Hurricane Harvey Wesley E. Highfield H OUSTON A REA 1996 L AND C - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

A Brief Perspective on Hurricane Harvey Wesley E. Highfield

H OUSTON A REA 1996 L AND C OVER L AND U SE C HANGE Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

L AND U SE C HANGE • H OUSTON A REA D EVELOPMENT C HANGE 2011 Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Changing Floodplain Boundaries

Harvey… • Simply exposed known flood risks and vulnerabilities • Which are increasing… • Low flood insurance penetration; recovery will be a long road for many • Harris: 45% in floodplain, 24% overall • Galveston: 65% in floodplain, 50% overall • No silver bullet and never enough money • Buy-outs will be critical • Management/maintenance of purchased lands is non-profit opportunity • Opportunity to remedy many on-going and historic issues