City Of Houston: Mayor Turner Provides Update On Four-Year Anniversary Of Hurricane HarveyCity Of Houston Is Safer Today As It Continu ...

Houston TX

30 August, 2021

12:42 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Houston : August 25, 2021 Watch: on this 4th anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, Mayor Sylvester Turner provided an update to Houston City Council. The City today is better prepared as it continues to build forward. August 25, 2021 -- Four years ago, today, Hurricane Harvey landed on the shores of Texas, dumping over 52 inches of rain upon our city and region. Hurricane Harvey was a defining moment for Houston. We are building forward in the right way for a stronger and more resilient city that is prepared to withstand the challenges of the future. To do it right takes precision. To do it right takes partnership. To do it right takes thoughtfulness. And as we navigate the challenges that our region continues to face, from hurricanes to winter storms to health crises, we have not stood still. Despite complicated and bureaucratic processes involving extensive reviews, procurement rules, acquisition delays, and environmental regulations, the City continues to move forward with our partners and own resources. Are we safer today than we were four years ago? Yes. COMPLETED PROJECTS In four years, we have invested $780 Million in infrastructure repairs from local funding for fully completed projects: HOME ELEVATION The City is also protecting housing investments through individual home mitigation strategies utilizing the FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance program: GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE And we continue to invest in our nature-based infrastructure for a holistic and integrated drainage system. REGULATIONS To continue to be protected, we must ensure we develop policies that prepare us for the future. Since Hurricane Harvey, these policies include: CURRENT PROJECT DEVELOPMENT Knowing that City coffers cannot fund all the needed projects, we continue to seek and have received funding for: The Recovery Office will present a 4th anniversary report to City Council in the coming week, including a comprehensive overview of recovery, hazard mitigation, and housing. In four years, we have made investments in our infrastructure. We have strengthened partnerships. We have released Resilient Houston and the Climate Action Plan to prepare better and mitigate, focusing on equity and in our Complete Communities, to ensure that the most vulnerable are at the center. I recognize the importance of infrastructure and the valuable role engineering plays in climate adaptation. I am in support of the ASCE and Stimson Center's declaration for Climate Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure. It calls for making climate resilience a priority; avoiding climate-related disasters that harm the lives of the most vulnerable, like Harvey; advancing innovation in infrastructure projects, and achieving our climate goals. Houston is not alone in its vulnerability to climate disasters. As Chair of the Resilient Cities Network, Climate Mayors, and African American Mayors Association, I know that Mayors have a special responsibility to prepare our communities better and enable them to build back better when disasters strike. We need to set a much higher bar for our infrastructure. Houston is a City of action. We are a City of doers. We move forward. We build forward. We continue to do so as we wait for federal funds to trickle down. Recognizing we still need much assistance to meet our goals, I want to let our State, Federal, and Global partners know, Houston is ready to play its part. This press release was produced by the City of Houston. The views expressed here are the author's own.