While the long road to recovery has begun for many residents who saw damage from Hurricane Harvey, homeowners on the border of Harris and Montgomery counties are calling for more to be done by developers and public officials.

Dozens of residents, wearing bright yellow "Stop the Flooding" shirts, from Timarron Lakes and the Creekside Park Village area in Municipal Utility District No. 386 crowded into a room at Lone Star College-Creekside in The Woodlands this afternoon to deliver a petition with approximately 1,500 signatures to the MUD board. The document calls for flood mitigation and a repeal to a Texas state law that allows MUD developers to collect reimbursement for recreational facilities—money residents claim could be used for flood prevention.

MUD 386 President Rich Jakovac addressed the crowd at the beginning of the meeting.

"I really look forward to the opportunity to help you in terms of flooding," Jakovac said. "Our board, on Sept. 27, authorized a district engineer…to determine if there’s some kind of a local solution within the district that could be advanced. We’re making progress on that. We are committed to do all that we can do to help you."

Several residents spoke during public comment and throughout the meeting to talk about how their homes were affected in the flooding resulting from Hurricane Harvey and to ask questions about why flood mitigation has not been done in the time between the Tax Day and Memorial Day floods of 2016 and August of this year.

Timarron resident Don Hickey delivered the petition with other residents to the board and spoke for several minutes during the hearing.

"Thirty-five years ago, I worked for The Woodlands Corporation and my mentors were the members who created this community. The Woodlands is what it is today because we had world class urban planners that created this place," Hickey said. "A lot of engineers have told me, “Everything here is based on a 100-year flood plain, that’s all we’re required to do. This community was designed to have the best of everything: the best schools, the best entertainment, amenities, but it was designed to have a bare minimum flood control system. That was never part of the deal. And that’s why many people are here."

Hickey also alleged there were conflicts of interest on the board, including that engineers working with the board now to fix issues are the same that designed areas of the township. The petition also asks to repeal Senate Bill 2483, which allows the the neighborhood developer, Howard Hughes Corporation, to collect reimbursement from the MUD or recreational amenities in the community.

"In going through this process, there are significant conflicts of interest in the municipals utility districts in The Woodlands and around Texas, and that causes a significant problem," Hickey said. "We’ve asked the board in this petition to [address] the conflict of interest so we can get a clean slate. The community is transitioning from where the developer controls everything to where the residents control everything."

Later in the meeting, Chad Abram, senior vice president with IDS Engineering Group, said the board could authorize the group to begin work on a lidar model—composed of aerial photos and data—to help identify areas of the district that are prone to flooding as a starting point for potential flood mitigation solutions.

This was met with some applause, and several residents offered to send data and photos showing how much water came into their homes during Harvey. Abram said work on the model could begin within 25 days and could be ready by early 2018.

Additionally, Jakovac said the MUD board has also asked The Woodlands Township to advocate on their behalf to be included in a Montgomery County flood study and mitigation project that is being presented to Congress through Rep. Kevin Brady's office. Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said this week the county expects to hear feedback from the federal government in the next 60 days.

The petition is also expected to be sent to state Sen. Brandon Crieghton, R-Conroe, and Rep. Valoree Swanson, R-Tomball.