Tag Archives: flooding

Harris County ponders a bond election

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First one in awhile. Harris County leaders will begin discussions Tuesday about whether to add a bond election to the November ballot. The bond would be a hybrid measure to raise money for roads, parks, flood control, and public safety. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Now I know the difference between those two Army Corps of Engineers lawsuits

Posted on June 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good timing for me here. A federal appellate court on Thursday reversed an earlier decision that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was not to blame for flooding homes downstream of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs after Hurricane Harvey. The ruling brought new … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Now I know the difference between those two Army Corps of Engineers lawsuits

Is there any chance the GLO won’t screw Houston this time around?

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, maybe. Things can happen. I just wouldn’t count on it. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday commended the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for ordering Texas to fix a Hurricane Harvey recovery plan that the federal agency … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

GLO prepares to screw Houston again on Harvey recovery funds

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Gird yourselves. Of the more than 300,000 homes in Texas damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, none were in Coryell County. Located 220 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, this small agricultural county was not the place Congress had in … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A tour of the future Ike Dike

Posted on May 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating stuff. Federal engineers envisioned a massive version of the “Ike Dike” plan to protect the region from hurricane storm surge. It’s currently sitting with lawmakers, who have to decide whether to pay their share of the $29 billion proposal and move the years-long … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A tour of the future Ike Dike

The New Orleans perspective on the Ike Dike

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Kelly Burks-Copes braces herself against the wind and marches past the ruins of Fort San Jacinto, a strategic spot on a sandy, wave-battered point where Spain, France, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy and the United States have … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

HUD approves updated GLO proposal for Harris County

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting, but there are still a lot of moving pieces out there. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday said it would accept the Texas General Land Office’s proposal to give Harris County $750 million in federal … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HUD approves updated GLO proposal for Harris County

Keep your hands off of the Harvey money, H-GAC

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously. You’ve done enough already. First, a regional council of government officials left Harris County and most of its cities out of a plan to distribute $488 million in federal flood mitigation funds stemming from Hurricane Harvey. As justification, the Houston-Galveston Area Council … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HUD finds the GLO’s process to screw Houston out of Harvey funds “discriminatory”

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Now get us the funds we deserve. In a decision that could redirect millions of dollars in flood relief to Houston, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found the Texas General Land Office discriminated against minority residents … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Let’s pay some attention to the Gulf Coast Protection District

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They may raise some tax revenue to help pay for the Ike Dike, so best to know what’s happening with it. Especially since they didn’t exactly go out of their way to make it easy to do that. Danielle Goshen … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Let’s pay some attention to the Gulf Coast Protection District

Et tu, H-GAC?

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

WTAF? Houston is slated to get just 2 percent of the regional council’s $488 million tranche for storm mitigation, angering city leaders who say the city consistently has been shorted when it comes to the federal money. The Houston-Galveston Area … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Houston’s preparations for the next freeze

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We learned from the experience, which I hope will serve us well for the next time. The grid’s near collapse last February had drastic consequences for local governments, none more acute than the challenge water systems confronted in trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston’s preparations for the next freeze

Does Houston get its fair share from Harris County?

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s complicated. Do property taxpayers inside the City of Houston subsidize Harris County services? It’s a question that comes up a lot, given the fact that city residents—like their counterparts in the county—pay separate property taxes to the county, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Bypass the GLO

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Heck yeah. All five members of Harris County Commissioners Court signed onto a letter Friday asking the local congressional delegation to ensure that future disaster relief bypasses the state government and goes directly to large counties. The letter is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Feds halt Harvey relief funds over GLO error

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The continuing saga. The Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday halted the distribution of $1.95 billion in aid awarded to Texas after Hurricane Harvey because it said the state has failed to send the federal agency required paperwork … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Maybe flood tunnels really are the answer

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Time for another study. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is revisiting the idea of constructing a large, underground tunnel beneath the city of Houston — part of its efforts since Hurricane Harvey to alleviate the potential for flooding around … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

We are making progress on the flood bond projects

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s not lose sight of that. Three years into Harris County’s historic $2.5 billion flood bond program, progress can feel maddeningly slow. After decades of underinvestment in flood protection, however, any completed project is a welcome improvement for nearby residents. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on We are making progress on the flood bond projects

The Ike Dike is still a work in progress

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be honest, I thought we were further along than this. Members of Texas’ congressional delegation are gearing up for a “marathon” effort to secure funding for a long-sought barrier to protect the Texas Gulf Coast from catastrophic storm surge. … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ten years after the Bastrop fire

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The headline on this story asks whether Texas is ready for the next big fire. I think we know the answer to that. Ten years ago, Texas experienced it’s worst wildfire disaster in the state’s history. Over 31 thousand fires … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is there no way to fully close the flood bond funding gap?

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not looking great right now. For three years, Harris County Commissioners Court members have bickered, haggled and negotiated over the $2.5 billion flood bond program voters passed after Hurricane Harvey. Throughout all the discord over how projects should be prioritized … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Is there no way to fully close the flood bond funding gap?

GLO still screwing Houston on Harvey aid

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This shit has got to stop. Harris County and the city of Houston this week blasted the Texas General Land Office’s revised plan for distributing billions in federal Hurricane Harvey aid, saying that while it is an improvement over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Republican County Commissioners ponder another quorum break

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a thing they can do, and have done in recent times. They shouldn’t, not for this, but they can. The three Democrats on Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday proposed cutting the overall property tax rate for the third … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

It could have been worse

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just something to ponder, from Space City Weather. First of all, if you can remember all the way back to Saturday, I presented three different scenarios for Nicholas’ track and eventual flooding in Houston. The first of these was the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on It could have been worse

Remembering Ike as Nicholas pays a visit

Posted on September 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Won’t be as bad, thankfully. But still be careful. Tropical Storm Nicholas is approaching the Texas coast Monday, threatening torrential downpours and flooding for Houston. It also brings with it memories of Hurricane Ike, which wrought havoc across the region … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The final Ike Dike plan

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s taken a long time to get to this point. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released the final version of its Coastal Texas Study, which examines a proposed coastal barrier to protect the Houston region against storm surge. … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The final Ike Dike plan

Another catastrophe averted, for us

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Sooner or later our luck is going to run out. If Hurricane Ida had veered west and hit Galveston, its 15-foot storm surge could have devastated the city and plowed up the Houston Ship Channel, smashing into residential communities and … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

We still have half of hurricane season to go

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t get distracted. Don’t be lulled by the quiet start to this year’s hurricane season in Texas. NOAA is maintaining its forecast for an above-average year and has upped the number of storms it’s expecting. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

GLO defends P Bush in Congressional hearing

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Dude couldn’t be bothered to show up himself, so he had someone else there to defend him. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush did not play a role in the process that left Houston and Harris County without any federal … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Testify, George P!

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m ready for this. A congressional panel is set to review the Texas General Land Office’s denial of federal flood mitigation funding to Houston and Harris County, the latest in an ongoing spat over more than $1 billion in aid … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Let’s try again to fix that flood bond deficit

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this works. Harris County on Tuesday [unveiled] a new plan to address a funding gap for its flood bond program, which will rely more heavily on diverted toll road revenue instead of federal aid that may never arrive. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It wasn’t just Houston and Harris County that got screwed by P Bush and the GLO

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Every time I read something new about this, I get madder. Disasters have not fallen evenly on Iola and Port Arthur. Hurricane Harvey flooded almost the entire coastal city on the Louisiana border, which was damaged by Ike and Rita … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Harris County and Houston appeal to HUD for flood funds

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this helps. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Friday asked U.S. Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge to set a 30-day deadline for the Texas General Land Office to formally request $750 million in federal flood … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Chron debunks P Bush

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You love to see it. In recent days, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has said his office is not to blame for failing to award Houston or Harris County a single penny of $1 billion in flood mitigation funding … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What are P Bush’s pledges worth?

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Something less than $750 million would be my guess. When Republican Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced Wednesday evening that he would ask federal officials to send Harris County $750 million in flood mitigation aid, he told Houstonians the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments