Harris County $1.4 billion short on flood control projects that are part of bond voterโs approved after Harvey
More than two years after Harris County voters overwhelmingly approved a $2.5 billion flood control bond, the county announced Tuesday that it is $1.4 billion short. Many of the hundreds of original projects remain unfinished, including in some of the most economically disadvantaged communities. โHalls and Greens, the two poorest watersheds in the county -- theyโre basically left out of the process,โ said Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia in Commissionerโs Court. โIt doesnโt add up at all,โ said former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. โThe commissionerโs court needs to fix it,โ said State Rep. Ron Reynolds (D-Dist.
What to know about spring floods
The cover picture above isnโt a throwback to Imelda or Harvey or Beta, nor is it a pic of the Memorial Day floods or Tax Day floods. TxDOT is quick to remind us: Flash floods are the leading cause of weather-related deaths in Texas, and about 60% of flood-related deaths in our state involve motor vehicles. But the National Weather Service can at least look at parameters regarding river flooding and soil moisture to determine what we are up against for major, widespread floods. Put simply, weโre at a pretty equal chance for river flooding either way. You can read the full 2021 Spring Flood Outlook report at the top of the NWS home page.
Tribes try to shield elders and their knowledge from virus
That means losing elders to the virus could wipe out irreplaceable pieces of culture. Concern for elders is also apparent in the tribe's COVID-19 vaccine-distribution plans. Roy Boney Jr., who manages a Cherokee language program, said the vast majority of Cherokee speakers are elders. Pequot elders play an important role in the effort to revive the tribe's language, which is no longer widely spoken. Karen Ketcher was among 28 Cherokee Nation elders who have died from the coronavirus.
Local organization, Katy Responds, restores 100 homes since Hurricane Harvey
During Hurricane Harvey, flooding from Barker and Addicks Reservoirs inundated homes, including Holcombโs, who evacuated her home in the middle of the night. Holcombโs home repair was completed by Katy Responds, a nonprofit organization founded after Hurricane Harvey with one goal: Rebuild the homes of those who canโt afford to get the job done themselves. โWe were put together by several churches in the Katy community,โ said Ron Peters, executive director of Katy Responds. Katy Responds is working to secure financing through donations to fund repairs for an additional seven homes. Katy Responds is looking for volunteers and others to help raise money.
Feds order the state to take over Hurricane Harvey rebuilding funds from the city of Houston
Acting Assistant Secretary John Gibbs writes, โThe amendment also eliminates direct allocation funding to the city of Houston. The state said the city has only been able to address 163 homes since January of 2019. The General Land Office said the funds for Houstonians are not going anywhere, simply they are going to manage it moving forward. The state sent Mayor Turner a termination letter Monday evening informing them the contract shall terminate on Nov. 6, 2020. In the final sentence, the Deputy Land Commissioner for the GLO writes, โIt is our hope that the City of Houston will engage with the GLO in future discussion concerning these matters.โ
WATCH: Floating fire ant pile spotted in League City flood waters caused by Beta
The City of League City shared a video on Twitter showing two fire ant colonies floating in Beta flood waters at Countryside Park. In the post, the city warns people that those piles are one of the many reasons walking through flood water can be dangerous. FLOATING ANT PILESThis is one of the reasons why you should avoid walking through flood water. Floating ant piles-like this one found at Countryside Park-can form and be very dangerous. Have you ever encountered one of these ant colonies on the move?
How Houstonians are helping hurricane survivors in Louisiana
HOUSTON โ The food made at six Houston restaurants will soon be headed to Louisiana and areas hit hard by Hurricane Laura. โWe just feel like they helped us during Harvey so how do we return what they did for us,โ said Ben McPherson, owner of BOH Pasta. โFor every $5 donated, weโre going to create one meal that weโre going to take over to Louisiana to feed everybody,โ he said. โJust having a nice meal while you have a lot of other things to worry about is just a nice, comforting thing,โ said Steve Sharma, owner of El Big Bad. โMany years ago during Harvey, we had some of our neighbors from Louisiana come down here and help us out so we wanted to return the favor,โ Sharma said.
Still recovering from Harvey, Texans in Beaumont and Port Arthur are now preparing for a new hurricane during the pandemic
Port Arthur residents board buses to evacuate the area before Hurricane Laura strikes the Gulf Coast in Southeast Texas. Almost three years after hurricane Harvey damaged their homes and their belongings, masked volunteers in bright colored t-shirts brought new beds, chests and nightstands to their doorsteps. According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Laura continues to strengthen and is expected to become an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane. At a noon press conference Wednesday, Gov. The report from the National Hurricane Center forecasts a storm surge of between 10 and 15 feet around the Jefferson County area. On Friday, I went to a house that we had fixed [after Hurricane Harvey]," he said.
Storm Marco closes in on Louisiana as Laura buffets Cuba
Workers for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority - West, close floodgates in Harvey, La., just outside New Orleans, Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in advance of Tropical Storm Marco, expected to come near the Southern Louisiana coast. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)PORT-AU-PRINCE Tropical Storm Marco was falling apart Monday but setting a messy stage for the arrival of Laura as a potentially supercharged Category 3 hurricane along the U.S. Gulf Coast. August Creppel, Chief of the United Houma Nation, was concerned about the groups 17,000 members, spread out over six parishes along the Louisiana Gulf Coast. McNoldy said he expects the storm to reach major hurricane status of at least 111 mph. For the residents of the Louisiana coast, theyre certainly lucky that Marco is not worse than it is, McNoldy said.
As 2 storms menace Gulf Coast, residents brace for deluge
Forecasters raised the ominous possibility that warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico could super-charge Laura into a powerful hurricane. Laura's center was remaining just off Cuba's shore, and was not expected to weaken over land before entering the gulf. That's a recipe for damaging, hurricane-force winds of more than 110 mph (177 kph) as Laura approaches the U.S. coast, forecasters said. Rain bands from both storms could bring a combined total of 2 feet (0.6 meters) of rain to parts of Louisiana and several feet of potentially deadly storm surge, forecasters said. Basically that would be 10-feet plus along the southwest Louisiana coast line in a reasonable worst-case scenario, Schott said.
Hurricane Harvey: The long road to recovery still hasnt ended for many in Houston
HOUSTON Its been nearly three years since Harvey hammered the Houston area and yet, there are still those who havent fully recovered. The City of Houston and the State of Texas have been locked in a battle over how to manage the rebuilding effort. In March, the Texas General Land Office came to an agreement with Harris County to take over the rebuilding efforts. The City of Houston had a different opinion when approached by the state. Both are now working with and seeing progress through the GLO, as the temporary restraining order does not impact their rebuilding efforts.
Weinstein reaches tentative $19M deal with accusers
NEW YORK Harvey Weinstein and his former studios board have reached a nearly $19 million settlement with dozens of his sexual misconduct accusers, New York state's attorney general and lawyers in a class-action lawsuit said Tuesday. The agreement was announced by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Chicago attorney Elizabeth A. Fegan. The deal, if approved by judges in federal courts, would permit accusers to claim from $7,500 to $750,000 from the $18.8 million settlement. The former Hollywood producer was convicted earlier this year of rape and sexual assault against two women. Attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, who represent some of Weinstein's accusers in lawsuits, said in a statement that the proposed settlement was a complete sellout of the Weinstein survivors."
Harvey Weinstein in Tentative $19 Million Settlement With Many Accusers
Harvey Weinstein and his former studio's board have reached a nearly $19 million settlement with dozens of his sexual misconduct accusers, New York state's attorney general and lawyers in a class-action lawsuit said Tuesday. The agreement was announced by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Chicago attorney Elizabeth A. Fegan. The deal, if approved by judges in federal courts, would permit accusers to claim from $7,500 to $750,000 from the $18.8 million settlement. Attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, who represent some of Weinstein's accusers in lawsuits, said in a statement that the proposed settlement was "a complete sellout of the Weinstein survivors." RELATED CONTENT:Harvey Weinstein Tests Positive for CoronavirusHarvey Weinstein Sentenced: Mira Sorvino, Ronan Farrow and More ReactHarvey Weinstein, 1 Year Later
Harvey, others officially retired as names of hurricanes
HOUSTON โ The World Meteorological Organization announced Thursday that the name Harvey has been officially retired for use as a hurricane. The center also retired the names Irma, Maria and Nate. Harvey was the second costliest storm behind Katrina. Sixty-eight people were killed in Harvey.
Still rebuilding, still strong, the Houston area rebuilds 6 months after Harvey
LEAGUE CITY, Texas โ Six months after Harvey, newlyweds Joey and Sonia Kukuch, of League City, along with daughter, Bella are still working on repairing their flood damaged home. Just down the street, the push is on at Darin and Donna Jordan's home. โWe've got a mattress,โ said Donna Bergstrom Jordon of League City. โWe need all new ceiling fans,โ said Darin Jordan, of League City. With the help of family, friends and colleagues, the Jordans -- like so many other families -- are not giving up.
NAACP opens disaster support command center to help Harvey flood survivors
HOUSTON โ The NAACP is doing its part to help survivors of Harvey's floods. On Saturday, the organization announced the opening of a disaster support command center to help those in need. "We have people who have short-term relief, but a lot of people have long-term problems and so there's a gap after the short-term relief has left, people have nowhere to go. Douglas was joined by Texas State Conference President Gary Bledsoe and other community leaders to announce the opening of the disaster command center. But short-term aid gives way to long-term help, and that's what organizers said the command center will help steer people through.
Meet the mystery guitarist who rocked 'Star-Spangled Banner' after Harvey devastation
HOUSTON โ Loren Jay Gough said he knew it was time to take it to 11 โ and a half. Guitarist rocks Cypress area neighborhood with patriotism after Harvey devastationThe guitarist, with the local band Engineered Society Project, was in his house as the Houston floodwaters finally receded after inching halfway up his driveway. โWe were watching the news, (watching the storm) break up and dissipate. (Water) had receded almost to the curb at that point, so I thought, โWeโre good,โโ Gough said. Strangers helping strangers.