Community Member

Flood Victims of Richwood

Richwood, Texas

Kevin and Irma McKinney wearing their ‘I Flood and I Vote’ T-shirts.

Brazoria County is located in the southeast section of Texas along the Gulf Coast and is considered part of the Greater Houston area. Residents of Richwood, Texas and surrounding areas within the county were heavily impacted during Hurricane Harvey in late August/early September of 2017.

Many residents of Richwood had never flooded before the storm and found themselves with upwards of 3 feet of water in their homes. Residents claim that in the aftermath of the storm, the City of Lake Jackson used a combination of pumps and sandbags to divert floodwaters into Richwood and surrounding areas of the county. The water inundated neighborhoods and mobile home parks, severely damaging homes and personal property.

Kevin and Irma McKinney’s home after Hurricane Harvey.

Over 400 residents have joined a lawsuit to demand that the City of Lake Jackson take responsibility for the flooding that occurred in the City of Richwood and surrounding areas in Brazoria County and compensate for damages.

The Richwood Advisory Council was formed in September of 2017 by residents impacted by the flooding. Kevin McKinney is the Chairman of the Council and serves as the community leader.

Kevin McKinney of the Flood Victims Of Richwood describes why they are taking out a lawsuit.

Anthropocene Alliance connected Kevin up to the Thriving Earth Exchange (TEX). Through TEX they found an expert scientist, Dr Steve Emerman, who has acted as scientific partner and expert witness in the lawsuit. Dr. Emerman is helping several Anthropocene Alliance members with lawsuits and appeals. He is well qualified to do so. He was a professor of hydrology for 31 years and has 66 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of hydrology and geophysics. He has a B.S. in mathematics from The Ohio State University, M.A. in geophysics from Princeton University, and Ph.D. in geophysics from Cornell University. Since retirement at the end of June 2018, Dr. Emerman is now a full-time consultant for environmental, human rights, and indigenous organizations. We are tremendously grateful for his help for flood victims across the country.

Written by Michele Gielis

Links

Richwood flooding lawsuit presses on

Richwood flooding lawsuit targets drainage district

Richwood Thriving Earth Exchange project

Expert Hydrologist Helps Flood Victims in Lawsuit

Michele Gielis

Michele Gielis

Michele has spent the last decade helping nonprofits raise their voice for change. She looks to make action meaningful by connecting people to the technology and messages that bring resonance and resilience. Michele is proud to support the Anthropocene Alliance working to get communities to #HigherGround

Contact

Kevin McKinney

Social Media

Climate Impacts

Flooding

Strategies

Halting Bad Development, Nature-Based Solutions

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