From the HSNewswire, this article on a new, 48pp. report: Houston and H. Harvey – the lessons
Houston and H. Harvey – a call to action
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Category Archives: Hurricane Harvey
Recovery Reveals Major Issues After H. Harvey in TX
From a business insurance source: Harvey damage illustrates need for disaster preparedness: Study. Excerpts:
Hurricane Harvey served as a stark wake-up call about the need to enhance flood resilience, including limiting or preventing federal insurance coverage of new properties in flood zones, according to a study released Thursday.
Harvey made landfall near Rockport, Texas, on Aug. 25, 2017, as a Category 4 storm and dropped more than 40 inches of rain over the next four days, causing catastrophic flooding. Total economic damage from the hurricane is estimated at $125 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management, making it the second-costliest tropical cyclone on record after Hurricane Katrina.
But only a small fraction of these Harvey losses, about $19.4 billion, were insured, including $8.4 billion in flood losses insured by the National Flood Insurance Program, $2.7 billion in insured vehicle losses, $4.9 billion in insured commercial losses and $3.4 billion in other losses, according to a Post-Event Review Capability study on the Houston floods resulting from Harvey conducted by Zurich Insurance Group Ltd., ISET-International — a nonprofit organization committed to building resilience — and the American Red Cross Global Disaster Preparedness Center.
Disaster Victims Not in Middle Class Have Special Problems With FEMA
From Politico: People just give up: Low-income hurricane victims slam federal relief programs. Nine months after Harvey, middle-class Houston has recovered, but low-income neighborhoods are in disarray.
Deja Vue All Over Again!
From the WashPost; Fresh from Hurricane Harvey’s flooding, Houston starts to build anew — in the flood plain
There has to be a better way to rebuild. Any suggestions from readers?
H. Harvey Precipitation Linked to Global Warming
A preprint of an article from the American Geophysical Union: Hurricane Harvey links to Ocean Heat Content and Climate Change Adaptation
“FEMA Praises Houston’s New Floodplain Regulations”
It is not too often that both FEMA and Houston get some praise. See this article from the Houston Chronicle: FEMA praises Houston’s new floodplain regulations.
All new construction in the city’s floodplains will have to be built two feet above the projected water level in a 500-year storm throughout the 500-year floodplain, the area at risk of inundation in a storm with a 0.2 percent chance of happening in any given year. The rules will take effect Sept. 1.
“This is the type of proactive solution that will help Houston lead the way in preparing for potential crises,” said Kevin Hannes, federal coordinating officer for FEMA’s Texas recovery. “Keeping residents safe and creating resilient communities requires forward-thinking to lessen the impact of inevitable future weather events.”
Flood Mitigation in Houston TX
Comprehensive strategy required to tackle Houston flooding problems.
Major report on flood mitigation needed in Houston. The direct URL for the report described is at the end of the article.
Update: see the comment added to this posting for additional resources.
Articles Comparing Hurricane Responses
The original Politico Article: How Trump favored Texas over Puerto Rico. A POLITICO investigation shows a persistent double standard in the president’s handling of relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria.
The rebuttal from HSToday: What Politico Missed in FEMA Hurricane Response Investigation.
Texas In the Wake of H. Harvey
From the Texas Tribune this article about the Governor and FEMA: Abbott and FEMA are using Harvey to reinvent disaster response. “Some say that makes displaced Texans ‘guinea pigs.'”
In the six months since state and federal officials decided to use the biggest housing recovery in modern history to rewrite the nation’s disaster playbook, neighborly networks and organized charity have buoyed disheartened Texans on the coast.
Pollution After a Disaster
From the HSWire: Comparing pollution levels before and after Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall in late August 2017, brought more than 64 inches of rain to the Houston area, flooding 200,000 homes, 13 Superfund sites, and more than 800 wastewater treatment facilities. As disasters become more frequent and populations living in vulnerable areas increase, interest in the health effects of exposure to the combination of natural and technological disasters has grown.
Recovery Diva 