Environment

Houston’s Multi-Billion-Dollar Bet to Survive the Next Harvey

On August 25, the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey’s landfall, Harris County will vote on a $2.5 billion flood-control bond package that one disaster expert calls “a first step.”
Houses submerged in flood waters caused by Hurricane Harvey in northwest Houston, August 30, 2017.Adrees Latif/Reuters

August 25, 2017, is a date certain to be remembered as one of the worst in Houston’s history. But officials are hoping that August 25, 2018, will stand out as the day the city took a giant step toward securing its long-term future.

On Saturday, one year on from Hurricane Harvey’s landfall on the Texas coast, Harris County residents will decide whether to approve a $2.5 billion bond package that proponents say will deliver funds for crucial flood mitigation and prevention projects.