Lessons from past disaster recovery can inform the road ahead post-Harvey

The job ahead in Hurricane Harvey recovery from Texas Housers on Vimeo.

The National Weather Service called the flooding from Harvey devastating and unprecedented. Houston has been inundated with floodwater, with some areas seeing four feet of rain. We know from several previous disasters that this catastrophe hits low-income communities of color in more severe ways than higher income neighborhoods. Texas Housers has worked through four major hurricanes over the past decade and has advocated racial justice and equitable treatment of low-income survivors during recovery.

Just and equitable treatment for survivors of Harvey with low incomes means:

1. Temporary housing that is safe and in a place where people can reconnect with their family and community
2. Getting help is easy and understandable.
3. Everyone’s home gets rebuilt.
4. Rebuilding happens quickly so people can get back home.
5. Not just building back what was there before the hurricane, but building better, more resilient homes and neighborhoods.

Watch the interview above for details about Texas Housers’ work ahead to help ensure that communities recover equitably and as swift as possible.