Houston's poor urban planning, not climate change, is to blame for the catastrophic flooding following Hurricane Harvey, says disaster expert Ilan Kelman.
Note:
Our hearts go out to all those that have suffered because of Hurricane Harvey, right now all the focus should be on helping everyone get to safety. In the next few months and years a lot will be discussed about how Houston grew without any safeguards in place by leaps and bounds to become one of our biggest cities. Like with New Orleans a decade ago tough choices will need to be made to correct course for future generations. I am sharing this article because the truth is that Houston didn’t have poor urban planning, it had no urban planning in a government lead effort not to curb the growth of the city and as always, the ones that suffer the most in these situations, are the ones most in need.
Living with hurricanes is not just about design and planning. It is also about public services and providing knowledge and opportunities to everyone, irrespective of their background. It is taking responsibility for disasters, not blaming the environment or the weather.
Climate change likely affected Hurricane Harvey. Climate change did not create the urban design and social structures that caused the disaster. Climate change did not avoid planning regulations. Climate change did not cause Houston’s population to expand by 40 per cent since 1990. Climate change did not build a chemical factory in a flood zone after politicians lobbied for a delay in safety rules.
Satellite image of Houston taken in 2017
No matter what climate change did to the hurricane, a major disaster would have happened. Not from the rainfall or floods, but from the unnatural vulnerabilities and choices which created them. Rather than blaming a natural disaster, we can make individual and collective decisions to live in a hurricane zone without forcing a human-caused hurricane disaster.
