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How New Building Regs Cut Damage Rates During Harvey by Roughly 20X

Today, I came across an eye-popping presentation by John Blount, P.E.. Blount served as Harris County’s Engineer for decades. He left his position last year after serving the Engineering Department for 34 years. The presentation discussed how new building regs adopted in 2009 (and later amended) reduced damage rates during Harvey by approximately 20X. Before/After […]

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Forest Cove Townhomes: Demolition Update

Several readers recently asked for a an update on the demolition of the remaining Forest Cove townhomes on Marina Drive. Three clusters remain near the Forest Cove Community Center. The vacant townhomes destroyed by Hurricane Harvey have become magnets for gangs, graffiti, dope dealing and illegal dumping. The people who wrote me avoid using the […]

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Texas Land-Use Trends: Major Changes Coming

A reader recently sent me a link to a fascinating conservation webinar by a group called Texan by Nature. It begins with an eye-opening presentation on Texas Land-Use Trends by Roel Lopez, Director of the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute. According to Lopez, Texas comprises 171 million acres. 95% of that is private and 83% […]

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One Month Later, Tornado Gone But Not Forgotten

At approximately 1:30 AM on January 9, 2022, a tornado swept through Kingwood. Hard hit areas included Forest Cove and Trailwood Villages. The supercells that spawned the EF-1 Tornado also dumped approximately 5 inches of rain that morning. When the rain stopped, I ventured out and found cleanup crews already clogging the streets. I drove […]

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Laurel Springs RV Resort Construction Shut Down as Four Investigations Swirl

Construction at the controversial Laurel Springs RV Resort was shut down today as four investigations at the State, County and City levels swirled around construction practices there. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has one. Harris County has one. And the City of Houston has two – one around construction practices, the other around permits. […]

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Matt Zeve Resigns from Harris County Flood Control District

Flood mitigation efforts in Harris County just took their second major hit in less than a year. Last July, Russ Poppe, the executive director of the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) resigned after months of political backbiting. Now, Matt Zeve, the deputy executive director has resigned, too.  Zeve Background and Contributions Zeve joined HCFCD one day after […]

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Post-Harvey Regulatory Update: Mixed Results to Date

Here’s a regulatory update on the synchronization of flood regs in cities and counties throughout the region. Harris County can spend billions on flood mitigation, but if upstream communities keep sending more water downstream, we may never see improvement. That’s why Harris County Flood Control and Harris County Engineering launched an initiative to harmonize regulations […]

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Plum Grove Flooding, Many Streets Cut Off

After heavy rains and several tornados swept through the area this afternoon, many streets in Plum Grove are under water tonight. Warning from Plum Grove VFD The Plum Grove Volunteer Fire Department reports that: “We are receiving multiple reports of several roads flooding in the area. FM 1010 near the Valero Plum Grove Road near […]

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Slow-Go: East Fork Dredging Still at Mouth of Luce Bayou

In July, the City announced it was wrapping up West Fork dredging and starting on East Fork dredging. It took three months for the dredgers to dredge their way through the Royal Shores channel before they could even start on the East Fork. Since then, it’s been a slow-go as round trip travel times to […]

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