Four South Texas renters filed a civil rights lawsuit last week in federal court alleging HUD and the State of…
Tag: Hurricane rebuilding
How to avoid disaster recovery Groundhog Day
There is no question that natural disasters will hit Texas again. We hope Mother Nature will keep the peace, but…
Low-income households disproportionately denied by FEMA is a sign of a system that is failing the most vulnerable
For some, Hurricane Harvey is now a distant, if not unpleasant, memory. Looking back on 2017, many Texas families will…
Texas is offering $1 billion for cities to build resilience to prepare for the next storm. But the process could leave out communities that need it most.
(Photo: A lineman checks on a downed powerlines in Port Arthur) In the last blog on Port Arthur, we predicted…
West Street Recovery makes recommendations to improve state-run rapid repair program
This is a guest blog, written by West Street Recovery staff Ben Hirsch and Becky Selle. West Street Recovery is a…
Homeowners demand state officials fix disaster recovery partial home repair program
This week, Houston homeowners spoke out about their experience with the state-run, FEMA-funded rapid repair program, called PREPS. One homeowner…
Field Notes: An unequal response to disaster in Beaumont
More than 48 inches of rain inundated Beaumont after Hurricane Harvey struck last August, and the deluge impacted people across…
To achieve an equitable recovery, we propose a fairer way to determine needs of Hurricane Harvey survivors
When the methods used to determine needs of hurricane survivors favor higher income people and communities, the process of recovery…
How the state should evaluate the needs of survivors after a disaster
The state’s draft action plan for spending $57.8 million in federal disaster recovery funds was released on Jan. 18. The Texas General…
Will the Commission to Rebuild Texas follow through on its charge to help the state recover quickly and equitably?
The state’s draft action plan for spending $57.8 million in federal disaster recovery funds was released on Jan. 18. The Texas…
Déjà vu: Rebuilding public and subsidized housing damaged by the hurricane will have to wait
The state’s draft action plan for spending $57.8 million in federal disaster recovery funds was released on Jan. 18. The Texas General…
Is the State of Texas justly assessing infrastructure rebuilding needs after Hurricane Harvey?
The state’s draft action plan for spending $57.8 million in federal disaster recovery funds was released on Jan. 18. The Texas General…
Tracking Harvey Recovery: Latest analysis highlights unmet needs, urges more data transparency
Point of Clarification: FEMA has since clarified that inspections are not ordered for all valid registrations received. Some of these…
Harvey survivors tell Texas House Urban Affairs Committee that safe housing is long overdue
Land Commissioner George P. Bush and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner mostly blamed Congress and Washington politics for the slow…
Hurricane Harvey recovery: latest updates and intelligence
Texas Housers is tracking, reporting and blogging about Hurricane Harvey recovery. Let us know if there is something we should…
We want disaster recovery to be fair and just. Here’s a good place to start.
Over the past 10 years, Texas Housers and our legal and organizing partners have advocated equitable recovery through four major…
Will Texas learn a lesson from the tragedy at West?
Everyone is horrified at the loss of life and destruction last night from the explosion of a fertilizer plant in…
Once again recovery from a hurricane bypasses the poor
A New York Times editorial laments the type of government neglect that public housing residents in Texas know all too…
Austin American-Statesman: State should ask HNTB for a refund
The following editorial is from an editorial in today’s Austin-American Statesman. A state disaster relief contract has itself been declared…
State report: 29% of TX first round HUD disaster funds drawn down, 0% 2nd round
Recent stories in the Austin American-Statesman, the Texas Tribune and the New York Times have chronicled the slow pace of…
Amid Finger-Pointing, Hurricane Relief for Texans Lags – NYTimes.com
The NYT ran a story written by Texas Tribune reporter Becca Aaronson on the state of disaster recovery in Texas… Nearly…
Hurricane Ike and Dolly home reconstruction drags on at unacceptable rates
According to a State of Texas report covering the period through January 31 2012, only 38 percent of houses destroyed…
Couple lives in tent waiting for Ike-damaged home’s repair | khou.com Houston
Just when you think you have seen the worst government can do to Hurricane Ike victims along comes this story.…
Fewer than 500 Texas homes repaired in three years since Hurricane Ike
Official figures from the State of Texas show that fewer than 500 homes have been repaired or rebuilt under the…
On 3rd anniversary 200 tell Houston City Council reforms are needed in Hurricane Ike recovery program
The following testimony was presented before the Houston City Council on the third anniversary of Hurricane Ike, September 13, 2011.
Protesters say city slow to repair Ike-damaged houses – Houston Chronicle
Bearing photos of homes that still have blue tarps on the roofs, more than 100 protesters held a rally at…
Senior’s city-built home lacked insulation – Houston Chronicle
After months of delay in getting its housing repair program under way, Houston’s housing department was eager last month to…
Three Years After Ike, Many Still Await Assistance | Public News Service
AUSTIN, Texas – Today marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Ike, and many low-income Texans, particularly in the Houston area,…
September 13, 2011 is the three year anniversary of Hurricane Ike
Please take a few moments to consider the plight of the tens of thousands of elderly and disabled Texans who…
Mississippi auctions remaining Katrina cottages | Gulfport – SunHerald.com
Editors note: Katrina Cottages were an alternative to the much disparaged FEMA trailer. They look more like homes and won…