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Houston’s Multi-Billion-Dollar Bet to Survive the Next Harvey

On August 25, the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey’s landfall, Harris County will vote on a $2.5 billion flood-control bond package that one disaster expert calls “a first step.”
Houses submerged in flood waters caused by Hurricane Harvey in northwest Houston, August 30, 2017.
Houses submerged in flood waters caused by Hurricane Harvey in northwest Houston, August 30, 2017.Adrees Latif/Reuters
By
Tom Dart

August 25, 2017, is a date certain to be remembered as one of the worst in Houston’s history. But officials are hoping that August 25, 2018, will stand out as the day the city took a giant step toward securing its long-term future.

On Saturday, one year on from Hurricane Harvey’s landfall on the Texas coast, Harris County residents will decide whether to approve a $2.5 billion bond package that proponents say will deliver funds for crucial flood mitigation and prevention projects.