Harris County flood control chief focuses on projects amid deadline concerns

Harris County flood-control officials are under pressure to finish 28 delayed mitigation projects before more federal money slips away, and Executive Director Dr. Christina “Tina” Petersen said her focus remained on the work itself as commissioners questioned her performance.

Petersen made that clear as commissioners continued to scrutinize deadlines tied to the county’s 2018 flood bond, the $2.5 billion program voters approved after Hurricane Harvey. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in April that she had lost confidence in Petersen, and commissioners later met behind closed doors to discuss her performance. No action was taken at that meeting, but the possibility remained as the county weighed what comes next.

The stakes reach far beyond County Hall. Harris County’s own materials say a major flood happens somewhere in the county about every two years, a reminder that unfinished drainage and detention work can leave neighborhoods exposed for another storm season. Residents along White Oak Bayou, including the Woodland Trails neighborhood and Pine Trails Subdivision, have watched flood-mitigation promises closely as county officials try to catch up on projects that were supposed to reduce risk after Harvey.

The funding picture has sharpened the urgency. Houston Public Media reported that more than $245 million in grant funds were jeopardized by project delays, and ABC13 reported last year that Harris County was about $1.3 billion short of the money needed to complete all 2018 flood-bond projects. Separate reporting also found that the county would seek extensions on some recovery projects because of the funding pressure and looming deadlines.

Petersen’s role carries broad responsibility inside that fight. A county-filed resume said she oversaw a $128.1 million annual budget, a $5.2 billion bond program and flood-risk-reduction work for more than 4.5 million residents. County materials also identify her as the first female director in the Harris County Flood Control District’s 85-year history, a milestone now unfolding under intense public scrutiny.

For Harris County, the dispute is less about personalities than about whether the flood-control system can keep pace with the county’s needs. Every delayed project pushes back drainage fixes, detention work and other protections that residents expected years ago, and every missed deadline raises the risk that promised improvements will not be in place before the next major storm hits.