Flooding Less of a Concern as Hurricane Memories Fade

Residents of Houston are less likely to think of flooding as a concern, or to think development should be prohibited in flood-prone areas, as in the years immediately following Hurricane Harvey.

May 15, 2019, 12pm PDT | James Brasuell | @CasualBrasuell

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Emily Foxhall shares findings from the Kinder Houston Area Survey, released earlier this week.

Foxhall focuses specifically on the survey's findings about changing sentiments about flood preparations as the memory of Hurricane Harvey fades.

"Researchers compiling the Kinder Houston Area Survey asked residents what they considered Houston’s biggest problem, and the share who named flooding this year fell to 7 percent from 15 percent last year," according to Foxhall. "Only 1 percent cited flooding as the top problem in 2017, before Hurricane Harvey deluged the state with unprecedented amounts of rain."

Moreover: "The share of people who supported banning new construction in flood-prone areas dropped to 56 percent from 71 percent in 2018. Half favored increased taxes to buy out flooded homes, down from 55 percent last year."

The article includes more insight into the findings of the survey, including local sentiment about the economy and diversity.

Full Story:

Public concern about flooding ebbs in area, Kinder survey shows

Published on Monday, May 13, 2019 in Houston Chronicle