Since experts predicting global warming will continue to cause a serious flooding threat for Harris County communities, flood control is one of the largest investments that Harris County leadership is planning for now and in the future. Precinct One is committed to ensuring every neighborhood has the same level of protection from storms and flooding and the ability to recover and rebuild.
However, after decades of neglect, lower-income areas and communities of color in flood-prone areas have been experiencing flooding of homes and streets with each hard rain. These Harris County communities have been passed over for years due to an inequitable federal cost-benefit-ratio that prioritizes flood mitigation projects based on property value, which serves only those who live in higher-income neighborhoods, rather than those in most need.
However, the $2.5B Flood Bond that Harris County voters passed in August 2018 gave under-served communities their first opportunity to receive real flood mitigation. The explicit ballot language required a process for the equitable apportionment of the $2.5B Flood Bond to reduce flood risk.
An updated list of all the flood mitigation projects funded by the $2.5B Flood Bond can be found here.
For county investments that are not funded by the $2.5B Flood Bond, the 2050 Harris County Flood and Infrastructure Resilience Plan, which is consistent with the Harris Thrives Resolution, will take a holistic approach to future infrastructure projects to develop more equitable outcomes for all Harris County residents. The Harris County Flood Control District and the Harris County Engineering Department have a historic opportunity to build a stronger, more resilient Harris County while encouraging county residents to participate in the process through community engagement events.