(The Center Square) – In the first six months of this year, Texans have suffered from devastating natural disasters, from tornadoes in downtown Houston and central Texas, to the largest wildfire in state history in the panhandle, and severe flooding and heavy rainfall that has now wiped out the oyster industry in the Galveston Bay area.

In April and May, southeast Texas was inundated with torrential downpours prompting Harris and Montgomery counties to issue voluntary evacuations as the San Jacinto River flooded communities. The West Fork of the San Jacinto River flows through Harris and Montgomery counties to Lake Houston, joining its East Fork to empty into Galveston Bay in the Gulf of Mexico.