Hurricane Harvey occurred in late August 2017 (Weather). It started as a tropical storm off the coast of Africa, and gradually built in size and intensity as it moved over the Gulf of Mexico (Weather). It eventually landed land on the southeastern coast of Texas (Weather). The reason why it caused so much damage was because it stalled there, sitting over Texas and dropping record-breaking amounts of rain and extreme winds (Weather). It was the first major hurricane to hit Texas since 1970 (Weather), so a lot of people were not used to this level of disaster. Although the death toll of Hurricane Harvey may not have been as steep as other disasters, it still affected 13 million people (World Vision). After the storm, unemployment was at a two-year high, schools were closed, and almost 135,000 homes were destroyed (World Vision). Most of the homeowners affected also had no insurance because their homes did not sit on a flood plain (World Vision), so they could not rebuild. The hurricane also holds the record for the second highest cost since 1900 (World Vision). One million cars were wrecked and eight million cubic yards of garbage was cleaned up (World Vision). One of the reasons for the widespread damage was because the storm affected such a large area, throughout Texas and along the Gulf coast (World Vision). The flooding even caused Houston to temporarily sink two centimeters (World Vision).
The first coverage of Hurricane Harvey was published by NASA, who tracked the storm starting on August 17 and provided updates through September 6. An article from NBC News written on August 28, 2017 reports four deaths and 17000 people seeking shelter, and claims the storm was moving back toward the coast. On September 1, 2017, CNN News published an article claiming that 30000 people were in shelters and the storm caused $75 billion worth of damage. Another article from the Texas Tribune reported that 24000 people were living in hotel rooms on January 1, 2018. On August 31, 2018, almost a year after the disaster, experts from NPR were beginning to realize the environmental impact of the storm: eight million pounds of extra air pollution was released. We now know that there was close to $130 billion in damage and 89 deaths. It seems as though information on tracking and predictions becomes more precise the closer the storm gets, but immediately after the storm the true data is lost in the chaos. It takes a little while for all the news outlets to get caught up on what really happened, and even longer for professionals to start learning from the problems they faced.
From news and weather reports to testimonies from those who experienced Hurricane Harvey firsthand there seems to be no shortage of problems that contributed to the devastating human and material impact the event caused. Early predictions suggested the areas that would be impacted by the greatest rainfall and heavier winds were larger areas located on or near the coast, including Houston. Several of the most significant problems that contributed to Harvey’s impact were on one hand the magnitude of the affected population as well as the magnitude of the storm’s threats itself, not only in terms of the heavy rainfall and winds, but also the subsequent dispersal of dangerous chemicals and waste. On the other hand, lack of an adequate flood management system in terms of both infrastructure and flood control policies, increased development and developers display of little regard for local and state regulations, as well as lack of preparation for potential hazardous events also contributed to the devastation.
According to a news report, specifically in regards to the impact of Hurricane Harvey on the Houston metro area, although the hurricane occurred in 2017, there had been red flags for decades especially in the development patterns of the city (Many Contributing Factors Have Made Harvey’s Devastation so Severe). Houston as a major metropolitan area is constantly in the wake of some form of development. However, for a region that has been known to be flood-prone, development has occurred without serious consideration of potential flood risks. “Developers have shown little tolerance for regulation, and state and local government have not fought hard to impose much. Federal rules aren’t up to the challenge, either. Many of the vulnerable areas in Houston are outside 100- and 500-year flood zones on FEMA’s maps, zones which recent events (even before Harvey) have shown to be almost certainly too small” (Many Contributing Factors Have Made Harvey’s Devastation so Severe). Such factors, coupled with the numerous other public health related threats exacerbated the impact of Hurricane Harvey both in terms of its human impact and its material impact.
In Dakin Adone’s article “Houston knew it was at risk of flooding, so why didn’t the city evacuate?” it is mentioned that no evacuation was ordered for Houston, even though it was suggested that it would be a good idea; the mayor decided not to due to the recognition that doing so would entail an immense level of coordination the city did not have and was not prepared to establish. The mayor posed that it was better for people to be sheltered in their houses, as ordering an evacuation and putting everyone on the highway would have caused a major calamity itself. However, many people who found themselves trapped inside their homes were unable to receive aid. One strategy that could be used to better prepare/protect communities in the wake of a potentially hazardous event such as Hurricane Harvey could be for there to be some initiative taken to organize a more efficient evacuation plan that would take place well in advance of a storm making landfall. The primary goal would be to develop an efficient means of removing or relocating people, especially those in the most vulnerable areas, out of red zones, those in which the impact is expected to be the greatest. A potential obstacle would be how to develop a sufficient network of coordination for such a large population. However, the issue may be less of there being a lack of capacity but more a lack of preparation. Houston is prone to flooding; that is a known fact. It is imperative for there to be some type of plan prepared in advance of potentially hazardous events.
One way we can prepare for hazards such as Hurricane Harvey, is when designing and constructing homes, we strategically place extra nails and bolts along with adding metal connections at the joints. As minuscule as this sounds, it can make all the difference when one of these hazards strikes. Another way we can prepare is by designing shelters for those within the community to move into if they can’t afford to leave.
Some may think that these extra pieces will cost a lot especially if the house is big, but really, it doesn’t increase the overall cost of the house by that much, and the labor is already being done, so adding in extra nails and bolts wouldn’t make a difference in the cost of labor. On the other hand, by taking these precautions, many insurance companies are willing to lower their rates, because there will be less damage to fix in the event of a natural hazard such as a hurricane. A few Habitat for Humanity houses in Panama City Beach are proof that these reinforcements work. Sure, these houses lost some shingles and experienced some water damage, but overall, they’re seemingly untouched by Hurricane Michael. Ultimately, it’s all about how we reinforce the connections at the joints of the structure. The shelter(s) may raise more questions. Some of those being: Where do we get the money to pay for the shelter(s)? Do we make one big one or various smaller ones? What do we do with these shelters in the meantime, when we’re not experiencing natural hazards? First, we can apply for grants, we can have fundraisers in the community, and we can ask for donations. Most people are usually willing to help, they just don’t know how, so we need to jumpstart them. I personally believe it’d be best to build various smaller shelters in case natural hazards hit harder in some areas than in others. This allows people to spread out, rather than piling people on top of each other in one building. It would also be in our best interest to construct these structures with the low-cost reinforcements discussed above. In the meantime, we use these shelters to hold events, possibly even fundraisers, to help put money back into the shelters. Also, to make it affordable, families can work to pay “rent” here. Those staying in the shelters can make up various hazard-relief teams. This helps those whose jobs are nonexistent through the hazard and takes away pressure from the government having to build and send in teams. It would also be smart to evaluate different income levels to determine who should get the opportunity to stay here first.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/27/us/houston-evacuation-hurricane-harvey/index.html https://wtvr.com/2017/08/29/many-contributing-factors-have-made-harveys-devastation-so-severe/
Weather. “Major Hurricane Harvey.” National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2017, https://www.weather.gov/crp/hurricane_harvey.
World Vision. “2017 Hurricane Harvey: Facts, FAQs, and how to help.” World Vision Inc.,7 September 2018, https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2017-hurricane-harvey-facts.
NASA. “Harvey (was TD 09 – Atlantic Ocean).” National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 13 September 2017, https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/harvey-atlantic-ocean.
Johnson and Siemaszko. “Harvey, Already a ‘Landmark Event,’ Threatens Round Two.” NBC News, 28 August 2017. https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hurricane-harvey/harvey-already-landmark-event-still-going-strong-threatens-round-two-n796976.
Griggs, Brandon. “Harvey’s Devastating Impact by the Numbers.” CNN News, 1 September 2017, https://www-m.cnn.com/2017/08/27/us/harvey-impact-by-the-numbers-trnd/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F.
Harmon, Dave. “Four Months after Hurricane Harvey, four major questions about recovery for 2018.” The Texas Tribune, 4 Jan 2018, https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/04/four-months-after-hurricane-harvey-four-major-questions-about-recovery/.
Hersher, Rebecca. “Industry Looks for Hurricane Lessons as Climate Changes.” NPR, 31 August 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/08/31/642641191/industry-looks-for-hurricane-lessons-as-climate-changes.