August 2022 marks the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. Houstonians will never forget the storm that dumped an unprecedented amount of rain on our city and caused flooding and despair for many families.
Since then, my staff and I have focused on resilience and recovery. Houston has made great strides and marked significant milestones in housing, flood mitigation, and building stronger for the future. But we are not at the finish line.
Recently, U.S. Housing and Urban Development found that the Texas General Land Office discriminated against minority residents in its distribution of federal Hurricane Harvey flood mitigation funds. This is about equity and fairness. It is time for the GLO to allocate a fair or proportional share of the federal funds to allow our communities to have adequate climate change mitigation and resilience resources. I urge the GLO to do the right thing for our most vulnerable communities.
Houston is also being shortchanged in flood mitigation funding by the Houston – Galveston Area Council in federal flood funds. We will get just 2 percent of the regional council’s $488 million tranche for storm mitigation. That is disappointing. The fact is, Texas received this money for damages that occurred in Houston and Harris County, and our areas suffered 50 percent of the damages during Harvey. If circumstances were different, I would advocate for the other jurisdictions. This decision hurts the city of Houston and hurts our regional alliance.
We will continue fighting for what is right for Houstonians. In the meantime, we are still in Hurricane Season, and I encourage you to have a plan to protect your family and your home. I will continue working with my staff at City Hall to ensure the city is ready to respond to future storms.
SAVE THE DATE
I will deliver my seventh annual State of the City address on Thursday, September 1, 2022, at 11:30 a.m. at Hilton Americas-Houston Grand Ballroom before an audience of Houston’s business and community leaders. I hope you can join me as I outline my priorities for the remainder of this year and next. Houston First Corporation will host and produce the event for the second year. The local government corporation is responsible for promoting the nation’s fourth largest and most diverse city as a destination rich with cultural experiences and economic opportunities.
I’m excited about what is on the horizon for Houston as I work with my staff and city council to serve the public and focus on my priorities to build more affordable housing, decrease homelessness and make Houston a safer city for all.
The best for Houston is yet to come.
