Houston Stronger, together with county and state officials, presented “Working Together for Resilience” on September 22 at the West Houston Institute of Houston City College, 2811 Hayes Road in Houston. The program provided updates on planned and existing flood infrastructure and mitigation projects and programs.

Presenters included Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones, Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Tina Peterson and Tim Buscha, Region 6 Flood Planning Group Chair. The program emcee was Alan Steinberg of Houston Stronger, who also is the president and CEO of the West Houston Association.

Projects in or near the Katy area, or with the potential to affect the Katy area, were covered by Commissioner Briones and included the following, among other projects in the precinct:

· Completed: Zube Park Detention Basin which excavated over 380 acre-feed of detention in the Bauer-Hockley Stormwater Detention Basin

· Active: Little Cypress Creek (preliminary engineering and channel conveyance improvements)

Briones also reviewed the Places 4 People partnership program which as $220 million promised from Precinct 4 and other governmental partnerships for more than 50 projects across Precinct 4. Projects to be awarded through the program in 2025 will be announced in November, she said.

Peterson gave an overview of flood control projects throughout the county, including the construction of more than 16,000 acre-feet of stormwater detention, more than 46,000 linear feet of channel conveyance improvements, more than 5,800 acres of land acquired and preserved and more than 3,100 people safely relocated to higher ground. She said that the county had obtained $2.7 billion in funding secured through partnerships with 27 unique partners. She also highlighted the use of $35 million to continue investment in the Buffalo Bayous and Tributaries Resiliency Study, which includes much of the Katy area. Peterson also displayed a new dashboard developed by the flood control district which she said ensured transparency and reporting on the progress on projects. She also outlined ongoing maintenance approaches including preventative measures, “repair and replace” and “fast action” teams.

Houston Stronger is a not-for-profit coalition of over 35 civic groups, business associations, and active citizens from throughout the Texas Gulf Coast region, formed after Hurricane Harvey. The group is dedicated to advocating for federal, state and local funding to support flood reduction and resiliency projects around Greater Houston. The coalition’s member organizations work collaboratively with local, state and federal officials to implement a comprehensive regional flood control plan that safeguards citizens and property. The organization’s goal is to advocate for the funding resources needed to address the drainage and flooding issues that area leaders have been working on since the 1940’s. To learn more, visit houstonstronger.net.