Hundreds sue engineering firm over Harvey flooding in Fort Bend levee district (Houston: appointed, fit in)

[ftbend06]

I found this quote to be pretty bad

"If this was Harvey's fault, then why would Levee No.15 stay dry?" attorney Michael Simpson said. "I don't think God would pick and choose on levees. Do you?"

So, by this logic, for every area that got hit harder than another, there was a conspiracy? Imagine if you applied that everywhere in this region. There’s lots of factors. Some areas were designed more conservatively and/or sit higher. It doesn’t mean another area wasn’t designed to meet the requirements. The real conversation, rather than pointing fingers after such a terrible and unique event, needs to be what the requirements should be going forward. See what houston is doing right now. Should things be built above the 500 year? Should there even be more levee districts? But for the existing ones, the horse is already out of the barn.

[ftbend06]

Originally Posted by swopoe

For me, as I said, i am not part of the suit. But the outcome I would want is for them to fix/add the levee along steep Bank creek. Which should have been there in the first place. And increase our pump capacity knowing other lids would drain into ours.

I don’t think that’s unreasonable at all, particularly the pump capacity part. Better safe than sorry as we all now know. This is the type of practical solution people should be talking about rather than just trying to place blame, which could go a lot of directions including our own decisions of where to live.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by ftbend06

Should there even be more levee districts? But for the existing ones, the horse is already out of the barn.

Not more. One. Just one that encompasses everything in the region that drains either into the bay or gulf.

The existing ones should be merged into the larger entity. Less self-interested inter-jursdiction bickering is the only way this region is going to stay a major populated area going into the next century. The time to start that process is now.

[SugLandDAd]

While I am sure that Riverstone's Developers, Johnson Development Company, have developed and distributed nice talking points memos to all their politicians and others they control ......that say how it cant possibly be their fault.....but people who actually think for themselves may think otherwise.

Its interesting to note note that the levee districts in Sugar Land, including those in Riverstone that flooded are almost all operated by a company whose President is James Thompson, the ex Mayor of Sugar Land.....The engineering company Costello currently is still the engineering company for about half the Levee Improvement Districts, Costello was a donor to both Thompson and Zimmerman........... Thompson also received many thousands of dollars of campaign contributions from Johnson...as does Thompson's chosen successor, Joe Zimmerman, so much so that years after he left office, Thompson still has 132,000 in his political reelection fund..... I wonder why?...

Is the Houston Chronicle Fake news? because they cite the same Engineering company, Costello provided the Engineering work that made the determination that Riverstone was no longer in the 100 year flood plain, and thus safe to build upon. They also provided the same Engineering work that said the flooded areas of Katy were safe to build on.......are we detecting a pattern?

Wake up people people: politicians, and Planing and Zoning Committee members whose loyalties lie more with their employers and developers are putting peoples lives in danger.

Jim Blackburn, an environmental lawyer and Rice professor, has authored papers on post-Harvey solutions and worked on lawsuits related to Houston flooding and its dams for decades. Blackburn said he finds Costello's denials of knowledge about reservoir development dangers "hard to believe."

Blackburn said Costello and other engineers involved in flood pool developments should consider whether they abandoned their duties under state administrative code to "protect the health, safety, property and welfare of the public."

"I think it's reflective of a cavalier attitude of engineers about a lot of these issues and I think that's one of the issues that has to change in our community," Blackburn said. "... Our engineers have to have a much stronger sense of their duty to the public, and if he doesn't remember, then shame on him."

Costello's business interests have given him expertise in the areas affected by Harvey. But they meant he had to step out of the room more often than any other councilman. In his five years on City Council, Costello recused himself from more than 60 matters involving his firm, including city flood-control contracts and reviews of municipal utility district deals spread across the region, records show.

Rice Professors, and the Houston Chronicle spreading "fake news"? or is this simply the Developers fan boys fighting to earn their keep?

I look forward to seeing if discovery in the lawsuit brings up any interesting facts about the relationship between Thompson, Zimmerman and Costello, and the swamp that is Sugar Land and Fort Bend politics.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...s-12434078.php

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...mpression=true

[SugLandDAd]

The real conversation, rather than pointing fingers after such a terrible and unique event, needs to be what the requirements should be going forward.

rather than just trying to place blame

Unless of course companies, politicians and others profited by doing something that they knew was wrong, in which case, finger pointing is entirely appropriate.

That's why we have lawsuits in America, to point fingers, and keep people honest.

[ftbend06]

Originally Posted by SugLandDAd

The real conversation, rather than pointing fingers after such a terrible and unique event, needs to be what the requirements should be going forward.

rather than just trying to place blame

Unless of course companies, politicians and others profited by doing something that they knew was wrong, in which case, finger pointing is entirely appropriate.

That's why we have lawsuits in America, to point fingers, and keep people honest.

There’s lots of places to look to blame including developers, government and in the mirror (if people really think they can live in an area that was previously floodplain, if not for levees, with no risk of flooding). I wish these people could get grants to help with repairs or something and that the levee district would invest in improving their pump system. But I do not think, after looking at the article, that the lawsuit has any merit. One can hold this opinion while having ZERO affiliation with the developer or any elected official. You are entitled to your own opinion as well.

[SugLandDAd]

One can't however reasonably call this "Fake News" given its reporting in Houston's paper of record.....thats a step beyond opinion.

[ftbend06]

Correct. The article is not fake news. It’s simply reporting on the engineer getting sued by the residents, which will have to sort itself out as the actual facts are looked at. It doesn’t really give an opinion on it that is real, fake or in between. The poster saying “fake news” was quoting you saying the flooded homes were because of the developer controlling local politics. I think that’s what that was in reference to and they were joking somewhat.

[SugLandDAd]

How developers control of local Planning and Zoning boards through donations to the elected officials that appoint them is also documented in an article published in the chronicle. It specifically references the Katy reservoir area, and also Costello inc.

Given that developers are also by far the biggest donors to politicians in Sugar Land, ....and the same engineering company did the work......its a bit of a stretch to call that fake news as well..... but nice try.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...s-12434078.php

[lipbalm]

You want to build every square inch that is available and then are surprised it floods during a 500 year flood. I live just a few miles away but did not flood, not even the street. But I immediately understood I was just lucky.