Study: Offshore Wind Farms Can Reduce Hurricane Precipitation
With the United States being pummeled over the last couple of years with several high-category, high-damage hurricanes, the University of Delaware’s Cristina Archer recently published a paper that...
View ArticleOfficials Develop Multi-Prong Approach to Protect Texas From Hurricanes
State and federal officials on Friday recommended a plan to protect the Texas coast from hurricanes – particularly the Houston area – with a barrier system made up of floodwalls, floodgates and seawall...
View ArticleStudies Find Houston Skyscrapers Slowed Hurricane Harvey, Causing More Rain
Humans helped make recent devastating U.S. hurricanes wetter but in different ways, two new studies find. Hurricane Harvey snagged on the skyscrapers of Houston, causing it to slow and dump more rain...
View ArticleHarvey-Damaged Houston Mural Repairs on Hold Due to Roof Work
Restoration work on a Houston, Texas, mural that was damaged during Hurricane Harvey have been put on hold because the building’s roof needs repairs. John Biggers’ “Contribution of Negro Women To...
View Article‘Changing Climate’ Intensifying Disasters Per Texas Report
Powerful natural disasters in Texas on the scale of Hurricane Harvey‘s deadly destruction last year will become more frequent because of a changing climate, warned a new report Thursday ordered by...
View ArticleSome Texas Coastal Residents Oppose Proposed Storm Barrier
A proposed Texas coastal barrier is drawing backlash from some Gulf Coast residents and the state’s land commissioner wants more time for property owners to voice concerns. The plan is designed to...
View ArticleWork Starts on 134 Houston-Area Flood-Control Projects after Harvey
Crews are working on 134 flood control projects as parts of a $2.5 billion bond program approved by Houston-area voters last year in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, officials announced Thursday. Another...
View ArticleClimate Change: The Already Present, Next Great Risk to Munis
When Miami Beach borrowed $162 million from Wall Street this week, it wanted investors to know rising seas and extreme weather are a real risk to the city and that it’s doing something about it. An...
View ArticleTrial to Determine if Government Liable for Harvey Flooding
HOUSTON — Residents seeking compensation after their Houston-area homes and businesses were flooded by two federally owned reservoirs during Hurricane Harvey say authorities knew for decades that such...
View ArticleVulnerability Reduction Scorecard Helps Cities Save Lives and Resources
In Norfolk, Virginia, officials are taking action to reduce their city’s vulnerability to flood risks. Flooding in Norfolk does not just happen during major storms. It can happen when the sun is...
View ArticleCost of Buying Out Flood-Prone Homes: $5B and Rising
About the photo: This June 14, 2008 file photo shows floodwaters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Weeks after the latest massive floods in the Midwest, voluntary buyouts are again being considered in at least...
View ArticleTexas Housing Program Aims to Rebuild Faster after Disaster
HOUSTON — For Houston resident Scenacia Jones, the experience of getting her new home through an innovative way of building post-disaster housing was like an experiment. Jones and her two children had...
View ArticleWeakened Imelda Aims Foot or More of Rain at Flood-Prone Houston
Imelda has lost some of its wind power, but continues to pour rain down on the U.S. Gulf Coast, with 12 to 15 inches already recorded and flood-prone Houston in its path. Imelda is now a tropical...
View ArticleCiting Climate Risk, Investors Bet Against Mortgage Market
NEW YORK — David Burt helped two of the protagonists of Michael Lewis’ book The Big Short bet against the U.S. mortgage market in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis. Now he’s betting against the...
View ArticleAdvocates Push Model Law for Private Flood, Quibble about Education Mandate
An organization of state lawmakers is moving ahead toward adoption of a “model law” designed to encourage the sale of private flood insurance, even though insurers don’t think any new state laws are...
View ArticleHouston-Area Flood Control Projects Proceed After Harvey
HOUSTON — On a Friday night in August, Diane and Ted Simpson got home from work to find a certified letter from the Harris County Flood Control District notifying them that a portion of their backyard...
View ArticleU.S. May Be on Hook for $1 Billion to Cover Harvey Damage
The U.S. government may be on the hook for as much as $1 billion after a federal judge found it responsible for the flooding of thousands of homes and businesses in Houston during Hurricane Harvey in...
View ArticleEPA Watchdog: Health Monitoring After Harvey Was Lacking
AUSTIN, Texas — A federal watchdog released a report Monday that cast doubt on the public health assurances made after Hurricane Harvey unleashed an environmental assault on the country’s largest...
View ArticleTrial to Begin Over Arkema Chemical Plant Fire During Harvey
HOUSTON — Hurricane Harvey’s historic flooding in 2017 overwhelmed power systems at Arkema Inc.’s chemical plant in suburban Houston, eventually causing organic peroxides made at the facility to catch...
View ArticleJudge: Army Corps Not Responsible for Harvey Flooding Damage
HOUSTON — A federal judge has ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers isn’t liable to damage to thousands of Houston homes that were inundated by two federally owned reservoirs in the days following...
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