Doyal Testifies At State Committee On Harvey Flooding

From Montgomery County: County Judge Craig Doyal, in testimony before the Texas State Affairs Committee Wednesday, asked the state to remain a partner in funding projects like a current study of flood conditions and perhaps providing flood buyout funds up front to help speed assistance to residents.

The judge, who was invited to testify as part of a panel of area county judges, mentioned a current study involving Montgomery County, the Texas Water Development Board and local partners that ultimately will provide improved, advanced flood notifications to residents.

“We need to do better in telling people exactly what kind of flooding we can anticipate at their home,” the judge said, and so the study is intended to reliably predict flood depths and provide some advance warning accurately.

“That’s the kind of information we are trying to put out to people more readily.”

The study involves building better flood modeling, expanding the network of river gauges, and creating an improved flooding notification program. Phase I is underway and includes Lake Conroe and the upper portion of the West Fork of the San Jacinto River.

Phase II – which the county will pursue next year – would expand the study to the rest of Montgomery County’s watersheds.

The judge also told the members of the committee that the county had requested federal assistance for a comprehensive study that would go beyond flood notifications to look at potential flood mitigation projects, such as reservoirs that could help reduce downstream flooding.

“Every single one of the drainage basins in Montgomery County drains to the southeast,” Judge Doyal said. “We have to find ways to mitigate some of the effects of those creeks so we don’t have such a tremendous impact on our residents.”

Finally, the judge asked the state to consider ways to help advance flood buyout funding more quickly – rather than forcing residents to wait 12 to 18 months for FEMA buyouts.

“We’ve tried very diligently to reduce our tax burden at the request of the state and our taxpayers, so there are not funds available from us, and a lot of residents are in a position of not knowing what to do,” Judge Doyal said. “I’d like the state to consider some pre-funding.”

Images courtesy of Montgomery County