A yr has passed since Hurricane Harvey bore down in the Southeast , pummeling Texas and Louisiana with27 trillion gallon of weewee . Since then , some urban center and community have come a tenacious way to ensure they ’re well protected for next storm .
Over the weekend , voter in Harris County , Texas — home to Houston , which saw some of theworst floodingduring the consequence — elected to sanction $ 2.5 billion in attachment that ’ll help finance flood tide control projects in the area starting in 2020 . Thanks toproposition A , taxpayers will see a tiny increase in property taxesover the next 10 to 15 yearsto encompass the bonds ’ pastime . Union dollars will match the bonds , bringing in another $ 3 billion — amounting to a walloping $ 5.5 billion to go toward flood control projects .
Theseprojectsinclude map floodplain , offering voluntary buyouts to homeowners in floodplains , and amend early monition torrent systems . Most significantly , perhaps , is the work on watersheds Harvey left damaged . Projects to widen bayous and subject watersheds like the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs will avail create better catamenia route for rain — and keep flood water away from residential areas .
The 85 - 15 right to vote in favor of the bipartisan proffer issue forth on August 25 , the anniversary of the Category 4 violent storm striking Houston .
“ A lot of politicians say this next November election is the most important election of our liveliness , ” suppose Texas Representative Sarah Davis , a Republican , per ABC . “ But in my opinion , this election today is the most important of our life , because we did n’t vote for a mortal or party . We vote for each other . We vote to economize our communities . ”
Hurricane Harvey was thelargest rainfall eventin the advanced history of the United States . It cost the U.S.$125 billionin damage — and more than 75 lives in Texas . The stormdamagedat least 15,000 homes , yet those impact have beenwithout Union housing aidsince June . ( No admiration homelessness has grownmore urgentsince then . )
Theofficial ballotincludes language around transparentness , public involvement , and the “ equitable expenditure of funds , ” which is makingsome callthis measuring “ historic . ” There ’s always a concern among housing advocates that broken - income communities or community of interests of color will be ignored and miss the buck they need to rebuild and prepare for instinctive catastrophe . proposal A place to forfend this issue .
Still , states like Texas and Louisiana have a farseeing way to go before they ’re quick to handle another Hurricane Harvey . For one , toxic Superfund sites reach by the tempest still need some cleanup position and maintenance . The Environmental Protection Agency got started oncleaning up one Superfund sitein April , but there ’s been no update on the other 12 website the hurricane damage .
And Modern rising tide control project can only go so far toward remedying the systemic flooding problem Houston faces , a challenge aProPublica investigation capturedyears before Harvey stumble . Wild universe development and developer ’ habits of pave over ever inch of land they can are to blame . Without the wild prairies to absorb rainfall , floodwaters rather rush into residential neighborhoods .
The ending of August and beginning of September isusually the worst partof hurricane time of year for this area . The Southeast could utilise a hurricane - free summertime after all that Hurricane Harvey wrought last yr .
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