City of Houston Harvey Relief

Dear Houstonians,

Hurricane Harvey inundated America’s 4th largest city with over 50 inches of rain and impacted more than 300,000 housing units in Houston alone. More homes flooded in Houston during Hurricane Harvey than in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina or New York City during Hurricane Sandy. This is the third year in a row that Houston has experienced severe flooding resulting in a Presidentially declared disaster.

By itself, Harvey represents the largest housing disaster in American history, and we cannot effectively recover without federal support. This website outlines our requests of the federal government for members of the Administration, Congress and their staff, the media and the public.

Houston has come to the aid of other Gulf Coast communities in their time of need and represents an essential hub for American energy, medical treatment, shipping, aerospace, and trade. Working with our Congressional delegation, we need the federal government to come to our aide to help build a more resilient city that has learned the lessons of Harvey. Without flood mitigation, rebuilding dollars are just funding for future failure.

I invite you to read through this site and contact my Office of Government Relations with any questions.

Sincerely,

Sylvester Turner
Mayor

Louisiana received over $14 billion for flood control projects following Hurricane Katrina.

Congress appropriated over $5 billion for Corps of Engineers projects in areas affected by Superstorm Sandy.

Hurricane Harvey inundated America’s 4th largest city with over 50 inches of rain and flooded more than 300,000 housing units in Houston alone.

More homes flooded in Houston during Hurricane Harvey than in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina or New York City during Superstorm Sandy.

House passes bill aimed at speeding up disaster recovery funding

Texans are still waiting for more than $4 billion in federal funding meant to brace homes and neighborhoods for future storms — nearly two years after Congress authorized the spending in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The money, likely still months from being released, was long delayed while the Department ...

Houston Chronicle • 11/20/19

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher On How Houston Could Recover Quicker From Floods And Hurricanes

It’s been a long two years for many people who suffered losses when Harvey flooded Houston. Now, there are more people in need of assistance following the recent floods from Tropical Storm Imelda. But why are people ...

Houston Public Media • 11/11/19

City and feds fight over post-Harvey sandbar in San Jacinto River

Getting rid of a massive sandbar Hurricane Harvey created in the mouth of the San Jacinto River was supposed to be the first major Houston-area flood-control project after the massive storm. But two years later, much of the sandbar remains and the effort to dig out the debris blocking the flow of the river ...

Houston Chronicle • 10/30/19

FEMA approves initial funding for long-sought North Canal flood project

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday approved initial funding for a $131 million flood mitigation project that would cut a new channel in downtown Houston and improve several bridges over White Oak Bayou, allowing water to flow freely beneath them during floods. ...

Houston Chronicle • 10/11/19

Climate Change and Disaster Preparedness

The House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on the Environment held a hearing to assess climate change impacts and natural disaster preparedness efforts. Among the witnesses testifying on the first panel included former FEMA director James Witt and atmospheric science professors. The second panel comprised emergency management officials from Texas, California, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Can Houston prevent disaster when the next storm comes?

Houston, known as the Bayou City, is no stranger to flooding. But the record-breaking rains and devastating deluge of Hurricane Harvey helped expose a disconnect between developers building on flood-vulnerable land and home buyers who might not have realized the risk.

Making Houston Stronger: A Town Hall

KPRC2 brought you an in-depth discussion with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett about the lessons we've learned and what's being done to protect the Houston area from another flood catastrophe.

City of Houston PostHarvey

Quick Facts