Hurricane Harvey News

Fate of Houston Flood-Control Projects Unclear 7 Months After Harvey

Large-scale projects long considered essential to easing Houston’s flooding woes went to the top of the area’s to-do list after Hurricane Harvey inundated large swaths of the nation’s fourth-largest city. Seven months later, local officials are still looking for funding …

Toxic Impact of Hurricane Harvey Deeper than Public Told

A toxic onslaught from the nation’s petrochemical hub was largely overshadowed by the record-shattering deluge of Hurricane Harvey as residents and first responders struggled to save lives and property. More than a half-year after floodwaters swamped America’s fourth-largest city, the …

Houston Considering New Floodplain Rules after Harvey

More than 80 percent of homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey in Houston’s floodplains could’ve been spared if they were at the higher elevation now being proposed by the mayor, according to a new report. The figures come from a new …

Houston-Area Economy Got a Boost from Harvey

State figures show the spending that came in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey generated jobs in construction, retail and other sectors, giving a surprising boost to the Houston-area economy. The Houston Chronicle reports that billions of dollars in insurance payments …

Some Houstonians Spend Huge Sums to Elevate Their Homes After Harvey

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune. When Marni Axelrad and her family moved to Houston’s Meyerland neighborhood in 2015, they planned to stay there for years to come. They loved the community, and their kids were going to …

Despite Upgrades, Thousands of Houston Homes Still at Risk for Flooding

Nearly 9,000 homes and other buildings will remain in the floodplains of four Houston-area waterways despite multimillion-dollar flood control projects. Momentum built last month to finish the projects on Brays, Hunting and White Oak bayous and Clear Creek after Congress …

Chemical Industry Calls for $14B Gulf Coast Storm Barrier

Chemical companies are pressing federal officials to spend billions of dollars on a coastal flood control system near Houston to protect petrochemical plants, oil refineries and shipping infrastructure from the next hurricane. The coastal spine, as the project is called, …

6 Months After Storm, Texas Launches Harvey Recovery Funds Tracker

Texas has launched a public online tool to track incoming and outgoing funds for Hurricane Harvey recovery, six months after the storm hit and two months after The Associated Press reported that it did not have one. Gov. Greg Abbott …

Corps Says Agency Did Work to Inform Public on Harvey Flood Risk

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said on Feb. 23 that leading up to and during Hurricane Harvey it “worked diligently” with officials to inform the public on flooding risks from Houston reservoirs that ended up inundating thousands of homes. …

Coastal Communities Hit by Harvey to Get $1B for Hazard Mitigation

Texas communities slammed by Hurricane Harvey can now apply for a share of a half-billion dollars in federal money that will cover everything from buying out flood-prone homes to building new seawalls and restoring sand dunes, Gov. Greg Abbott told …