Tag Archives: flooding

Emmett speaks post-bond

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

With the flood bond referendum safely passed, we now turn to what comes next. Land and housing preservation is key to the Houston region becoming more resilient, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said Tuesday, on the heels of last weekend’s … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum passes easily

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It was in the 85-15 range as of the 8:30 update from the County Clerk. Only a handful of precincts had reported as of that time, and I’m not going to stay up late waiting for more comprehensive numbers – … Continue reading →

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Flood bond election day is today

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a Trib story about the bond. Flood experts say the bond is a good start — and indicative of an unprecedented shift in the collective mindset of local leaders and residents — but that it won’t come close to … Continue reading →

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Final EV turnout for the flood bond referendum

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Lower than initial estimates, though I think the initial estimates were on the optimistic side. But really, we were all guessing. Tuesday is the final day of early voting for Harris County’s proposed $2.5 billion flood bond, and as residents … Continue reading →

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Today is the last day for early voting for the flood bond

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: “Don’t put off until Election Day what you can do now,” said Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart, as he reminded voters that Tuesday, August 21, is the last day to vote early in the Harris County Flood … Continue reading →

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ReBuild re-vote approved

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Add another item to the ballot. City Council on Wednesday unanimously agreed to put the controversial street and drainage program known as ReBuild Houston before voters again in November, but not before tweaking the ballot language in hopes of avoiding … Continue reading →

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Day Seven flood bond EV totals

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The word of the week is “slow”. Fewer than 46,000 ballots have been cast in the first week of early voting on Harris County’s $2.5 billion flood bond referendum, but county officials on Monday said they expect many more voters … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum: Interview with Lina Hidalgo

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I do have one more interview to bring you for the flood bond referendum, for which we are already in the early voting period, and that interview is with Lina Hidalgo, the Democratic candidate for Harris County Judge. Had this … Continue reading →

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Day Two flood bond EV totals

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry I wasn’t able to post the Day One totals yesterday, but here are the Day Two EV totals for the flood bond referendum. So far 4,984 people have voted in person, with almost exactly the same number on Monday … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum: Interview with Jen Powis

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, early voting for the flood bond referendum on August 25 begins today, running through the 21st. There are a lot of groups and organizations that are keenly interested in this bond issue and how it will affect … Continue reading →

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More details on the flood bond referendum

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting starts today. The Harris County Flood Control District on Monday released its complete list of projects that would be funded by the county’s $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond proposal, two days before early voting on the measure begins. … Continue reading →

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Poll shows flood bond referendum in good shape

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Standard caveats apply. A majority of Harris County voters say they will support a $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond at the polls later this month, according to University of Houston research released Monday. Sixty-two percent of residents who said they … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum: Interview with Ed Emmett

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Believe it or not, early voting for the August 25 flood bond referendum begins this week, on Wednesday the 8th. Those of you who make the effort to show up and vote will get to decide whether or not to … Continue reading →

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ReBuild re-vote

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. It’s complicated. Eight years after voters narrowly backed the idea, the controversial street and drainage program known as ReBuild Houston is expected to appear again on the November ballot in the form of an amendment to the city … Continue reading →

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Early voting for the flood bond referendum

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a little weird, but there’s two full weeks of it and for the most part you can vote at the usual places. Harris County will have 25 balloting locations during the first weekend of early voting for the $2.5 … Continue reading →

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Two views of the flood bond referendum

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

View One, from Joe B. Allen and Jim Blackburn: Vote for it because there’s no real alternative. Proposition A — the proposal to allow Harris County to issue $2.5 billion in flood control bonds — will be on the ballot … Continue reading →

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On campaigning for the flood bond

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is good, but I don’t know if it will be enough. The Harris County Flood Control District’s summer barnstorming tour of county watersheds to seek public input on its $2.5 billion flood bond proposal is getting officials exactly what … Continue reading →

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Houston Flood Museum

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds like a good idea. [Lacy] Johnson, a published author and Rice assistant professor, started writing to process the post-disaster “dissonance” she observed. The resulting essays published on Facebook quickly garnered hundreds of reactions and shares. It wasn’t long before the Houston Endowment approached her about … Continue reading →

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CD07 candidates endorse the August flood bond referendum

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What I would expect. U.S. Rep. John Culberson and his challenger, Lizzie Fletcher, found rare common ground on Wednesday as both endorsed Harris County’s proposed $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond proposal. Culberson said he can match every local dollar Harris … Continue reading →

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More on flood tunnels

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They’re a thing, I swear. While it’s far from clear whether it will ever happen, the concept almost immediately generated widespread response when it was announced earlier this spring. Local officials told the Houston Chronicle it’s outside-the-box thinking with benefits that could outweigh … Continue reading →

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Where best to attack Culberson?

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Flooding is an obvious issue, but it’s hardly the only one. After Hurricane Harvey flooded much of Houston – including the hotly contested Seventh Congressional District – Republican incumbent John Culberson used his position on the House Appropriations Committee to … Continue reading →

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More on the latest Harvey funds

Posted on July 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full Chron story regarding that allocation of federal Harvey recovery money from Thursday. It wasn’t clear from the Trib story I quoted from, but that levee system is, at least in part, the Ike Dike. Jim Blackburn of … Continue reading →

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Feds approve $5 billion in Harvey aid

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Almost a year after Hurricane Harvey dumped historic rains on Texas, the state will receive more than $5 billion for a range of flood control projects, repairs and studies, the Trump administration announced Thursday. […] [About $1 billion] will … Continue reading →

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Your Houston PAC

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a new player on the local scene. Bill Baldwin, a longtime real estate broker, volunteer and member of Houston’s planning commission, has launched a political action committee aimed at improving the city’s neighborhoods, schools and local governments. The tenets … Continue reading →

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More details on the flood bond referendum

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is the longer version of the original story. Through at least two-dozen public meetings across the county’s watersheds, County Judge Ed Emmett said residents have a crucial role to play as they provide feedback for the projects they think … Continue reading →

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County officially puts flood bond referendum on the ballot

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously agreed to place a $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond before voters on Aug. 25, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. If passed, the bond would be the largest local investment … Continue reading →

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Final county report on Harvey

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It was what we thought it was. In the weeks and months after Hurricane Harvey, the evidence of its historic scope and intensity trickled out bit by bit: Record rainfall totals. Record reservoir levels. Record destruction. Now, nine months after … Continue reading →

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Who’s willing to tell Trump he’s all wet?

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not Greg Abbott or Dan Patrick. During a visit to Pinkerton’s Barbecue on Friday afternoon, gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez said Gov. Greg Abbott failed to forcefully refute the president, who said on Wednesday that some Texans “went out in their … Continue reading →

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If I had a boat…

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

…I wouldn’t have used it to go Harvey-watching. Where does he get this crap? President Donald Trump praised the Coast Guard for its heroics during Hurricane Harvey Wednesday, but credited the high number of water rescues to people taking their … Continue reading →

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You got something to say about the Harris County bond referendum?

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You’ll get a chance to say it. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Wednesday announced a series of public meetings to seek input from residents on an estimated $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond that commissioners plan to put before voters … Continue reading →

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Abbott approves August flood bond referendum

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

One more step forward. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday approved Harris County’s request to call a multi-billion-dollar bond election to pay for flood control measures on Aug. 25, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. By state law, the county needed … Continue reading →

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We’ll be voting on flood control bonds in August

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not my first choice, but it is what it is. Harris County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to seek a special election on Aug. 25 for what likely will be a multi-billion-dollar bond package that, if approved by voters, would be … Continue reading →

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Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium report

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: “Strategies for Flood Mitigation in Greater Houston, Edition 1”, a report released today by the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium, calls for accelerating the paradigm shift underway in how the Houston area plans for and recovers from flooding … Continue reading →

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Council approves new floodplain regulations

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been waiting for this. Starting this fall, all new homes built in Houston’s floodplains must be elevated higher off the ground after a contentious debate and narrow vote by City Council on Wednesday to adopt the Bayou City’s first … Continue reading →

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