A major change in federal disaster response could soon reshape how states prepare for and recover from natural disasters.

A strike by the ILA workers would be the first by the union since 1977 and could have major impacts on the U.S. economy

Houston has not been known for being immune to severe weather events, but we've always prided ourselves on community resilience, and ongoing struggles like power outages and severe weather events are putting them to the test.

KPRC 2 Investigates spoke to voters coming out of the polls in Harris and Fort Bend Counties on Monday and the overwhelming consensus from all is the confusion with some of the questions on the ballot.

It is undoubtedly one of the stories KPRC 2 Investigates hears more about than any other in recent memory: A February 2020 investigation into a massive private African art collection we uncovered secretly stored inside of an old Harris County maintenance shed at the expense of taxpayers.

Khambrel Marshall discusses President Joe Biden’s impeachment inquiry.

Khambrel Marshall has a discussion about the issues that experts say are affecting our democracy.

IN THIS EPISODE:

KPRC 2 presents “Forecasting Change: Hurricane & Severe Weather Update,” the station’s second hour-long weather special of the 2022 hurricane season.

With inflation hitting a 40-year high and soaring gas prices, the pain consumers are feeling is palpable.

Judge Lina Hidalgo was granted more authority under the state’s disaster declaration back at the state of the pandemic in 2020. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle’s proposal to strip the judge of her emergency powers failed in a 3-2 vote Tuesday afternoon.

A Harris County contract to conduct an outreach campaign to encourage COVID vaccinations was canceled in September, but the issue has come back to life in the form of grand jury subpoenas for every member of the Harris County Commission.

A local program aims to divert people with mental illness from the Harris County jail to a center for mental health treatment.

What to do with the Astrodome? That is going to be the focus of a meeting Thursday night.

More than two years after Harris County voters overwhelmingly approved a $2.5 billion flood control bond, the county announced Tuesday that it is $1.4 billion short. Many of the hundreds of original projects remain unfinished, including in some of the most economically disadvantaged communities. “Halls and Greens, the two poorest watersheds in the county -- they’re basically left out of the process,” said Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia in Commissioner’s Court. “It doesn’t add up at all,” said former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. “The commissioner’s court needs to fix it,” said State Rep. Ron Reynolds (D-Dist.

HOUSTON – Commissioner Adrian Garcia said Harris County should explore what authority it has to leave the Energy Reliability Council of Texas and will propose Friday in commissioner’s court. It’s been that way for at least half of a century, said Ed Emmett, who formally served as Harris County Judge for more than a decade. “That’s really not their job.”Emmett’s home in the Houston area, on the ERCOT grid, lost power during last week’s winter storm. His cabin in Liberty County, on the MISO grid, did not lose power. “Last time I checked, legislators all represent those same residents of Harris County,” Emmett said.

HOUSTON – Harris County employees are “all hands on deck” distributing the COVID-19 vaccine as quickly and efficiently as possible, Judge Lina Hidalgo said. “Harris County health is ramping up to be able to distribute ... up to 5,000 vaccines a day. “The limiting factor is the supply of vaccines.”The county is ready to “ramp up” and distribute enough vaccine doses to catch up to the demand, she added. We are just distributing a small trickle of vaccines.”The overwhelming majority of vaccine doses administered in Harris County and everywhere are given at hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, doctor’s officers and nursing homes. So far, Harris County has administered more COVID-19 vaccines than any other Texas county.

HOUSTON The most expensive single project in Harris County history is in limbo after commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday night to fire the designer of the $1 billion Houston Ship Channel Replacement Bridge. A vote to hire a replacement designer is scheduled for the next Harris County Commissioners Court in September. Selecting FIGG Bridge EngineersHarris County hired FIGG Bridge Engineers to design the bridge in 2013 and approved the final design in 2017, Ed Emmett said, who served as county judge at the time. The decision to hire FIGG initially by the (Harris County) Toll Road Authority was a reasonable thing to do, he said. Harris County Commissioners plan to hire a new bridge designer, likely COWI, the firm that conducted the independent review.

Former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett says this pandemic is far worse than anything he had to handle while in the top job of county government. He is a guest on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall and says there are at least a couple of reasons why the response to this pandemic has not been as effective as it could or should be. Lack of transparency in the decision making process Officials more accustomed to public safety issues rather than public health emergencies. Emmett also talks about the state of the Harris County GOP and the potential weakening of both major parties because of catering to the fringe political elements. See full interview on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall and on Houston Newsmakers EXTRA.

HOUSTON – The controversial ‘Tent Hospital’ that was assembled, sat unused and then deconstructed, is being replaced with another facility inside NRG Arena. The price tag is to keep the makeshift 150-bed facility in a state of readiness, Hidalgo said. Air filtration in the section of NRG Arena, where the facility is located, has been upgraded to accommodate patients. Hidalgo said that the new facility is more cost-effective than the old temporary hospital and will be managed by Harris County instead of a third-party contractor. When I hear people talk about ‘in case there’s a second surge,’ last time I checked, we didn’t have the first surge,” KPRC2 Analyst Ed Emmett said.

HOUSTON – The best-case scenario for the temporary 250-bed tent hospital that was just completed at Houston’s NRG Park is that it will never be used. The price tag could balloon to $60 million if used at full capacity for two months. RELATED: Harris County invests $11 million for emergency healthcare facility at NRG park amid coronavirus pandemicBut, is this type of security banket worth it? Pile believes the investment is a wise one -- insurance for the Houston-area against a situation like the one in New York. “I think as a community, and as responsible civic leaders the NRG facility is wise,” Pile said Tuesday.

That’s a question some Texans fans are asking sarcastically after KPRC 2 Investigates told them the franchise hasn’t opened the roof at NRG Stadium for a game in more than five years. The last time fans and players got to see the sky from their seats at NRG Stadium was Nov. 30, 2014, according to team officials. The Indianapolis Colts opened their stadium roof 27 times since 2008, including eight games since 2015. KPRC 2 Investigates asked to see the button or computer system that controls the roof at NRG Stadium but officials denied the request citing security reasons. Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN (Retractable)Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN (Image from Indianapolis Colts website) (KPRC)4.

Every time it rains hard in Houston, the streets flood, and it happened on a grand scale Tuesday.

Parking passes are required for onsite parking and can be obtained at sugarlandtx.gov/july4 while supplies last. "To maximize on-site parking, we are offering an opportunity to reserve a free parking pass from the Imperial Park Recreation Center. Onsite event parking lots will open at 4 p.m. In addition to onsite parking, free shuttle service will be available at various off-site parking locations. Shuttles will run continuously from 4:30 p.m. to midnight from Mercer Stadium, located at 16403 Lexington Blvd, the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, located at 18111 Lexington Blvd., and University of Houston Sugar Land, located at 14000 University Blvd.

Stormwater from the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs continues to flow into Buffalo Bayou, and people in the affected area are hoping the water keeps going down and out of their neighborhoods. On Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Addicks Reservoir through Friday. A truck carried Park’s neighbor’s car safely out of their flooded neighborhood and up to dry ground. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said the Army Corps of Engineers was closely watching the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs release rates that would alleviate flooding. NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACTSHarris County law enforcement officials are reporting water in some streets in the Bear Creek Village subdivision adjacent to Addicks Reservoir (near Clay Road).

HOUSTON – Just one year before the Super Bowl lands in Houston, Harris County, emergency managers met in the Harris County Emergency Operations Center with Texas Senator John Cornyn. "Each Super Bowl is a little bit different,“ said County Judge Ed Emmett. Harris County Sheriff Ronald Hickman said many of the possible threats have changed since we last hosted the Super Bowl in Houston 12 years ago. As emergency managers prepare for security measures, construction managers downtown prepare for the game. They hope these new residents will support new businesses that dried up after the last Super Bowl here.