Monthly Archives: January 2009

Houston’s (and Galveston’s) High Water Problems

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Houston’s High Water Problems

The following article is found at www.thehoustonlawyer.com (http://www.thehoustonlawyer.com/aa_nov08/page18.htm)

Houston’s High Water Problems

By Jim Blackburn and Larry Dunbar

We as a community stand in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. To say that Ike swept us away is a gross understatement. Some on the Texas Gulf Coast felt Ike’s presence with high tide and flooding occurring before the storm made landfall. Those who never met Hurricane Alicia could not believe their eyes. Although damage from flooding is undeniably evident, determining causation liability is more difficult. Separated by few determining factors, legal issues in flooding and drainage require expertise in local, state and federal case law and are not limited to statutory or common law claims. The following is but an overview of drainage and flooding issues in Houston, the current situation and a glimpse of where we may be heading. To do justice to this subject would require much more space than is available here.

This is a preview of Houston’s (and Galveston’s) High Water Problems. Read the full post (3306 words, estimated 13:13 mins reading time)

Texas, Our Texas

Texas, Our Texas! all hail the mighty State!

Jim Blackburn, environmental attorney from Houston and one of the original guiding lights for the conservation of our bays and coasts, writes an annual coastal update that he distributes in January. I have placed his latest on the One Galveston file server, and it can be accessed here.

John Anderson has written a thoughtful response to the questions raised by Jim, and he has graciously allowed for me to publish his letter, as follows.

Jim

Thanks for taking the time to do the Coastal Update. I always enjoy reading it.

This is a preview of Texas, Our Texas. Read the full post (1074 words, estimated 4:18 mins reading time)

Galveston’s Strategic Retreat by Ted Eubanks

The brouhaha over the buyout of beach front dwellings has flamed into an inferno. Many demand that the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program money be spent in less affluent neighborhoods in the central city, repairing homes that may well attract residents back to the city. Heber Taylor, editor of the GCDN, has argued this case repeatedly and effectively. As recently as today Heber is bemoaning the fact that West Enders are getting a sweet deal on their homes.

This is a preview of Galveston’s Strategic Retreat by Ted Eubanks. Read the full post (1055 words, estimated 4:13 mins reading time)

Stopping Erosion by Dr. John Anderson

Yesterday, Saturday January 24th, my wife Doris and I attended the town hall meeting at Sea Isle and wandered around the various booths reading the comments posted for each group. At the Environment Booth I was struck by one comment in particular that read “Stop Erosion”, which provoked me to sit down and write up this summary of the problem. Stopping beach erosion is about as complicated as stopping volcanoes from erupting and earthquakes from quaking and the sooner we accept this reality the sooner we will get on with the business of sustainable development in Galveston. I welcome questions and comments and am happy to provide scientific documentation of the statements I have made in this summary.

This is a preview of Stopping Erosion by Dr. John Anderson. Read the full post (1122 words, estimated 4:29 mins reading time)

Recovery Galveston – A Warning

The new Recovery Galveston website is now functioning. This is a joint effort of Lee Roane’s Galveston.com and Dolph Tillotson’s Galveston County Daily News. Potentially this is an excellent resource for the LTCRC, yet I am concerned about the signficant gaps in the information required in order for the LTCRC (and the community) to make informed decisions about our future. I realize that this is early in the process, but given the tight schedule there is little time to waste.

This is a preview of Recovery Galveston – A Warning. Read the full post (416 words, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)