Hurricane Beryl: Recovery One Year Later
Hurricane Beryl Recovery: One Year Later
New research shows 1 in 10 Houston families still need help one year after the storm.
What Happened During Hurricane Beryl
On July 8, 2024, Hurricane Beryl hit the Houston area. The storm caused serious damage across the region.
What the storm did:
- Knocked down thousands of trees
- Damaged over 4,400 homes in Harris County
- Left people without power for days or weeks
- Destroyed roofs, fences, and other property
- Made it hard for many people to work and earn money
Who Still Needs Help
Researchers from Rice University asked thousands of people about their recovery. They found that most people have recovered, but not everyone.
Key Finding
About 1 in 10 Houston area residents say they are still struggling more than one year after the storm. That's about 11% of people surveyed.
Who is having the hardest time:
- Families making less than $25,000 per year
- Only 1 in 3 low-income families say they have fully recovered
- People who couldn't afford to make all the repairs they needed
- Families who lost food, wages, and had to pay for emergency costs
Compare this to higher-income families:
- 8 out of 10 families making over $100,000 say they have fully recovered
- They were more likely to have savings to pay for repairs
- They were more likely to have insurance that covered damage
Why This Matters
The research shows that having more money makes it easier to recover from a disaster. People with less money often:
- Can't afford to fix everything at once
- Don't have emergency savings
- May lose income because they can't get to work
- Have a harder time getting help from government programs
What Help People Got
After the storm, different groups tried to help people recover.
Federal help (FEMA):
- FEMA gave about $495 million to Harris County
- This money helped people pay for repairs and temporary housing
- But many people say it wasn't enough for all the repairs they needed
The problem with government help:
Many families got some money from FEMA. They fixed part of their problem. But they didn't get enough money to fix everything. For example:
- Maybe they fixed their roof but not the damage inside their house
- Maybe they fixed their fence but still need other repairs
- Maybe they replaced some food but still lost money from missing work
Additional help needed:
- About $800 million more in repairs is still needed
- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will send $150 million more
- But that still doesn't cover all the damage
What People Learned About Being Ready
The research also asked people if they feel more ready for the next storm.
Good News
72% of people say they now feel ready for another major storm. Most people learned from this experience.
What people did to prepare before Beryl:
- 59% charged portable batteries
- 57% filled up their car with gas or charged their electric car
- Many people bought extra food and water
- Some people moved important things to higher ground
Trust in leaders:
- Almost half of people trust local leaders to help during a disaster
- Only 1 in 4 people trust state officials or federal agencies
- About 1 in 3 people trust the electric companies
People want their local leaders to be more prepared. They want better plans for when storms come. They want the power to stay on or come back faster.
What Needs to Happen Now
The researchers say leaders need to pay attention to these findings.
What Daniel Potter Says
Daniel Potter leads the research center at Rice University. He says: "There are still large groups of people who are not back to normal. This gives leaders a chance to help people now and prepare better for the next storm."
What can be done:
- Give more help to families who are still struggling
- Make it easier for low-income families to get help
- Start preparing now for the next disaster
- Help people who can't afford to make all their repairs
- Make better plans for keeping the power on during storms
- Listen to what residents say they need
Why this matters for everyone:
Houston will face more storms in the future. Climate change is making storms stronger and more dangerous. If we help families recover now and prepare better for next time, everyone will be safer.
