The Latest: Houston area backs $2.5B flood-control bond

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on Houston area election for issuance of flood-control bonds (all times local):

10:40 p.m.

Houston-area voters have marked the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey coming ashore by approving the issuance of $2.5 billion in bonds that will fund critical flood-control projects.

With nearly all precincts reporting late Saturday, about 85 percent of voters approved the referendum. The measure will fund projects that may include buyouts of homes in flood-prone areas, the expansion of local bayous and the construction of additional stormwater detention basins.

Harvey killed 68 people and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage in Texas. Thirty-six of those killed were in the low-lying Houston area, where decades of unchecked development and days of torrential rainfall contributed to the flooding of more than 150,000 homes and 300,000 vehicles.

Locals are expected to see an average increase of $5 per year in their property taxes with the bond referendum's approval.

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12 a.m.

Voters in Houston and its surrounding county will mark the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey coming ashore by deciding whether to approve the issuance of $2.5 billion in bonds to fund flood-control projects meant to mitigate the damage caused by future storms.

The referendum will be held Saturday, exactly one year since Harvey made landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm.

Harvey killed 68 people and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage in Texas. Thirty-six of the deaths were in the low-lying Houston area, where days of torrential rainfall and decades of unchecked development contributed to the flooding of more than 150,000 homes and 300,000 vehicles.

If the referendum passes, locals would see an average increase of $5 per year in their property taxes.