Hurricane Harvey News

George P. Bush Tapped to Oversee $4B Texas Disaster Mitigation Plan

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush and the Texas General Land Office have been appointed to lead a comprehensive resiliency and disaster mitigation program, funded by more than $4 billion in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community …

Weakened Imelda Aims Foot or More of Rain at Flood-Prone Houston

Tropical Storm Imelda has lost some of its wind power, but continues to pour rain down on the U.S. Gulf Coast, with 12 to 15 inches already recorded and flood-prone Houston in its path. Imelda is now a tropical depression, …

New Texas Law Requires Home Sellers to Reveal More About Flood History, Risks

When Hurricane Harvey’s devastating rains began overwhelming the Houston area, Donna and George Duggan didn’t immediately evacuate their Katy home. After all, the Duggans, both 62, had lived there for the better part of 20 years and the house had …

2 Years After Harvey, Houston Getting Initial Millions for Flood Control

Houston will receive more than $7 million in grants as initial funding for a pair of flood control projects nearly two years after rain from Hurricane Harvey swamped parts of the city. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Friday announced the Federal …

Texas Windstorm Insurer: Rate Inadequacy Up Year Over Year

In advance of its Aug. 6 board meeting in Galveston, the insurer of last resort for wind and hail in counties along the Texas coast said it has determined its residential coverage rates are inadequate by 41.7 percent and its …

Post-Harvey Flood Mitigation Effort Ongoing in Dickinson, Texas

Crews are working to unclog tributaries and bayous snaking through Dickinson to reduce the risk of flooding nearly two years after Hurricane Harvey caused significant damage to the Houston suburb. The August 2017 storm dumped about 50 inches of rain …

Texas Windstorm Insurer Funded at $4.2 Billion for 2019 Hurricane Season

Texas’ insurer of last resort for properties in counties along the state’s coastline says it has $4.2 billion in available funds as this year’s hurricane season gets underway. By comparison, at the start of the hurricane season in 2017 the …

Ghost of Harvey Looms Large as 2019 Hurricane Season Gets Underway

Compared with 2017, last year’s hurricane season was a relatively quiet one for the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana and Texas, with major U.S. storm systems such as Hurricanes Michael and Florence staying well to the east, impacting Florida and …

Texas Windstorm Insurer Withdraws 10% Rate Increase Filing

Texas’ property insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast voted at a May 24, 2019, meeting of its board of directors to withdraw a 10% rate increase filed last year that was subsequently put on …

Cost of Flood-Prone Home Buyouts in Missouri, Elsewhere: $5B and Rising

The residents of the small riverside town of Mosby, Missouri, have become accustomed to watching floods swamp their streets, transform their homes into islands and ruin their floors and furniture. Elmer Sullivan has replaced his couch, bed and television. He’s …