Environmental Challenges and Prospects for Community Relocation in Houston and Port Arthur, Texas Proceedings of a Workshop (2022) / Chapter Skim
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2 Part One: Buyouts and Other Forms of Strategic Relocation in Greater Houston, Texas
2 Part One: Buyouts and Other Forms of Strategic Relocation in Greater Houston, Texas
Pages 5-28
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The committee selected participants who could speak to issues relating to mandatory1 and voluntary buyout programs, local decision-making processes, and public engagement about strategic relocation. In addition, participants were asked to discuss the implications of equity on displacement and relocation.2 COMMUNITY TESTIMONIALS During the workshop's opening remarks, Lauren Alexander Augustine, executive director of the Gulf Research Program (GRP)
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Many impacted neighborhoods are also food insecure; therefore, Glenn emphasized local food production and supply considerations to prepare for future events. Kevin McKinney, Flood Victims of Richwood, shared his experience of the days after Hurricane Harvey.3 As the water drained toward the Gulf of Mexico, their neighborhood in the city of Richwood, located in Brazoria County, was inundated by water for eight days.
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and director of the Liberty County Long Term Recovery Committee, reported that they are a tight-knit and self-sufficient logging community with a large percentage of undocumented immigrants. County residents that were affected by Hurricane Harvey and that are at risk for future flooding were offered opportunities for buyouts.
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After Hurricane Harvey displaced many community members, Harris County began a mandatory buyout in the neighborhood. Sanchez believes the community is being forced out because "more tax dollars" are needed than his mostly low-income community provides.
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McLaughlin added that many problems had not been addressed, and noted the need for elected officials to understand how communities are affected. Committee member Lynn Goldman inquired about the differences between voluntary and mandatory buyout program processes.
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Although some buyout programs allow undocumented indi viduals to participate, many such people are not being reached. In Ozenne's area, some investors take advantage of undocumented individuals by charging them higher rents; this issue would be timely and costly to resolve.
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Additionally, Garcia does not understand the purpose of being directed to elevate homes above the floodplain while mandatory buyouts are occurring. McKinney mentioned that the Texas Land Commission dispatched a letter to everyone in his neighborhood stating that they had $30,000 in grant money to raise a house, yet the actual cost ranges from $100,000 to $150,000.
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McEntyre commented that she also had experienced increasing expenses for flood insurance. CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM BUYOUT PROGRAMS AND HOUSTON AS A RECEIVING COMMUNITY Harris County Buyout Program Ray Beltran, a Community Engagement Coordinator for Harris County, Precinct 1, commenced the second session by noting his role as a conduit between Allen Field residents and the department managing the buyout program.
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By doing so, he learned that the customer service component determined program success and that Harris County faced challenges he did not see in other buyout programs. For example, Harris County has more diversity, especially in terms of language.
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Slattery would like to believe that some parts of the Houston area can serve as a sending community and other parts can serve as receiving communities, but he acknowledges that this scenario is not feasible in each part of Texas. Intersections Between Low-Income Housing and Disasters in the Greater Houston Area Shannon Van Zandt, professor of landscape architecture and urban planning at Texas A&M University at College Station, said that Houston is the largest city that she knows of that repeatedly and regularly experiences hazards.
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with mixed status in unincorporated Harris County, which Ronquillo noted "was the first local government entity to use mandatory buyouts as a means to mitigate flooding." At a meeting in August 2017, mandatory buyouts were listed as an item on the agenda, but nothing was advertised in Spanish and there were no engagement efforts. In 2019, Ronquillo was contacted by a consulting firm to help get the word out about the house rehabilitation assistance, residential buyout options, and down payment assistance programs.
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. Tools for Developers A committee member, Lynn Goldman, noted that many panelists commented that nearby land development increased the water flow into their communities, and she asked about tools or modeling available to protect 7 To view Harris County Flood Control District's funding sources, please visit https://www.
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city" and Van Zandt interjected that Texas is "a developer-[oriented] state," Slattery stated that he hopes to work with devel opers to create an affordable housing program in the community to relocate people out of harm's way.
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IMPLICATIONS OF INEQUITY FOR DISPLACEMENT, HEALTH, AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING Regional Conservation Work After Buyouts Occur Deborah January-Bevers, the president and CEO of Houston Wilderness, began the third session with a description of her work in collaboration with environmental, business, and governmental entities to implement an ecosystem continuity and connectivity plan for the region,8 including restorative work after buyouts occur. There are ten distinct eco-regions in the Houston area, which overlap with an eight-county initiative with three main goals that could affect buyout locations: 1.
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Slide 4. Presented at the National A cademies workshop: Buyouts and Other Forms of Strategic Relocation in Greater H ouston, Houston, TX.
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There are other inequities across scales, and Rogers stressed that recovery could not happen if resources available for recovery are inaccessible. Additionally, she suggested that local partners should be included in big disaster recovery project teams because "relationships among human beings are fundamental glue that holds us together or does not." Community Health and Flooding Displacement Elizabeth Van Horn and Carolyn White, urban planners for the Harris County Public Health Department, examined how design, planning, and development affect health in Harris County -- an increasingly ethnically diverse county with over 4.7 million people.
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Manufactured Home Parks and Managed Retreat Andrew Rumbach, an associate professor of landscape architecture and urban planning at Texas A&M University at College Station, shared unique challenges faced by people living in and relying on mobile home parks, where many residents struggle during and after disasters. Over 85 percent of mobile homes are not mobile; instead, they are tough to move and even moving them can result in insurance issues.
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Slides 9–10. Presented at The National Academies workshop: Buyouts and Other Forms of Strategic Relocation in Greater Houston, Houston, TX.
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Additionally, they have walls that are not shared with neighbors, thereby creating privacy. 9 A manufactured home is a "dwelling unit of at least 320 square feet in size with a perma nent chassis to assure the initial and continued transportability of the home." Mobile homes and manufactured homes are distinguished by manufacturing date; the term "mobile home" refers to units built prior to 1976, while those built in 1976 and after are considered manufactured homes.
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His research estimates over 800 mobile home parks in Harris County, which he said are essential to consider when developing equity-informed disaster policies. In Houston, Rumbach noted, mobile home parks are in areas with lower household income and education, large households (which are associated with more Hispanic/Latino and fewer non-Hispanic Black residents)
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Since residents of mobile home parks do not own the land, in most cases they would not be recipients of buyout programs. Rumbach also questioned what would happen to fixed assets (like mobile homes)
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Health Resources Janice Barnes, Committee co-chair, asked whether health resources are available for those like Perla Garcia. White said Harris County Public Health provides a coordinated disaster response focused on mental and physical health care, as well as disaster response assistance through longer-recovery programs.
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Moreover, Ozenne suggested using trees that can absorb water better than others, and wondered why some homeowners associations prevent people from purchasing these. CLOSING REMARKS Goldman wrapped up the workshop by reflecting on the day's discussion regarding the different types of strategic relocation, such as mandatory and voluntary buyouts, relocation within existing communities, and individuals moving due to tax increases.
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• Many workshop participants expressed a need to better understand the functions and limitations of these programs and how to align them with the community's wishes (e.g., some prefer to elevate while others prefer mandatory buyouts)
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