Hurricane Ike ravaged Galveston in 2008 and touched off a fierce battle over whether to rebuild the city’s destroyed public housing. A decade later, less than half of it has been replaced. The prolonged saga offers a cautionary tale for Texas as it launches the long-term recovery process after Hurricane Harvey.
In Harvey's Wake
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.
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In Harvey's Wake
Houston-area toxic waste site removed from priority cleanup list
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that the San Jacinto Waste Pits are no longer on its “Emphasis List” of Superfund sites following a $115 million agreement to remove toxic sludge from the site.
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In Harvey's Wake
Report: Solving Houston flooding woes will require wholesale strategy overhaul
Limiting development and telling buyers about a home’s true flood risk are among the recommendations by the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium.
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In Harvey's Wake
Houston council approves changes to floodplain regulations in effort to reduce flood damage
“To do nothing is not an option,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner, who pushed the new rules requiring new homes within the city’s 500-year floodplain to be built 2 feet above the floodplain.
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In Harvey's Wake
As lawsuits over Texas chemical disaster add up, advocates blame Arkema and rules regulating it
Two counties, dozens of first responders and hundreds of neighbors claim in court documents that the Arkema chemical manufacturing plans committed negligence. Environmental advocates say lax industry regulations exacerbated the disaster.
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Blocked Out
A decade after Ike, Houston still hasn’t spent tens of millions it got to build affordable housing
When the Houston Housing Authority tried to build in low-income neighborhoods, housing advocates and the feds blocked the projects. When they turned to wealthier areas, neighbors and politicians shot them down. Will anything change once federal money starts to flow after Hurricane Harvey?
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In Harvey's Wake
Six figures for six feet: Some Harvey victims in Houston spend huge sums to elevate their homes
Across Houston, thousands of people are receiving letters saying their homes are so damaged that they must elevate them to meet current floodplain regulations. But the cost is out of reach for many families.
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In Harvey's Wake
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner takes jabs at land office, which says he’s got his facts wrong on Harvey response
The Houston mayor accused Land Commissioner George P. Bush’s agency of “hogging” federal Harvey relief money and associated administrative fees. The land office called Turner’s complaints “disingenuous.”
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In Harvey's Wake
Abbott and FEMA are using Harvey to reinvent disaster response. Some say that makes displaced Texans “guinea pigs.”
In the six months since state and federal officials decided to use the biggest housing recovery in modern history to rewrite the nation’s disaster playbook, neighborly networks and organized charity have buoyed disheartened Texans on the coast.
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In Harvey's Wake
Coastal communities hit by Harvey will get $1 billion for hazard mitigation, Abbott announces
Half of the FEMA-provided money is available immediately, the governor said at a press conference in Rockport. The rest will come on or before the one-year anniversary of Harvey’s landfall in late August.