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CoH Excavating Silt from Diversion Ditch at Kingwood Drive

After finishing excavating silt from under the Kingwood Drive Bridge over Ben’s Branch, City crews are now doing the same under the bridge over the Diversion Ditch near the fire station on Kingwood Drive. Bridges are often chokepoints during floods because of their supports that reduce and sometimes slow the flow of water and contribute […]

The post CoH Excavating Silt from Diversion Ditch at Kingwood Drive appeared first on Reduce Flooding.

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Should City Be in Disaster Relief? For One Program, It Spent $3 Million to Get $3 Thousand

One of the more alarming facts that came out of Thursday’s City Council meeting is that Houston’s Housing and Community Development is spending far more on disaster relief than it gets back in reimbursements. In the case of one program, Economic Development, the ratio between costs and reimbursements to date was actually 1100 to 1, […]

The post Should City Be in Disaster Relief? For One Program, It Spent $3 Million to Get $3 Thousand appeared first on Reduce Flooding.

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How to Speed Up Flood Assistance

Since Harvey, Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department has been criticized severely by HUD, the GLO, media, and flood victims alike for poor performance and non-performance in flood assistance efforts. Thursday, Keith Bynam, the Interim Director of the Department, and Temika Jones, the Department’s Assistant Director and Chief Financial Officer, informed city council members about […]

The post How to Speed Up Flood Assistance appeared first on Reduce Flooding.

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Bombshells in Council Meeting Raise More and Bigger Questions about Housing and Community Development

Weeks ago, Mayor Sylvester Turner said he would provide a complete explanation for allegations of interference in a $15 million contract that would have benefitted his former business partner. Many people thought that would happen today at a joint meeting between the Budget & Fiscal Affairs and Housing & Community Development Committees. But it didn’t. The […]

The post Bombshells in Council Meeting Raise More and Bigger Questions about Housing and Community Development appeared first on Reduce Flooding.

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Special City Meeting Thursday At 2 PM Will Address Multi-Family Housing Flap

City of Houston called a special joint committee meeting for Thursday, October 7, at 2PM between Budget & Fiscal Affairs and Housing and Community Affairs. Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin will chair the meeting. The agenda is scant. It entails a Housing and Community Development “Financial Update” with three speakers: Keith Bynam, Deputy Director, Housing […]

The post Special City Meeting Thursday At 2 PM Will Address Multi-Family Housing Flap appeared first on Reduce Flooding.

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Chronicle, ABC13 Report Harris County District Attorney Opens Investigation into Mayor

The Houston Chronicle and Ted Oberg, ABC13’s investigative reporter, both filed new stories Tuesday about the controversy surrounding Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and the City’s troubled Housing and Community Development Department. The story blew up on September 22 and immediately triggered a fraud investigation by the Texas General Land Office and the US Department of […]

The post Chronicle, ABC13 Report Harris County District Attorney Opens Investigation into Mayor appeared first on Reduce Flooding.

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Recommended Reading: “Holding Back the River” by Tyler J. Kelley

A reader recommended a book recently. I found it so interesting that I’m recommending it to you. It’s called “Holding Back the River: The Struggle Against Nature on America’s Waterways” by Tyler J. Kelley. It’s about the unintended consequences of mankind’s struggle to reduce flooding. Author’s Voyage of Discovery Mr. Kelley employs a narrative approach […]

The post Recommended Reading: “Holding Back the River” by Tyler J. Kelley appeared first on Reduce Flooding.

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Despite Heavy Rains, KMS Reconstruction Progressing Nicely

Since my last update, Kingwood Middle School (KMS) reconstruction has progressed nicely despite heavy rains and a tropical storm in the last month. My rain gage, a few blocks away recorded more than 11 inches of rain in the last 30 days – almost triple the average for September. My last update on August 20 […]

The post Despite Heavy Rains, KMS Reconstruction Progressing Nicely appeared first on Reduce Flooding.

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TWDB To Vote on Accepting $63.6 million in FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance Grants

In its October 7, 2021, board meeting, Texas Water Development Board members will vote on whether to accept $63.6 million in FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance Grants. The federal funding comes with some strings attached: a $10.23 million local match. For this round of funding, the TWDB selected 19 sub-applications from local government entities. After screening, […]

The post TWDB To Vote on Accepting $63.6 million in FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance Grants appeared first on Reduce Flooding.

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MoCo Couple That Flooded 13 Times in 11 Years Finally Gets a Buyout

I first interviewed Tammy Gunnels and her husband Ronnie almost three years ago. They had flooded ten times at that point even though they weren’t in a flood zone. The Gunnels are devout people and prayed for a buyout. Today, their prayers were answered. Here is the story of how their faith and persistence paid […]

The post MoCo Couple That Flooded 13 Times in 11 Years Finally Gets a Buyout appeared first on Reduce Flooding.

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