Below the Waterlines: Houston After Hurricane Harvey

Below the Waterlines: Houston After Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey was a seminal moment in the history of Houston. Five years later, where do things stand? Houston Public Media examines efforts to make the region more resilient to better prepare for the next big storm.

Episodes

August 30, 2022 21 mins

Key Takeaways

After spending the past several months trying to answer whether Houston is better prepared for the next major storm, we discovered the answer was not so simple. Over the course of this podcast, you’ve heard reporters at Houston Public media analyze data, speak with residents who are still suffering and ones who have recovered and moved on, and ask local officials some hard questions. In this last Bonus episode, hear ou...

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Experts and decision-makers agree: home buyouts are more important than ever. Flood risk for most Houstonians is only getting worse in the wake of climate change and urban development. The problem is that buyouts are a bureaucratic nightmare. Reporter Sara Willa Ernst takes us to two buyout neighborhoods and shows us how people get caught up in that painful process.SHOW NOTES:
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August 16, 2022 16 mins
Unlike the traditional gray infrastructure, which relies on concrete, green infrastructure uses nature to slow down, absorb, and filter floodwaters. After the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey, we look at what role green solutions can have in making Houston more flood resilient. From floating wetlands to an abandoned golf course-turned-nature preserve, we visit innovative green solutions that are being tested across the count...
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August 9, 2022 15 mins
Even today, tens of thousands of homes sit inside reservoirs that may flood again if Houston gets another storm like Harvey. And if the Addicks and Barker reservoirs fail, they’ll cause catastrophic damage to downtown Houston and to countless Houstonians. One big solution stakeholders want is a massive tunnel system to carry away the stormwater. In this episode, we look at what’s standing in the way.SHOW NOTES: 
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August 2, 2022 13 mins
Hurricane Harvey devastated greater Houston back in August of 2017. The storm flooded over one hundred fifty thousand homes in Harris County. Two feet of rain was dumped in the first twenty four hours and left a third of the city under water. In the first episode, we’ll visit with people who are still struggling to find normalcy five years later. We also examine how Houston’s flood mitigation strategies have evolved since the storm...
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Below the Waterlines: Houston After Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey was a seminal moment in the history of Houston. Five years later, where do things stand? Houston Public Media examines efforts to make the region more resilient to better prepa...

Mark as Played

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