Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM Summer 2018 | Page 6

Steve Paterson
President & CEO
League City Regional Chamber
Drainage, Preparation & Recovery
As we enter 2018 Hurricane Season, we take a renewed look at our
present, past and possible future. August 28th will always be etched into
our memories as we received 50 plus inches of rainfall from Harvey, which
caused irreparable damage to our City and County.
We are now nine months out from that event and we are still digging out
and repairing homes and businesses. There is still damage from Hurricane
Ike ten years ago, which has not been mitigated, either locally or from the
State or Federal coffers. Still it could have been worse. Your chamber of
commerce along with sponsorship from Texas New Mexico Power held a
“Hurricane Preparedness Workshop for Businesses”. The one takeaway for
me was very interesting. Chief Meteorologist Jeffry Evans with the
National Weather Service (NWS) of Houston / Galveston stated in the
workshop that most of deaths are a result of flooding and not wind. Water
kills. Tidal surge and rainstorms that deluge are the major threats that we
need to be wary. These are the ones we can mitigate to a certain extent,
through drainage infrastructure planning, regular dredging of lakes,
bayous and creeks and the construction of levees and gates to control
water flow.
After the great storm of 1900, the residents of Galveston Island built the
seawall that we see today, which functions as a coastal barrier. It has done
its job over the past century. It is time that the citizens of Galveston County
truly look at a long-range plan for drainage. We need to explore the
formation of a drainage district, which encompasses our total bay area
and the barrier islands that make up Galveston County. Because our
estuaries play a vital role not only in drainage but also tidal surge, we
need to also investigate the formation of a navigation district. The
proposed Coastal Spine project being advocated for by this chamber of
commerce and other entities, which has been proposed by the Speed
Center at Rice University and Texas A & M Galveston are not only projects
of local importance, but also of national security. A major tidal storm surge
would be many more times devastating than a Category 3,4, or 5 wind
storm events. This could be caused by a tropical depression or much
weaker Category storm. We dodged a bullet when Hurricane Ike came
through by only 30 miles. If the tidal surge that the storm created had
come up the Houston ship channel, the damage it would have caused can
only be defined as catastrophic. Remember Hurricane Ike was a Category
2 storm.
It is way past time to not act and start the process to protect industry,
businesses, homes and most importantly lives. It is not if there will be
another storm, but when. Our local politicians and leaders need to
advocate and put forward a unified drainage and surge protection plan
using the best technology we have to day to prevent the most amount of
damage we can. Not wait on state or federal government funding to start.
Just like the folks in Galveston did after the 1900 storm. They all pitched in
and made it happen. It is a matter of common sense that anything worth
having is going to cost something. If we love this area and want to keep
our homes, it will be worth the investment.
Steve Paterson
2018 Board of Directors
Chair, Rebecca Lilley
Memorial Hermann
Treasurer, Bix Rathburn
RPC Consulting
Secretary, Gloria Greene
EliteCare 24 Hour ER
Past Chair, Ray Soto
Soto Financial & Insurance
2019 Incoming Chair, Bill Provenzano
Hometown Bank of League City
Elga Boeker
Houston Methodist St. John Hospital
James Brockway
Brockway Realty / Commercial
Dr. Laura Dupont
CCISD
Matthew Mathias
Clear Lake Regional Medical Center
Dr. Warren Nichols
College of the Mainland
Kalpesh Patel
Hampton Inn & Suites/Candlewood Suites
Chris Premont
Ron Carter Cadillac Hyundai Genesis
Dan Seal
BAHEP
Debbie Simmons
Anchor Point
Becky Trout-Unbehagen
UTMB Health
Rolando Villareal
Hilltop Securities
Peter Wuenschel
CIS - Bay Area
John Baumgartner
Ex-Officio, City of League City
Amanda Fenwick
Ex-Officio, City of Clear Lake Shores
Lisa Howard
Ex-Officio, HOT Tax Board
Peggy Zahler
Ex-Officio, HOA Alliance of League City