I set out on today’s bike ride mainly to see what Tropical Storm Harvey did to Kingwood, Atascocita and Walden to the south. The route was “Atascocita – Walden” and I rode 21.2 miles.
It didn’t take long to start seeing homes in the recovery process. I did not hear any generators running where I heard them yesterday in Hunters Ridge and Bear Branch village. As I entered Kings Forest the homes looked normal but on Valley Manor just north of Kingwood Drive several homes had huge piles of debris at the curb and more on the way. I had to be careful maneuvering around the cars parked on the side of the street. The number of volunteers was astounding.
Riding to Kingwood Drive to cross and ride east I waited at the traffic light. The sidewalks that were under construction before Harvey arrived on the west bound side still were unfinished. On the east bound sidewalk I dodged displaced grass sod, dirt and sand. Several tow trucks hauled flood damaged cars from the Kingwood Lakes apartments parking area and I saw the mud stains on the windows.
From there I moved to Kingwood Town Center and all of the shops. Debris was less than what I saw in a Youtube video taken yesterday but still substantial. In the middle of the park green area on the concrete stage a bunch of cars crowd together in an attempt to avoid the flood water but they were not high enough. The two trucks will need to remove them. The Town Center apartments were busy cleaning and piling debris. I suspect the first floor apartments were the only ones directly damaged but it won’t take long for the moisture and mildew to creep into the ones above. Opposite the apartments were numerous businesses including a branch of my bank. Glad my money wasn’t in their vault. Closer to Ben’s Branch the library building looked deserted but there was some equipment in the parking lot.
The major damage was Kingwood Greens south of Ben’s Branch nestled between the San Jacinto river and the Kingwood Country Club golf course. I rode on the sidewalk trail and as soon as I turned into the village the number of cars parked on the street was overwhelming. I don’t think another car would fit. These were volunteers and companies working on cleanup. I couldn’t see one house without debris piled high out by the street. I made my way around and stopped in front of one two story home because the traffic was backed up (it was one way only). My rides to the south take me past this house and I noticed a car with Illinois parked there many days as the workers remodeled the home. I recognized the lady carrying stuff and putting it a plastic bag while her husband talked on the phone with someone trying to get directions on what to do with the wood floor that had been flooded. As the walked towards me I asked if she had moved her from Illinois and she said yes. From there we talked for about 10 minutes about what happened as the house began to take on water. It was so sad to hear but they were safe moving a few things to the second floor and staying there as the water rose. The remodeling had finished before Harvey landed and in a sense that was good but the supplies to finish it were in the water. A large pile of wood flooring was at the curb still in the factory wrappers, damaged. Their house was a little higher than the one next door and the pile in front of it was huge. I wished her well as I moved on.
Getting to W. Lake Houston Parkway took time with all of the cars waiting to turn or cross the road. I crossed over to ride further south across the lake/river. The walkway on the bridge had debris and portions with sand covering the concrete. Fortunately I rode the Blue Norcross AL bike with wide tires to cut through the sand. Winding through Atascocita to FM 1960 I didn’t see any more damaged houses but one had a very large tree cut up in the front yard waiting to be removed. At FM 1960 waiting to cross a National Guard convoy of 6 or 7 vehicles passed through with large stacks of water and equipment. Once the light changed I rode across headed to Walden.
At first the homes in Walden looked normal but when I crossed Hikers Trail riding on Cross Country Drive the scene changed dramatically. On my right the homes are on the Lake Houston shore which normally is 8 to 10 feet below the homes but that wasn’t enough when the flood water rose. On the left the homes are several feet higher escaping the water except for a couple of lower ones. Again the street was filled on both sides with parked cars from volunteers helping the homeowners demo the damage. There was barely enough room left for one lane of traffic. A lady and her daughter pulled a wagon handing out water and talking to people. The smell of decay was everywhere. I rode past the damaged homes and made my way to FM 1960. Most of my rides go east over the lake but today I went straight on Atascocita Shores Drive.
For about half a mile the homes looked like Harvey had never been here but once I started on the small downhill section the scene changed. Flooded homes were on both sides of Atascocita Shores Drive. Once again the number of vehicles parked on the side of the street was amazing. People moved in and out of homes carrying bags and pieces of various things. As the street transitioned to Kings River Drive the damaged homes just kept on coming. At one spot the traffic stopped and while I waited I talked to a man who crossed the road with his wife. They were the way to help his in-laws clean out their home on the right. This area is low and is on the south side of the lake. Many times when I ride through this area I thought about what would happen if the lake were to flood and now I know. Eventually Kings River Drive goes up a small incline and that is where the flood stopped.
Back to W. Lake Houston Parkway I ride to the north but this time I go through Kings Harbor with numerous businesses and lots of apartments. This is where I see the first truck being loaded with debris. Several skid steer front end loaders moved around the apartments scooping up stuff and dumping it into a large 18 wheeler dump truck. On the right the apartments are mostly two story but on the left they are 3 or 4 story. I am not sure how high the water rose but the first floor was consumed by the dirty water and mud. Riding past the closed former Wells Fargo bank office I thought who would want to lease or buy that now.
Riding past the storage facility a large 18-wheeler trailer was parked with people dragging stuff from open storage compartments towards it. Round a bend on the trail a big oak tree blocked my path. Getting off the bike I bent low and walked through the branches with another bicyclist heading towards me. He opted to ride into the street to get around the tree. Next I came to the YMCA with no one around it except for two tree trimming company trucks sitting in the vacant parking lot. This was under water but I couldn’t see how much damage was inside. The outdoor pool must be brown water.
I continued along W. Lake Houston Parkway passing more businesses with people working on them. At the Ace Hardware parking lot two women were sorting what looked like paint cans into piles while other people moved stuff. The shopping center suffered heavy water damage and I saw two garbage trucks sitting at the front door of the Randalls grocery store. The Exxon station was closed with the price sign lit with $.009 for regular and diesel. At the Kingwood Drive traffic light I went straight passing the new shopping center with a WhataBurger. A big bunch of equipment sat on the concrete outside. The one year old HEB grocery had activity as well. From there the ground went higher and I left the flooded area and continued to finish the ride I started at 11:34 AM and now completed at 1:46 PM.
The Houston Police Department has been working around the clock in Kingwood. When I biked past the HPD Kingwood station I saw 4 cruisers from Garland Police and two from Flower Mound Police. Thank you for coming to help.
A lot to see. Many people’s lives are torn apart but as the Illinois woman said, “It is just stuff.” It can be replaced.
Thankfully the September weather has been a little less heated as people work on their homes. It was 88 degrees when I finished riding with partly cloudy skies, and 63% humidity.
Strava Ride Summary
Save
Save
