Better protection will be key to city’s economic future
Research tells us that human nature is not well suited to preparing for disasters. We’re complacent about future risks. We tend to prepare for a repeat of the last disaster instead of the next one. And when we finally do take the first couple of steps to protect ourselves, we convince ourselves that the job is done.
Houstonians have learned those lessons the hard way. Tropical Storm Allison, the Tax Day and Memorial Day floods and Hurricane Harvey have taught us that we need to do things differently if we want to survive and thrive in the face of future disasters. As we’ve said repeatedly, Houston can’t just build back after Harvey — Houston must build forward.
Our proposed new flood prevention rules for construction are just one example.
Houston’s economy has flourished over the years with its light regulatory touch on development. The city has grown, the cost of living has stayed attractive, and businesses have found Houston a great place to call home.
But the flooding of hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses over the last three years has made clear that we can no longer build in ways that could force residents out of their homes — threatening their livelihoods as well as their very lives — year after year. What’s more, a city better protected from flooding will be a city that continues to grow economically.
That’s why we have crafted common sense standards for future homes and buildings to be built up and out of harm’s way. Under these rules, any new home in Houston’s floodplains will sit at least two feet above the current 500year flood plain. That compares to the current rules that call for one foot above the 100-year floodplain.
The logic is simple. We’ve experienced three “500-year” floods in the last three years. We will
mostly likely experience more. If just the homes that flooded in today’s 100-year floodplain had conformed to the rules we’re proposing when Harvey hit, 88 percent would have escaped unharmed.
The reaction to our new proposals has been understandable — and predictable. Builders are warning us about higher construction costs. Some homeowners want to understand the effect on their property value and the aesthetics of their neighborhoods. Engineers want to see the data behind the numbers (“Why two feet? Why not one? Why not three?”)
But the overwhelming response from the public has been “what’s taken you so long?” Builders and homeowners alike acknowledge that the savings in insurance, future repairs and replacement of personal property — never mind peace of mind and life safety — more than pay for the additional cost of building a new home a few feet higher.
Houstonians know that business as usual won’t work if we want this city to be a safe, economically competitive city in the future. Business leaders know that innovation and change is the key to profitable growth. And our city’s elected officials take seriously their responsibility for the well-being of our residents.
Will these new rules solve all of Houston’s flooding problems? Of course not. The turnover of the housing stock in the current floodplains will take decades. We also need to turn our attention to building codes outside the floodplain — where 63 percent of Harvey’s home damage occurred. And we need more coordinated and responsive methods for managing flood control reservoirs across government boundaries in the region.
Most importantly, we need to redouble our efforts with our partners in the county to obtain funding for, and complete, the regional flood infrastructure projects people have been talking about for years. The time for academic finger wagging and chin stroking is over. Bayou expansion projects, new reservoirs and coastal protection projects need to get done. Let’s wrap up the studies, prioritize the work, secure the funds, and get these vital defenses in place.
We’re a city that sits about 50 feet above sea level and is laced with bayous. Flood risk has been a fact of our lives since our founding in 1836. We’ve managed to turn that risk to our advantage, building along the way a legacy of can-do determination, engineering expertise and a powerful sense of volunteerism and community we see so vividly when the going gets tough.
The Harvey recovery gives Houston a transformational opportunity to build on that legacy. One of us has a more than a quarter-century of experience working through legislative processes to resolve complex social issues. One of us has led a global business through multiple changes and challenges. Both of us are natives of the Bayou City. And both of us are committed to working shoulder to shoulder with all Houstonians to realizing this opportunity… to build forward.