wow, really?

Harris County and Houston left out of $1 billion in flood mitigation aid

Yeah, why would we need flood aid, anyway?

Photo by Allen Henson

The city of Houston and Harris County won't receive a single cent from $1 billion in federal funds that communities could apply for and use for flood mitigation projects related to Hurricane Harvey.

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) will make the formal announcement on Friday, May 21, but on May 20, it told ABC13 Investigates it has already met with Houston and Harris County to let them know they were not awarded any funds.

The GLO said that neither Harris County nor Houston's applications scored high enough on a 2019 system used to score each application and determine how funds will be allocated. GLO said the formula tried to emphasize aid to low- to moderate-income communities and areas where the funds would help the most people. Both the city and the county said they felt the rules penalized dense, urban areas.

13 Investigates confirmed with the GLO and Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia that their applications were not selected.

The county applied for $900 million and Houston asked for a similar amount. Now, neither will receive anything. The Harris County Flood Control District also applied, but was not selected.

Baytown, Pasadena, Jacinto City, and Galena Park received a cumulative amount of $90 million in flood mitigation funds.

"[Thursday] we're told that the smallest cities, some of the smallest cities in Harris County will get a federal allocation, but not Harris County proper and not the city of Houston. Go figure," Garcia said. "This is political, folks."

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner accused the GLO of turning its back on Harvey victims and said Houstonians should be outraged.

"The City of Houston and Harris county account for over 50 percent of the damages from Hurricane Harvey. It is because of the damages incurred by Houston and Harris County that HUD awarded $4.2 billion in mitigation infrastructure funding to Texas.

For the State GLO not to give one dime in the initial distribution to the City and a very small portion to Harris County shows a callous disregard to the people of Houston and Harris County. And it is unfathomable that the State GLO would redirect most of these dollars to areas that did not suffer much from Hurricane Harvey.

The residents and businesses in Kingwood, Clear Lake, West Houston, Fort Bend Meyerland, Sunnyside, the East End, Kashmere Gardens, Spring Branch, and Acres Home should be deeply concerned and outraged.

HUD should immediately halt the distribution of the $4.2 billion in flood mitigation funding pending its review."

The largest chunk of funds — $190 million — will go to communities in Galveston County. The county itself didn't receive anything.

The funds will not be used for individual home repairs, but instead be allocated for large-scale projects, such as upgrading bayou systems and building retention ponds.

Harris County said it was not contacted about the technical errors and thus were not able to correct their application.

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Continue reading on our news partner ABC13.

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she has the power

National food magazine champions Houston nonprofit head on new 'Power 100' list

Photo by Julie Soefer

Lindsey Brown is Southern Smoke's new executive director.

The leader of one of Houston’s most prominent nonprofits is basking in the national spotlight. Lindsey Brown, co-founder and executive director of the Southern Smoke Foundation, is part of the inaugural class of Cherry Bombe magazine’s Power List.

Published on June 6, the Cherry Bombe Power List is the latest initiative from the media company that focuses on women in the world of food and beverage. The list celebrates women in a range of disciplines in the food world, including TV stars such as Top Chef’s Kristen Kish and Gail Simmons; lifestyle guru Martha Stewart; powerhouse chefs such as Dominique Crenn (the only women in America to lead a three-star Michelin restaurant) and Beard Award winner Mashama Bailey (The Grey in Savannah); and actor Liza Colón-Zayas, who won an Emmy for playing Tina in The Bear.

Brown, who co-founded Southern Smoke with her husband, James Beard Award-winner (and CultureMap wine columnist) Chris Shepherd, left a successful career as a publicist to become Southern Smoke’s executive director in 2023. The organization provides assistance to hospitality workers nationwide through its Emergency Relief Fund and offers access to mental health counseling in 10 states and Washington, D.C. through its Behind You initiative. The organization's star-studded annual food festival will return to Discovery Green in October.

“It was an incredible honor — and a bit daunting — to be recognized alongside so many women I look up to,” Brown said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment. “As a former publicist, Cherry Bombe is a publication I respect for many reasons, especially because of the way they lift up and celebrate women in the industry. I never imagined being recognized on a list with my heroes like Ellen Yin, Gail Simmons, and Martha Hoover. I’m so honored and also even more focused on Southern Smoke Foundation’s mission to support the F+B industry."

Brown isn’t the only Texas on the list. Cherry Bombe also recognized chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, who has earned both a spot in the Michelin guide and a James Beard Award finalist nomination for her Austin restaurant Birdie’s, and New York Times restaurant critic Priya Krisha, who grew up in Dallas.

“We’re honored to spotlight these amazing leaders in culinary, hospitality, philanthropy, and beyond,” Kerry Diamond, Cherry Bombe’s founder and editor-in-chief, said in a statement. “Our CEO, Kate Miller Spencer, and I came up with the idea for the Power Issue last year when we thought we would finally have a woman in the White House. That moment didn’t arrive, but the entire Cherry Bombe team remains firm believers in the power of women to lead, create change, push boundaries, and build community — especially in the food and drink space. Celebrating these women is more important than ever.”

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