Public Citizen Urges Harris County to Adopt #HarrisThrives Resolution
The #HarrisThrives resolution is a package of ideas and actions Harris County can take to minimize flood damage to infrastructure and families
By Stephanie Thomas
Two years ago today, Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport, Texas as a Category 4 hurricane. Its destruction spanned the vast Texas and Louisiana coasts, causing tragic loss of life and massive damage to homes and property.
As Harvey hovered over southeast Texas, Harris County, where the city of Houston is located, received one trillion gallons of rainfall. It was enough to cover the sprawling county in 33 inches of water. Along with the need for recovery came recognition that we must better prepare for future floods and storms.
Nearly a year ago, the Houston Climate Movement (a coalition that includes Public Citizen) invited Harris County Judge Ed Emmett to speak about a $2.5 billion flood bond that Harris County voters overwhelmingly approved on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. The 200 people who showed up at that meeting wanted assurances that the flood bond would serve all communities and protect all Harris County residents.
It’s no secret that Harris County is at risk from many hazards, including flooding. The Harris County judge and commissioners know this. Part of creating a resilient community is ensuring that all the families and individuals in Harris County are secure.
Public Citizen is part of a coalition called CEER, or the Coalition for Equity, the Environment and Resilience. Tomorrow (Tuesday, Aug, 27) at Harris County Commissioners Court, CEER members will introduce the #HarrisThrives resolition, a new framework that reflects our values of safety, health and fairness for all in the county. With equal access to flood protection and a healthy environment, we believe all Harris County neighborhoods can thrive.
The #HarrisThrives resolution is a package of ideas and actions Harris County can take to minimize flooding impacts to infrastructure and all families. The resolution offers an innovative strategy for solving our flooding issues while minimizing flooding impacts to infrastructure and families.
Can you believe that there are people who oppose this notion?
We believe that county officials are elected to serve all communities. Given that Harris County is one of the most diverse counties in the nation, the county should adopt a policy to reflect our values of safety, health, fairness, and resilience in our shared home, Harris County.
The County took a good first step in passing the flood bond last year. Now is the time for the commissioners to take it a step further by adopting the #HarrisThrives resolution. We call on our commissioners to vote “yes” and commit to this resolution.