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VOL 10 No. 35
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County & Missouri City
Gigantic recovery ensues catastrophic deluge By SESHADRI KUMAR Despite bright sunshine and total calm on Wednesday morning, after Hurricane Harvey dumped millions of gallons of water over Fort Bend County during the weekend and the Brazos River continued to rise, there was an uneasy calm and all was not over yet. The recovery efforts have just begun and the threat from the Brazos River has significantly reduced. The initial projection that the river will crest at 59 feet placed almost the entire Brazos River belt under great threat, with possibilities for a deluge of Biblical proportions, but the National Weather Bureau forecast on Wednesday said the river will crest at 56 feet on Thursday. County Judge Bob Hebert said the levees will hold the Brazos water at the one-inhundered years event level as it is now, but there could be street flooding in several areas. The river has never risen to this level of 56 feet before. The evacuation orders would continue until the county determines that there are no more threats and people should not return to their homes in the evacuated areas, until a clear order is issued by the county judge. At press time, streets remained flooded, a phenomenon known as local or internal floods and the waters were not from the river. The levee districts continued to pump the water out. Obviously,the amount of rain water in the streets are so huge that it took days for the pumps to drain them out. County Judge Bob Hebert’s message was that the focus now remained on “ Rescuing those who need immediate assistance and seeing to their safety Preparing our county and our residents for possible challenges to come The situation with rising flood waters remains dynamic. We hit a dangerous peak during the flash flooding over the weekend We are headed toward another dangerous peak now The sun is shining today, but the water is rising and danger is near It is critical that all residents pay close attention to the latest news I want to be very clear about current evacuation orders All evacuation orders remain in place Evacuation orders will only be lifted by me Evacuation orders will stand until it is safe for residents to return Shelters are available for residents who need a place to stay.” Meanwhile, Mayor Allen Owen has signed an order to establish a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for Missouri City. This order went into effect immediately and will be in place until further notice.
Residents under Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert’s mandatory evacuation are already under curfew. This extended to areas in Missouri City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman held live Facebook interviews with residents on Tuesday answering residents’ queries. Sugar Land officials said:. “Evacuation orders are still in place; residents will be notified through official City communications when the evacuation order has been lifted. The U.S. 59 turnarounds at the Brazos River are closed. Motorists continue to stop on the bridge and create dangerous traffic conditions. Sightseers are also wandering dangerously close to the Brazos River. Fast-moving currents, snakes and excessive ants pose a real threat.” Shelters A number of shelters have been set up in place throughout the County for evacuees; a new shelter location has been setup at Stafford High School, 1625 Staffordshire Rd., Stafford, TX 77477. Donations can now be dropped off at the Recreation and Tennis Center, 2701 Cypress Point Dr., we are in need of the following items: • Blankets & towels • Pillows • Air mattresses • Toiletries (including feminine hygiene products) • Pre-packaged, nonperishable snacks (including those sensitive to food allergies) • Clothes • Shoes • Toys/books • Diapers • Wipes • Formula
United Way
Because of the devastating and widespread flooding already seen in the Greater Houston area from Hurricane Harvey, United Way of Greater Houston has established a Flood Relief Fund to help with the recovery needs of those most impacted. All monies raised by United Way’s Flood Relief Fund will be used to help with both immediate, basic needs and long-term recovery services such as case management and minor home repair. “Our first priority will be safety, shelter and basic needs such as food and essentials for those affected,” said Anna M. Babin, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Houston. “Once the community is stabilized, then United Way will focus on long-term recovery efforts. Since this situation is still unfolding, we realize the needs will be great.” As a leading community resource in times of disaster, United Way invests in first response efforts through its partnerships with organizations such as American Red Cross and Salvation Army. Babin
explained that United Way of Greater Houston maintains a disaster reserve fund, which will be tapped for this storm effort, however because of the widespread devastation already seen, the needs of those impacted will far exceed existing resources. Babin added that, following disastrous storm events like Hurricane Harvey, United Way serves as the convening organization to bring together non-profit and community partners as well as civic and government stakeholders from throughout the Greater Houston area to coordinate recovery efforts, both assessing the needs and providing support where it is needed most. In addition, United Way operates 2-1-1 Texas / United Way HELPLINE which is the community’s key information source before, during and after a storm. United Way’s 2-1-1 is the one call for those impacted who don’t know where to call, providing the most updated information on shelters, basic needs assistance and, once the flood waters subside, long-term recovery support. “We know that damage from a storm of Harvey’s magnitude can be a major setback for individuals and families, especially the most vulnerable,” said Babin. “We also know that Houston is a very generous and caring community, so we are urging those who can help to please do so by contributing to the flood relief fund.” To give to the United Way Flood Relief Fund, visit unitedwayhouston.org/flood or text UWFLOOD to 41444. Social media The social media have been both a boon and a bane. While the local agencies effectively used the media to instantly communicate information to the public, wild rumors and misleading information continued to pour through the Internet. Many people were not aware of what a levee is. Many did not know in which levee district they lived. Information about the river level was often misunderstood. The meaning of crest was not clear to many. Many people were asking about discharge from the reservoirs. That did not apply to Fort Bend County mostly. People thought the levee would discharge water and would add to flooding. Fort Bend County has 20 levee districts. More than 25 percent of the county was under evacuation order. Though Fort Bend County levee systems have been designed to more withstand more than the 100-year-level flooding, which has been reached for the first time now, the levees will still have to draw many lessons form thisi disaster. For example, the reason for the continued street flooding days after the rain stopped raised the questions if the levee districts had adequate
pumping capacity. Probably, they did, but the amount of rain that drenched area in two days touched what would be received in one year. There could never be an adequate system effectively handle such a situation. But this episode will make all the levee districts to review their strengths and weaknesses and make necessary changes. One reader from Sienna Plantation, referred to last year’s flooding and asked: “We are now one year later in a Hurricane Harvey and Waters Lake and Bees Creek are partially flooded! We did not get flooding from 521 and our levee did not breech. There is NO REASON only our area is under water. Your warning in this article is well noted. I would love to see the follow up to your article. There are countless Residents in my community who are very interested in your take on this new situation.” Levee standards Levee systems must meet and continue to meet minimum design, operation, and maintenance requirements to receive recognition by FEMA under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as providing protection from the 100-year flood on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM’s). Levees and other related flood control works in Fort Bend County have been engineered and constructed to the highest national and local standards. In addition to being accredited by FEMA under the NFIP, Fort Bend County imposes additional requirements that generally allow the levee systems to achieve protection against a 250-year flood or greater. Property taxes pay for the bonds that are used to finance the design and construction of the levee systems and other related flood control works. Levee Districts in Fort Bend County spend more than $12,000,000 annually to operate and maintain the levee systems and other related flood control works, as well as to carry out their other regular business. Fort Bend County levee systems have not previously received and do not currently receive any federal money to construct, operate and maintain their levees or other flood control works.
Damage
AccuWeather predicts Hurricane Harvey, which has wreaked havoc in Texas, to be the most costly natural disaster in United States history. Dr. Joel N. Myers, founder, president and chairman of AccuWeather, and sometimes called the “father of commercial meteorology” stated, “This will be the worst natural disaster in American history. The economy’s impact, by the time its total destruction is completed, will approach $160 billion, which is similar to the combined effect of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.
Riverpark on the Brazos subdivision in Sugar Land, served by Fort Bend County LID No. 10, was under voluntary evacuation as initial river forecast projected a 59-foot crest. The levee system could prevent the river from spilling over at 59-foot crest level, but there were some weak spots, where the earth mound was eroded by a few inches or weak. To strengthen the levee in the weak area, a “Tiger Dam” was deployed. It is specially designed orange plastic pipe, available in rolls of 75 feet. The pipe is rolled out, then water is pumped inside and the bloated pipe is fixed on top of the levee which enhances the level of protection. This pipe was deployed for 1,000 feet from the edge of U.S. 59 and another 100 feet was deployed near Stavinovha Bridge. LID 10 secretary Rodney Vannerson placed a call to the community on Sunday evening needing 10 volunteers. In 30 minutes, about 200 people showed up to help. Former Sugar Land Mayor Jimmy Thompson, now with the Levee Management Services, LLC, the company operating the levee system, came down to explain the task on hand and with the help of a truck from a local resident, brought the supplies to the spot. In pouring rain, about 30 volunteers began laying the pipe around 8 p.m. and finished the task before 3 a.m. See Below the completed dam. Though the levee is designed to hold up to 58-foot river crest and could have prevented flooding at a 59-foot crest with the Tiger Dam, the need was obviated because the river was expected to crest at 56 feet. The episode shows the can do spirit of the community.