Bill King
- June 20, 2018
A Primer on the Labor Force Participation Rate
If you follow the jobs report issued by the Labor Department each month, you have probably heard of something called the “labor force participation rate.” This is the percentage of the population between the ages of 16-64 that are employed or unemployed but looking for work. Of course, there are many reasons that a person...Read More
- June 13, 2018
The Flood Discussion Continues
Two important documents were recently released on flooding in our region. The first is the Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) report on Hurricane Harvey written by Jeff Lindner and Scott Fitzgerald, the HCFCD’s chief meteorologist and engineer, respectively. The 32-page report is chock-full of statistics, tables and maps that detail Harvey’s rainfall and flooding. ...Read More
- June 4, 2018
Lowering Flood Levels is Vastly More Important than Raising Structures
There are two basic strategies for mitigating flood damages. One is to raise the level at which structures are built. The second is to lower the level of the flood waters. While flood mitigation policy should utilize both, the latter is vastly more efficient and effective. The first, and most obvious reason that lowering flood...Read More
- June 4, 2018
City’s New 500-Year-Plus-2 Flood Ordinance Will Be Severe, and in Many Instances Unnecessary, Burden on some of the City’s Most Disadvantaged Neighborhoods
Recently the City of Houston and the Harris County Flood Control District added new flood mapping tools to their websites. The City’s tool estimates the difference between the ground elevation and the 500-year flood plain. The map is color coded for incremental differences up to five feet. The minimum elevation for any structure in a...Read More
