How Texas Is Planning and Investing to Guard Against Future Floods

A collection of Pew’s resources to help the Lone Star State reduce costs and impacts

floods texas
Texas A&M AgriLife

When Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas in 2017, it became the second-costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, with severe flooding contributing to an estimated $125 billion in damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. Since then, the state has experienced multiple federally declared flood-related disasters. As Texas continues to build back from these devastating events, Pew is working to inform watershed-scale flood planning efforts, encourage the use of nature-based solutions to reduce risk, and secure funding to help communities better prepare for severe storms.

Article

Flood Readiness Gets Bigger in Texas

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Article

When Hurricane Harvey battered Texas almost two years ago, it left 89 people in the state dead and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage to property and infrastructure, including more than 200,000 homes and businesses.

Texas Statehouse
Texas Statehouse
Opinion

Texas Rainy Day Fund Lays Groundwork for Disaster Recovery Savings

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Opinion

Texas Rainy Day Fund Lays Groundwork for Disaster Recovery Savings

If Texas were a country, as it once was, its robust economy would rank among the 10 largest in the world. The state has seen its coffers surge as it benefited from the longest economic recovery in U.S. history.

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Mitigation Matters: Policy Solutions to Reduce Local Flood Risk

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Since 2000, floods have cost the United States more than $845 billion in damage to homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure. The expense of adapting to more frequent and severe storms is projected to rise over the next several decades, placing a premium on the need to take action now to reduce the impacts of future floods.