Taking A Long View: A Foundation ’s Rapid-Response, Data-Driven Strategy To Inform Recovery From Hurricane Harvey In Texas

When Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane near Rockport, Texas, on August 25, 2017, we knew there would be massive winds and torrential rains. But none of us understood, and will probably not understand for some time, the full extent of the impact of this natural disaster in communities throughout the Gulf Coast region—from Texas to Louisiana. What we do know is that with a record fifty-two inches of rainfall in parts of the region, the flooding has had devastating effects. To date, 829,825 individual assistance applications have been received by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and $1.85 billion in federal funds have been provided to Texans. Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick lamented that “homelessness and housing recovery” is now his biggest concern. That’s because 25 percent of the county’s 81,000 residents lost their homes because of flooding. (Beaumont and Port Arthur are in Jefferson County, Texas.) Piles of waterlogged furniture, wet drywall, and other debris still line the streets in neighborhood after neighborhood in affected communities. Each pile represents a family, memories lost, and more struggles to come. In addition to dealing with the physical dislocation of residents as a major public policy priority, concerns about drinking water and the storm’s impact on mental health remain major public health priorities. More than two weeks after Hurricane Harvey hit various affected communities, 200-plus drinking water sys...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Featured GrantWatch Organization and Delivery Public Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disaster preparedness emergency planning Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Health Philanthropy homelessness Hurricane Harve Source Type: blogs