06/15/2004
Flood Control District official urges flood insurance for all
The message of the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) is simple but important:
No home or apartment in the area is immune to flooding, regardless of whether it’s in the flood plane. Therefore, everyone should have flood insurance.
Cy-Fair Houston Chamber general membership luncheon keynote speaker Project Manager William Meyer of HCFCD on June 14 discussed the Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project (TSARP) that is creating new, more accurate floodplain maps. The district expects the mapping project to be completed in August.
TSARP
Flood Hazard REcovery Data represents the most current understanging
of the 100- and 500-year floodways of Harris County using the lates
engineering and technology. This summer, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FBMA) will issue new preliminary Digital Flood Insurance
Rate Maps (DFIRMs) for all of Harris County, based on the data.
To date, Flood Hazard Recovery Data has been released for 14 watersheds, including Little Cypress Creek, Spring Creek and Spring Gully. Complete information on the portion of the study that has been completed is available at tsarp.org.
Tropical Storm Allison, which struck the area in June 2001 causing widespread flooding, was the impetus for new study, Meyer said.
“When Allison left Houston, 95,000 vehicles were destroyed, over 73,000 residences were flooded and Harris County lost 22 of our fellow citizens,” he said. “It was the costliest storm to date at $6 billion, 90 percent of which was in Harris County.”
But the silver lining, MEYER said, was increased public awareness and a strong relationship between the flood control district and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). That relationship led to the Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project.
“FEMA has a very aggressive goal of updating the entire country’s flood map within five years,” Meyer said. “We’re the first community to be able to put this information on the Internet before it’s official. We also recognize in a community as large as Harris County that we couldn’t simply finish one portion of the county and put it on the shelf.”
Meyer said that during Tropical Storm Allison, nearly two-thirds of flooding occurred outside the floodplain. He noted that Harris County is so prone to flooding because the county has more than 1,800 square miles of creeks and rivers. Placed end to end, these waterways would be longer than the Mississippi River, he said.
Other factors that tend to make flooding worse include large amounts of rainfall and subsidence of land caused by the pumping of groundwater. Even areas that are not within the floodplain may flood because of clogged sewers, Meyer said.
” No
matter where you live, you can purchase flood insurance,” he said. “That’s
a major issue we’re trying to get out to the community; you need to
purchase flood insurance. Both homeowners and renters can purchase flood
insurance.”
The combat flooding, the flood control district spends $150 million to $200 million a year on studies and projects, works closely with FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers, and uses the expertise of highly educated and experienced engineers, Meyer said.
06/14/2004
Elkins speaks about workers’ compensation
School finance reform isn’t the only issue on the mind of state legislators.
Workers’ compensation has become a thorny subject among businesses, insurance companies and physicians in recent years in Texas. The issue was the topic of discussion at the June meeting of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce. State Rep. Gary Elkins (R-Houston), a member of the House Business and Industry Committee, was the committee’s guest speaker and spoke about workers’ compensation.
He said the committee has conducted numerous hearings on workers’ compensation and will have several more.
“The
issue businesses are complaining about is that workers’ compensation
rates are climbing rapidly, and the system just doesn’t seem to work,”
Elkins said. “That’s what we’re trying to get our arms around.
According to Elkins, workers’ compensation billing is approximately six times that for injuries or illnesses that are non-work related. One of the main problems, he said, is that insurance company payments for workers’ compensation treatment is so spotty that physicians feel they must charge six times more to recoup their losses.
One committee member asked Elkins if the system makes it too easy to file a workers’ compensation claim.
“I don’t know if it’s too easy,” Elkins said. “If you are injured at work, you have a statutory right to get treated and be compensated for it.”
However, some parties are trying to take unfair advantage of the system, he said. According to Elkins some healthcare providers have annual workers’ compensation billing totals of more than $1 million a year, and some clinics seem to be “factories” for treating workers’ compensation injuries.
House Bill 2600, passed in 2001, was designed to fix the problems, but it didn’t do so, he said.
Elkins said insurance companies tend to dispute virtually every claim, and about 80 percent of doctors want nothing to do with the system. For the doctors who do treat workers’ compensation injuries, there is a constant battle with insurance companies, he said.
“Doctors want to blame the insurance companies, and insurance companies want to blame the doctors,” Elkins said. “I guess the system has become adversarial. Whenever there’s money to be had, there will be a lot of people fighting over it.”
Insurance companies are especially hesitant to pay claims on so-called “soft tissue” injuries, he said. According to Elkins, soft-tissue injuries account for about one fifth of all workers’ compensation claims. Complaints as back pain and muscle soreness are difficult to diagnose, he said.
Chamber President Darcy Mingoia noted that Chamber insurance premiums for workers’ compensation have jumped from $1,100 to $3,000 in the past six years. But even at those rates, workers’ compensation provides small businesses with insurance against expensive litigation, Elkins said.
“We’re going to have a workers’ compensation system that protects the small businesses,” he said. “What we’ve got to do is learn how to make it more efficient and put penalties for fraud that make fraud not worth the risk.”
06/11/2004
Mark your calendar for Business Expo and Business of the Year 2004
The Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce announced that the fourth annual Business EXPO would be held on Thursday, September 16, at Sam Houston Race Park Pavilion Centre, 7575 North Sam Houston Parkway West from 10 am to 5 pm. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Cy-Fair Independent School District’s Junior Achievement Exchange City program.
A wide-variety of activities is planned for the day including a business exposition or trade show, an awards luncheon and a special afternoon vendor seminar.
The EXPO offers companies an opportunity to showcase their products and services to an audience of business owners, executives and managers. In previous years, more than 500 attendees visited the 65-70 booths on display.
The EXPO features an awards luncheon to honor the Chamber’s “Businesses of the Year”. This year’s keynote speaker is John L. Nau, III, president and chief executive officer of Silver Eagle Distributors, L.P. who will share insights about his business successes. Under his leadership, Silver Eagle has become one of the nation’s largest distributors of Anheuser-Busch products and Houston’s number one beer distributor. With over 700 employees and offices in Houston, Conroe, Cypress and Rosenberg, Silver Eagle distributes Anheuser-Busch and Modelo brand products throughout the Houston area.
A special mid-afternoon session from 2:30-4:00 pm will feature North Harris Montgomery County College District officials detailing their purchasing guidelines, requirements and processes. In addition, staff members will be on hand to meet prospective vendors. This seminar will be modeled after the Chamber’s popular “How to Do Business with Cy-Fair ISD” breakfast.
This year’s EXPO Underwriters include Jersey Meadow Golf Course, Hewlett- Packard Company and Sam Houston Race Park. Yancey-Hausman Interests has committed as a Gold Sponsor and Cy-Fair College and Southwest Bank of Texas will be Silver Sponsors. Luncheon sponsors include Caldwell Watson Real Estate Group, Fox & Bubela, Inc. and Regions Bank.
Cy-Fair Chamber President Darcy Mingoia encouraged local businesses to reserve their booths quickly as spaces are going fast. For additional information and advanced registration, call the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce at 281-955-1100.
06/08/2004
Cy-Fair Chamber scores high with tournament for scholarship fund
More than $4,000 was raised for the Cy-Fair Chamber’s scholarship endowment for Cy-Fair College at the third annual Cy-Fair Ten Pin Challenge Bowling Tournament. The event was held at Copperfield Bowl late in May and almost 250 bowlers and spectators attended.
Event
Chairman Brenda Angelini of Adventures In Advertising applauded the
enthusiastic support of a number of sponsors including: Oceaneering
International, Inc., PBK Architects, Sterling Bank, Able Door Manufacturing,
Cy-Fair College, Fox & Bubela, Inc., Comfort Suites, Executive Inn
& Suites, Jersey Meadow Golf Course, Motel 6, National Cremation
Service, CenterPoint Energy, Haginas & Chapman, Carl’s Bar-B-Q,
Willie’s Restaurants and Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union. 
The Southwest Bank of Texas team earned top honors. Gevity HR and Prime Time Steak House were the second and third place teams, respectively. Fishing poles were awarded to the bowlers from Haginas & Chapman, the team with the most possibility of improvement.
The team from Prime Time Steak House was awarded “Hall of Fame” Best Dressed. The teams from Fox & Bubela, Inc. and FSO Professional Staffing were also recognized for their costumes. The Cy-Fair College team and spectators received “Hall of Fame” Most Spirited and the team from Sterling Bank was also recognized for spirit.
The
Chamber is working to complete its endowment by December 31. Interested
parties can make contributions by sending checks made payable to the
NHMCCD Foundation to the Chamber Office at 11050 FM 1960 West, Suite
100 , Houston , TX 77065.
06/07/2004
Chambers hold press conference to show support for Grand Parkway ’s F-2 segment
The
Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce joined the North Houston Association
and three other chambers of commerce on June 7 to hold a press conference
to announce their joint support for the construction of the Grand Parkway
from Texas 249 to Interstate 45.
Cy-Fair Houston Chamber President Darcy Mingoia noted that there has been vocal opposition to the project, but that many of its supporters had not yet been heard effectively. Area business leaders believe the project would greatly improve mobility in northwest and north Harris County and that it should be built as soon as possible.
Local television channels 11, 13 and 24 covered the event. Representatives from the Houston Northwest, Tomball and Greenspoint chamber of commerce also attended. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jerry Eversole, State Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale, State Sen. Jon Lindsay and North Harris Community College District associate chancellor Ray Laughter were among those on hand to lend their support.
“The press conference went very well,” Mingoia said. “The negative comments were the only one being heard. The main purpose of the press conference was to make sure that positive comments are also being heard.”
The chambers have passed resolutions in favor of the project. With a combined membership of more that 3,000 business and community leaders, the coalition speaks with a loud and influential voice, Mingoia said.
The press conference encouraged those present to make public comments on the F-2 segment of the project, which is proposed to being at 249 and Boudreaux Road, run along Boudreaux north of Hooks Airport, parallel FM 2920 and cut through the Mossy Oaks and Forest North Subdivisions to I -45. The public comment period ends in mid July.
For more information, log onto www.grandpky.com .
Archived News
05/06/2004 Super rail corridors proposed in joint Harris County, Port of Houston Authority study
05/2004 Manufacturer's Roundtable is a win-win situation
04/01/04 Congressional run-off candidate speaks at Chamber
04/01/04 U.S. 290 schematic design presented at Chamber meeting
03/19/04 Speaker delivers informative, upbeat talk at Chamber luncheon
03/04/04 Chamber Transportation Committee advocating commuter rail
02/17/04 Radack outlines improvements in West, Northwest Harris County