 30 of the flood-mitigation projects could provide water-supply solutions if implemented.

All of the flood-risk-reduction solutions recommended in the amended regional flood plans should be included in the 2024 State Flood Plan. That will make them eligible for funding through the State’s Flood Infrastructure Fund.

San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group 

The San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group – Region 6 is currently underway to solicit a technical consultant for the second planning cycle. 

Harris County will advertise a request for qualifications (RFQ) within the coming weeks. The RFQ selection and process will follow standard Harris County procurement procedures.

Interested? The flood planning group provided this link to monitor opportunities:
https://purchasing.harriscountytx.gov/Services/Online-Solicitation-Opportunities. 

Harris County Purchasing

County Judge Lina Hidalgo held a press conference last week in which she blasted Harris County purchasing procedures. She wants to change them. According to Hidalgo, RFQs for Flood Control, Engineering and the Toll Road Authority are approved without bidding or documentation.

In virtually all cases, Purchasing rubber stamps the recommendations of Commissioners, according to Hidalgo. And she says that 93% of those approved contributed heavily to commissioners.

Here’s a link to her press conference video.

She starts about 15-20 minutes into the video, and there’s a Spanish translation at the end. So it’s not as long as it looks.

Hidalgo based her allegations on a series of audit reports of the purchasing department, which were previously publicized by the Houston Chronicle.

Hidalgo never mentioned her own legal troubles re: the Elevate Strategies contract.

Kingwood Open House

Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey’s office is hosting a Kingwood Open House on Thursday, April 25, 2024 between 6:30 and 8 PM at the Kingwood High School, 2701 Kingwood Drive.

The focus will be on infrastructure improvements and include representatives from Precinct 3, City of Houston, San Jacinto River Authority, and Harris County Flood Control District.

The Woodlands MUD Elections 

In Texas, Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) have the legal authority to partner with other governmental agencies such as the Texas Water Development Board and Harris County Flood Control District for flood-mitigation projects.

Early voting for The Woodlands Municipal Utility District directors begins on April 22 at the Shenandoah Municipal Complex.

In preparation, The Woodlands Township Future Group will sponsor an informative talk by Robert Leilich, Director of the Board of The Woodlands MUD #1 and Erich M Peterson, PE, General Manager of the Woodlands Water Agency. 

Their topic: “All You wanted to Know about Municipal Utility Districts.”

Date: Monday, April 22, 2024

Time: 7 pm to 8 pm

Please copy the link below and paste in a browser to join the presentation via Zoom:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82866382552?pwd=IB2JnUwSD96Tq68oZLygYaNPRTbWT4.1

 Passcode: 346862

The discussion of Municipal Utility Districts will cover:

What is a MUD?

• What services do MUDs provide The Woodlands?
• Who determines and directs the activities of a MUD?
• What is The Woodlands Water Agency (also known as WoodlandsWater) and what is its relationship to MUDs in The Woodlands?

Emergency Habitability Repairs

The City of Houston Planning Department publishes a weekly Permit Activity Report. I usually scan it for development projects in the Lake Houston Area. But in the last few weeks, I have noticed something else that’s highly interesting.

There’s an extremely high correlation between “emergency habitability repairs” and proximity to drainage ditches and bayous with a reputation for flooding, such as Greens Bayou.

In one of the previous reports, I found that 90% of the emergency repairs happened in apartment complexes right on the banks of Greens or within a block of it. 

This should underscore the risk of living close to waterways. Even though the permit applications may not have immediately followed a flood, they may have resulted from problems, such as mold that build up after floods. 

I intend to follow this trend and report more when I have more data.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/18/24

2424 Days since Hurricane Harvey