It has underestimated the risk of flooding in many areas. The National Flood Insurance Program, which provides insurance to homeowners in high-risk areas, has not kept pace with climate change. In the eight counties hardest hit by Hurricane Harvey, less than one in five homeowners have flood insurance, according to analysis from the Washington Post. These disparities will only become more exaggerated when the storm is over. But, for the outer areas, it definitely looks like it is the case.” “For the city center itself, I think the data is just too sparse to make that conclusion. “It looks like the more vulnerable areas are more impacted by the flood, for sure,” said Albert Kettner, co-director of the Dartmouth Flood Observatory, who evaluated this map. Each shaded section of the map represents a census tract, colored according to its relative vulnerability. Red areas represent the maximum observed flooding during Hurricane Harvey. The Social Vulnerability Index, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accounts for these variables and more. People are more vulnerable to natural disasters if they are poor, elderly, disabled, don’t own a car or can’t speak English. The flood data have been overlaid on a map illustrating social vulnerability by census tract. So, in central Houston, the flooding is likely much worse than the map suggests. Trees and buildings obscure the view of satellites recording the extent of floods. Notably, flood data are incomplete in heavily wooded or urban areas. The red spots represent the maximum observed flooding during Harvey, as shown in this map from the Dartmouth Flood Observatory. The map below shows the distribution of floods across the greater Houston area. The other areas have more sophisticated flood control.” “When it floods in a lot of low-income areas, it just runs into open ditches, and the ditches overflow. There are no drainage systems other than very crude, open ditches,” said Bullard. “If you go into some areas, low-income areas, there are no sidewalks. Source: Dustin Cable, University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service White people tend to live on the west side of the city, while black and hispanic people tend to live on the east side. Each dot is colored according to the race of that person. On this map, each person in Houston is represented by a single dot smaller than a pixel. A history of red-lining and economic inequality have conspired to make it one of the most racially segregated cities in the country. In Houston, these tend to be communities of color. And, as Houston political activist Tawney Tidell explained, “Some of the only subsidized housing in the area was built in one of our many 100-year floodplains, designated as high risk zones for flooding by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.” Low-income communities tend to lack these features. That means bicycle lanes and jogging trails but also embankments that keep floodwaters at bay. Discriminatory housing policies have “restricted or, in some cases, confined poor people and people of color to less desirable areas when it comes to flooding and other kinds of land uses,” he said.īullard says Houston spends more on infrastructure in wealthier neighborhoods. Generally, the way that the city has grown and the way that the housing and residential patterns have emerged have often been along race and class lines,” Bullard said. (“Authorities Urge Louisiana Residents To Evacuate Dangerous Lower Income Brackets,” read a recent headline from satirical news outlet The Onion.) Poverty is a risk factor when it comes to extreme weather. “Oftentimes, low-income communities and communities of color don’t get the necessary protection when it comes to flood control,” said Robert Bullard, a professor of urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University in Houston. While large parts of Houston flooded, low-income neighborhoods fared worse than wealthier areas. Hurricane Harvey is yet another example of this pattern. Low-income families are more likely to live in flood-prone areas with deficient infrastructure. Hurricanes don’t care if you’re rich, poor, white or black - but that doesn’t mean that every person is equally vulnerable to a storm.
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