Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on the Texas Coast, dumping more than 50 inches of rain in parts of the Houston area, flooding thousands of homes and killing more than 80 people. The devastation was swift, and the recovery is far from over. The Texas Tribune has assigned a team to examine Harvey’s aftermath, including rebuilding efforts, the government’s response, and what Texas is doing to prepare for future storms. More in this series

Texas Tribune co-founder and CEO Evan Smith sat down with Marvin Odum, chief recovery officer for the city of Houston, for a live event in Austin on Thursday.

Odum was appointed by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in 2017 to lead the city’s recovery effort from the historic damage it suffered as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Previously, he served as chairman and president of Shell Oil Company and as an executive committee member of Royal Dutch Shell, where he directed a broad portfolio, from traditional oil and gas development to emerging technologies in a wide range of areas, including heavy oil, onshore gas, light tight oil, deepwater, wind and biofuels. Odum also served as CEO of InterGen, a global power development and generation company. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a board member for the National Urban League.