In the three months since Hurricane Harvey devastated the Gulf Coast and one of the country’s biggest cities, how far has Texas come? What preparations should have been made in advance of the storm — and are they being made now? And when can Texans still suffering from storm damage expect to see relief money from the federal government?
Join The Texas Tribune this week for a symposium on Hurricane Harvey, where lawmakers, reporters and thought-leaders will discuss the deadly storm that struck Texas, and the road to recovery.
Here’s what we’re reading in advance of the event:
A mechanic planned “to leave when the birds leave.” A screenwriter stayed in Rockport — and quickly regretted it. A physical therapy technician knew “we were on our own.” Learn what the storm was like for 28 Texans who helped their state through it, via Texas Monthly.
Nearly 100 people died in the storm. Meet some of them in The New York Times and the Houston Chronicle.
Three months after the storm, Yashica Foster and her family are displaced and separated. They’re just some of the tens of thousands of Harvey victims who still lack permanent housing, per The Texas Tribune.
Crying children, flooded hallways and mounting debris: explore Harvey in Pictures from The New York Times.
And it’s still not clear how much aid money Texas will get. Gov. Greg Abbott called the federal government’s $44 billion proposal “completely inadequate,” but state officials were told to “step up,” as The Associated Press reports.
And check out the full schedule below:
8:30 a.m.: The Aftermath and the Texas Budget
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State Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown
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State Sen. Chuy Hinojosa, D-McAllen
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State Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi
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State Rep. J.M. Lozano, R-Kingsville
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Moderated by Ross Ramsey, executive editor of The Texas Tribune
9:45 a.m.: Getting Back to Business
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Neeraj Aggarwal, program manager for mission investing for the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
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Samantha McCrary, Rockport-based small business owner
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Patrick Rios, mayor pro-tem for the city of Rockport
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Iain Vasey, president of the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation
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Moderated by Brandon Formby, urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune
11 a.m.: Going Home Again
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Mike Koerner, director of long term recovery for Aransas County
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Pete Phillips, senior deputy director of Community Development and Revitalization at the Texas General Land Office
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Beth Van Duyne, Southwest regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
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Moderated by Brandon Formby, urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune
12 p.m.: Lunch
12:30 p.m.: A Conversation with the Commissioner
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John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System and Harvey czar
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Moderated by Ross Ramsey, executive editor of The Texas Tribune
1:45 p.m.: Rethinking the Coastline
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Charles Bujan, mayor of Port Aransas
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James Gibeaut, endowed chair for coastal and marine geospatial sciences at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi
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Laura Huffman, Texas state director for The Nature Conservancy
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Bob Stokes, president of the Galveston Bay Foundation
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Moderated by Morgan Smith, investigative reporter for The Texas Tribune
Source: Texas Tribune Blue News
