Hurricane Harvey

‘In Too Deep’ explores intersection of mothering, class, community—and disastrous, repetitive flooding in Houston

A new book, “In Too Deep” tells the story of Bayou Oaks, and its repetitive flooding, from the perspective of 36 mothers who are raising young children there. It follows the families across the course of more than a year, starting right after Hurricane Harvey flooded their homes, and tracking them across the recovery year and beyond as they work to restore their community for the third time in three years. 

Floods vs. forever homes: What drove decisions to rebuild rather than relocate after Harvey?

After catastrophic floods—like those after Hurricane Harvey dumped several feet of rain on the Houston area four years ago—survivors generally have two options: rebuild, perhaps with the help of flood insurance or federal reimbursement programs, or relocate, perhaps by selling a damaged home or waiting for a government buyout program. A new study has found that the route people choose might have more to do with their pre-flood plans rather than the scale of the disaster itself. This has implications for how policies are designed to encourage resiliency and managed retreat.

Disaster preparedness takes more than an infographic

Helping our most vulnerable neighbors weather the toughest storms requires hard work and commitment before, during and after crises strike.

How inequalities made Harvey recovery harder for many nonwhite Houstonians

When Stephen Klineberg was conducting the Kinder Houston Area Survey in February 2017, he asked Houston-area residents to name the biggest problem facing the region. At the time, only 1% of participants thought flooding and storms were the most important issue.

Greens Bayou Watershed analysis reveals strategies to increase resiliency from flooding

The Greens Bayou Watershed Analysis and Resiliency Planning effort, culminated in the publication of resiliency plans for four partner neighborhoods in the Greens Bayou Watershed: East Aldine, East Houston, Eastex Jensen and Greenspoint.

Measuring Flooding with the Houston Fire Department

Bob Stein and Rick Wilson conducted two studies about flooding and local knowledge/perspective.

Scalable and Robust Prototype of Sensor Network for Real-Time Street Level Flood Measurement

Gary Woods and team from the civil and environmental engineering department created low-cost flood sensors that were tested on Rice’s campus in spring 2019.

Galveston Bay Park Plan is only one way to protect Houston from flooding

A Q&A with Jim Blackburn, the co-director and primary spokesperson for Rice's SSPEED Center, reveals the importance of various flood protection systems.

New Flood Alert System Along White Oak Bayou Warns Residents Immediately in Emergencies

With funding from the Kinder Institute, researchers from Rice University provide another Houston watershed with a flood alert system.

Survey Finds Extensive Mental, Physical Health Impacts of Hurricane Harvey

With roughly 10,000 respondents as of early January, the Hurricane Harvey Registry released preliminary findings about the storm's health and housing impacts.

Q+A: The Rising Risks of Urban Flooding

From existing data sources to flood mitigation practices, cities need to step up to respond to a national challenge.

Legislative Report: Hurricane Harvey Recovery Has Cost $2.7 Billion So Far, Most Paid by Feds

Texas Tribune | A report released Friday by the Texas Senate's budget-writing committee laid out past and future costs related to recovery from "the most costly disaster ever to hit the Texas coast."

Conference Sheds Light on How Harvey-Affected Children Can Tackle Trauma

Following Hurricane Harvey, the focus of childhood trauma was heightened but are there lasting impacts being missed?

In Northeast Houston, Residents, Nonprofits and the City Work Together After Harvey Toward Recovery

One of the many communities affected by Hurricane Harvey, Northeast Houston's recovery has been slow. But one community fair that sought to flip the top-down recovery script offered hope.

Urban Review: Spatial Mismatch, Cash Bail and Harvey's Deadly Legacy

This week, more research on the impact of living far away from jobs, an effective end to cash bail in California and why Harris County's count of Harvey-related deaths could be too low.