New Harris County Flood District leader needed ahead of Thursday vote, local expert says

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Chronically behind schedule, Dr. Tina Peterson, leader of the Harris County Flood Control District, will tell Commissioner's Court that she has a plan to get work on more than two dozen projects back on track and completed within 18 months without losing federal dollars.

Making that case will likely prove difficult given harsh criticism of the District's past performance by Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham as well as local experts like "Reduce Flooding Now" publisher Bob Rehak, who says Peterson needs to go.

Rehak spoke in depth with FOX 26 Political Reporter Greg Groogan.

What they're saying:

Groogan: You have seen the life and death consequences of inadequate mitigation, up close and personal, correct?

Rehak:  I have. I live half a block from a creek that flooded badly during hurricane Harvey. The floodwaters from the San Jacinto River stopped at my driveway where they were launching rescue boats and I had 13 of my neighbors die during that flood.

Groogan: I know you have seen the letter from the Texas Land Commissioner and what I like to call a report card or a job review on the Harris County flood control director and her Department. Your reaction to that?

Rehak: We are coming up on the deadline real fast here, and they are not anywhere close to finishing the projects that are associated with the first $322 million worth of that money. They've got 4% of the projects built to date with eight months left, and the projects take at least a year or two to build and most of them haven't even started yet.

Groogan: Dr. Tina Peterson will go to Commissioner's Court and try to convince them she can accelerate and expedite the work. Do you have confidence she can do that?

Rehak: I didn't sense any urgency at all until her job got in trouble here. Typically, in the private sector, if an employee doesn't perform for four years straight, they are out. I don't know why it's taken this long.

Groogan: Do you think there is somebody who can come in here and do a better job of getting this stuff built?

Rehak: I am told the answer to that question is yes. There are people available who are familiar with all the projects in the flood control district, who have recent institutional knowledge of them, who have engineering backgrounds and can push them forward quickly....You have to say, you've had your chance, now we are going to place our bets on someone else.

What's next:

The stakes are enormous.

Failure to complete the work on time would mean as much as $800 million would be returned to the Federal treasury, denying millions of Harris County residents badly needed protection from the impact of the next major storm.

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