Hurricane Harvey A Look at Government’s Role in Managing the Aftermath of the Natural Disaster

Hurricane Harvey The Statistics The Likelihood of a Storm like Harvey 52” of Rain – the most rain in U.S. history In the hardest hit areas with 52” of rain –1 in 40,000 year storm In areas with 35” to 45” of rain – 1 in 10,000 year to 1 in 20,000 year storm The Damage of Hurricane Harvey to Houston ~60 deaths (30 deaths in Harris County) Most drowned in vehicles caught in high water 136,000 homes flooded in Houston 30,000 people evacuated to Houston shelters after the storm Estimated costs of recovery: $150 billion

Hurricane Harvey Rescue, Recovery, and Rebuilding It is rare to witness the cooperation of all levels of government and of private citizens in America, but we do see this type of cooperation in a natural disaster A natural disaster is akin to a massive war, like WWII, where we set our differences aside for a greater cause, in this case, to help people recover from the storm

Hurricane Harvey The Cooperation of Government (All Levels) The Role of Local Government in Harvey’s Aftermath City of Houston City government is responsible for our health and safety during a disaster Day 1: Mayor Turner opened George R. Brown Convention Center as a shelter housing as many as 10,000 people in first few days The private owners of the Toyota Center agreed to serve as a shelter as well, as an overflow from the George R Brown Convention Center Day 2: Mayor Turner ordered a curfew (12 midnight to 5am) The curfew was designed to help the police combat looting of homes that had been evacuated Day 6: Mayor Turner ordered a mandatory evacuation from homes and apartments with standing water in West Houston, flooded by the release of water into the Buffalo Bayou from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs Turner worried about people being getting sick from the toxins in the standing water, as well as potentially being electrocuted The City of Houston owns the George R Brown Convention Center

Hurricane Harvey The Cooperation of Government (All Levels) The Role of Local Government in Harvey’s Aftermath Harris County Government Harris County government is responsible for our health and safety during a disaster Day 2: County Judge Ed Emmitt opened NRG convention center (next to NRG stadium) as a shelter, housing as many as 2000 people Harris County Flood Control District (a special district) The Army Corp of Engineers (U.S. Government entity) owns and controls the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs in West Houston, Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist at HC Flood Control District, was the face of news reports about water levels and flooding forecasts during and after the storm HC Flood Control District monitors the water levels on the bayous and creeks that run through and around Houston HC Flood Control District manages the bayous and creeks, periodically digging them deeper so that they can carry more water to the Gulf of Mexico Harris County owns the Astrodome and NRG complex

Hurricane Harvey The Cooperation of Government (All Levels) The Role of State Government in Harvey’s Aftermath Texas State Government The state is responsible for relief and rescue efforts Governor Abbott declared 30+ counties as Presidential Disaster Areas This declaration is necessary for FEMA to deliver aid and services to a county Includes Harris County, Fort Bend County, and Brazoria County (all in the Houston area) Governor Abbott ordered the entire Texas National Guard to Houston and to Southeast Texas to help with rescue and relief efforts 12000 National Guard Troops from Texas + 10000 from other states In Houston, the National Guard stationed at the Houston Executive Airport (West Houston) 600 boats 500 high-water vehicles The City of Houston owns the George R Brown Convention Center

Hurricane Harvey The Cooperation of Government (All Levels) The Role of Federal Government in Harvey’s Aftermath Federal Government FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) FEMA provides temporary housing (~90 days in a hotel or motel) for people displaced by the storm FEMA provides financial assistance to those who do not have flood insurance About 20% of those affected by the flooding in Houston have flood insurance U.S. Coast Guard The U.S. Coast Guard performed helicopter rescues in Houston Congress/The President President Trump lobbied Congress for almost $8 billion to help with recovery efforts, and Congress appropriated the money Given that Hurricane Irma hit Florida shortly after Hurricane Harvey hit the greater Houston area, Congress appropriated $15 billion in response to the two hurricanes

Hurricane Harvey Civil Society The Role of Civil Society The Private Sector (Citizens, Businesses, Churches, etc.) Private Citizens Houstonians and others from around the country used their own resources (e.g., boats, donations, volunteerism) to help their neighbors recover from the storm The “Cajun Navy,” a line of vehicles towing boats from Louisiana came to Texas to help with rescue efforts Sports Teams Owners and players associated with the Texans, Rockets, Astros, and Dynamos have donated millions of dollars for disaster recovery JJ Watt has raised $30+ million dollars Local Businesses “Mattress Mac” opened Gallery Furniture stores as a shelter Walmart, HEB, and many others have donated money to disaster relief Religious Institutions Religious institutions of all faiths have opened their doors as shelters, mobilized volunteers, raised money, taken donations of food and supplies, and have distributed these resources to people in need

Hurricane Harvey Civil Society – An Example of Second Baptist Church Some religious institutions are very well organized to address a disaster like Harvey, having mobilized their members in past floods and disasters Second Baptist Church is one, using the internet to organize volunteers to commit to help clean-up 4,600 flooded homes in the Houston area

Hurricane Harvey Responsibilities of Different Levels of Government Federal, State, and Local government each has responsibilities in a natural disaster State government is not shown in the graphic, but the Governor has the responsibility of mobilizing the national guard and designating disaster areas so that the federal government can provide aid to those areas

The Reservoirs Addicks and Barker Reservoirs

Hurricane Harvey Flood Control Planning Spillover point during the storm The Army Corp of Engineers (federal government) built the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs in the 1940s The intent was to prevent flooding of downtown Houston from the overflow of water from bayous and creeks running through the city During Harvey, there was spillover from the Addicks Reservoir—the water had reached record highs

Hurricane Harvey Flood Control Planning The Army Corp of Engineers and Harris County Flood Control District released water from the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs because the water had reached record highs and they feared the dams may break. But by releasing water, homes along the Buffalo Bayou that had survived the hurricane were flooded by the controlled release of water from the reservoirs Flood inundation areas highlighted in blue

Hurricane Harvey Flood Control Planning The Army Corp of Engineers and Harris County Flood Control District began to release water from the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs on Tuesday, Aug. 29th (two days after the storm passed)

Pictures of Harvey

Hurricane Harvey Pictures from the Storm Telephone Road on the day (8/27/2017) Harvey hit Houston

Hurricane Harvey Pictures from the Storm The day after the storm (8/28/2017) was dedicated to boat rescues of people stranded in flooded homes

Hurricane Harvey Pictures from the Storm Channel 11 News (KHOU) was flooded and their entire staff moved to the Channel 8 studios on the UH campus

Hurricane Harvey Pictures from the Storm The Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston near UH-Downtown

Hurricane Harvey Pictures from the Storm Roads were flooded almost everywhere in Houston

Hurricane Harvey Pictures from the Storm