HTX-CYP: Impact 10/13/2025

Bath & Body Works officials said the new fragrance company location opened on Oct. 11. Per previous Community Impact reporting construction on the 2,500-square-foot store started in July.

The details: Bath & Body Works is a global leader in personal care and home fragrance and has 1,904 locations in the U.S. and Canada and 537 international locations.

What they offer: The fragrance company offers hand soap, candles, wall flowers, body care, body wash and foam bath.

• 25825 Hwy. 290, Ste. 26A, Cypress

A critical maintenance project for Little Cypress Creek, near Spring Cypress and Telge Road, will require the temporary closure of a section within the area’s pedestrian trail and bridge, according to an Oct. 8 announcement from Harris County Precinct 3 Tom Ramsey’s office.

Quote of note: “This works to strengthen the channel by repairing severe erosion in the Little Cypress Creek tributary. Work began this month and is expected to take six months,” the announcement reads.

The project: While construction takes place for an estimated six months, Harris County Flood Control District officials will complete the following: 

• Stabilize eroded channel banks
• Repair collapsed sections
• Restore the channel for improved safety and function for the community

The details: HCFCD officials said the estimated completion will be in early 2026. Little Cypress Creek Channel improvements are part of the $2.5 billion 2018 flood bond program approved by Harris County voters after Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Over one year after Hurricane Beryl, 1 in 8 Houston-area residents reported their lives were still “very” or “somewhat” disrupted by Beryl, according to an Oct. 2 report from the Houston Population Research Center at the Kinder Institute.

Looking back: According to the report, Beryl caused an estimated $2.5 billion to $4.5 billion in property damage.

Quote of note: “Now, a year down the road, residents are having to grapple with the reality of repairs that are still needed, credit card bills from unexpected hotel rooms or refilling the fridge that are still unpaid, and their expectations that these things should already be resolved but they’re not,” Dan Potter, co-director of the research center and lead researcher on the survey work, said in the report.

Going forward: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has delivered the majority of its disaster aid, but there is still a gap to fill. As of early 2025, federal estimates suggested there was about $800 million in repairs needed between the destruction from Beryl and the May 2024 derecho. 

Texas’ power grid is unlikely to have issues this December, according to an Oct. 3 report by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

The details: During the winter, demand for electricity spikes when people get up in the morning and return home in the evening. This December, the tightest period is expected to be from 7-8 a.m. each day, when little to no solar power is being produced. ERCOT found that there will be a 1.81% chance of a grid emergency during that time.

“Under typical grid conditions, the deterministic scenario indicates that there should be sufficient generating capacity available," the report reads.

The background: Texas' grid withstood three cold snaps early this year. ERCOT last asked residents to voluntarily reduce their energy use in January 2024.

Legislative approach: State lawmakers approved legislation this spring that is designed to make the grid more reliable by tightening regulations on large electric consumers, such as data centers. In extreme grid conditions, those customers will be required to switch to backup power to reduce strain on the grid.