HOUSTON, Texas – Houston is growing, we’ve seen the numbers... and the traffic!
But a new study done by Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, which released the latest study showing how much Houston is outgrowing other major cities, also showed that 40% of Houston residents are considering moving due to severe weather.
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Can you blame them?
Houston has seen its share of storms over the years, but let’s focus on just last year. On April 29, Houston was hit with heavy rain, which caused flooding in northeast Harris County. On May 16, the city was struck by a derecho, which is a widespread, long-lasting windstorm associated with a line of rapidly moving thunderstorms.
The May derecho left eight people dead and nearly one million homes and businesses without power. On May 28, another series of thunderstorms hit the Houston area, producing large hail, rain and high winds that knocked out power to thousands and flooded neighborhoods. Then, on July 28, Hurricane Beryl made landfall along the Texas coast as a Category 1 storm, maintaining hurricane strength until it reached the Houston area.
The study, which involved more than 10,000 Houston, Harris County, Fort Bend County, and Montgomery County residents, was presented to city leaders, showing that residents are not only concerned about severe weather, but they’re afraid it could hurt their health and finances.
The survey asked residents how they would rate our local leaders’ response to Hurricane Beryl, and 30% said they would rate their response as “poor.” They did, though, have a more favorable view of the job done by first responders and utility workers.
To negate Houstonians’ negative view, the city of Houston released details on how it plans to spend the $315 million it received from the federal government for disaster recovery.
According to the plan, a bulk of the funds, $151,291, will be allocated for power generators at the city’s recovery centers. The package also includes planning costs, administration expenses, emergency responses, homelessness initiatives, debris removal, and vegetation management.
However, a notable missing piece from the plan is a home repair program. This is particularly important because the survey revealed that one-third of households earning less than $25,000 reported they had not recovered two weeks after Hurricane Beryl, in contrast to only 1 in 10 households with incomes exceeding $100,000. Additionally, two-thirds of residents indicated that severe weather events affected their ability to afford necessities, and 23% expressed difficulty in covering repair costs following a severe storm.
While residents in the survey expressed confidence in their ability to recover from Hurricane Beryl, only 40% felt the same way about the city of Houston’s recovery efforts. Even more concerning, less than 45% of Houstonians believed they could bounce back from another storm in 2024, and only 32% believed local officials are prepared for future storms.