As flooded Houston neighborhoods dry out, residents wonder: Are they worth the risk?

What Hurricane Harvey says about risk, climate and resilience.

Hurricane Harvey has taught us many lessons, but the most valuable may be the oldest lesson of all, one we humans have been learning – and forgetting – since the dawn of time: how much we all have to lose when climate and weather disasters strike.

The risks we face from disasters depend on three factors: hazard, exposure and vulnerability. In the case of Harvey, the hazard was the hurricane with its associated winds, storm surge and, most of all, rain. Houston is one of North America’s biggest metro areas, making 6.6 million people exposed to this hazard. Finally, there’s our vulnerability to heavy rainfall events, in this case exacerbated by the city’s rapid expansion that has paved over former grasslands, overloaded critical infrastructure, challenged urban planning and limited evacuation routes. These three factors explain the immense costs associated with tragedies like Hurricane Harvey.

From the NYTimes: In Texas, Distrust of Washington Collides With Need for Federal Aid.

As a taxpayer I am conflicted also – note that the article mentions that the state has a sizeable rainy day fund, but does not intend to spend it on hurricane relief and recovery. Here is the exact quote:

Texas has its own “rainy day fund” estimated at $10 billion, but Mr. Abbott said on Friday that he had no plans to call a special legislative session, which would be required to tap the fund

After Harvey, it’s clear the secret of Houston’s success has also been its downfall.

Houston feels like one of the last places where it’s still possible to attain the American Dream. But is the city’s structure is as resilient as its character?

The outcome of H. Harvery has led the Trump Administration to reconsider the flood rules it recently rolled back. From the WashPost, see: After Harvey, the Trump administration reconsiders flood rules it just rolled back

Trump order cramps rebuilding stronger against floods. Trump’s roll back of an order by Predecessor on Building in Flood Plains Makes Rebuilding to Withstand Megastorms more difficult. Here are some excepts that bluntly explain:

Now, with much of the nation’s fourth-largest city underwater, Trump’s move has new resonance. Critics note the president’s order could force Houston and other cities to rebuild hospitals and highways in the same way and in the same flood-prone areas.

“Rebuilding while ignoring future flood events is like treating someone for lung cancer and then giving him a carton of cigarettes on the way out the door,” said Michael Gerrard, a professor of environmental and climate change law at Columbia University. “If you’re going to rebuild after a bad event, you don’t want to expose yourself to the same thing all over again.”

According to this article in USAtoday, Harvey to be costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, estimated cost of $160 billion. Some excerpts:

Hurricane Harvey could be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history with a potential price tag of $160 billion, according to a preliminary estimate from private weather firm AccuWeather.

This is equal to the combined cost of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, and represents a 0.8% economic hit to the gross national product, AccuWeather said.

As of the 6pm news today, FEMA Administration, Brock Long, said it may be years before the full cost of the storm is known.  That probably is realistic.  Whether or not the event sets a record, it surely is among the biggest and costliest in history.  The duration of the event probably is going to set a record.

Editorial in the WashPost on August 30: Houston is paying the price for public officials’ ignorance.

Related article from the Atlantic magazine: Why the Gulf Coast Is Uniquely Vulnerable to Disasters. It isn’t just because of the weather, a historian argues.