Mandatory Post-Disaster Home Buyouts: Learning from Houston

After Hurricane Harvey damaged almost half of all Houston-area homes in 2017, the surrounding county implemented a controversial program, the first of its scale in America. Harris County, Texas, used its eminent domain powers to force residents in certain flood-prone areas to move to higher ground. By the time Harris County’s mandatory home buyout program ends in early 2026, nearly 600 households and 400 business or property owners will have relocated out of flood-prone, predominantly Latino neighborhoods. This will disrupt residents’ cycle of destruction and repair – but not without significant personal cost.

As climate-driven disasters impact record numbers of Americans, local leaders across the country are beginning to wrestle with increasingly tough choices on managing climate risk. Other jurisdictions can apply the lessons learned from Harris County’s program to their own local context when considering ethical and equitable managed retreat strategies.

Join New America at 11:30 am ET/10:30 CT on Thursday, October 24 for a virtual conversation with Harris County staff and with national leaders in research and policy about the prospects and drawbacks of mandatory managed retreat programs. The discussion will address Harris County’s buyout challenges and successes and implications for local, state, and federal disaster recovery policy.

Panelists include:

• Amanda Rocha, Director of Policy and Partnerships, Harris County Housing & Community Development
• Dr. Elyse Zavar, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Science, University of North Texas
• Anna Weber, Senior Policy Analyst, Environmental Health, Natural Resources Defense Council
• Helen Bonnyman, Policy Associate, Future of Land and Housing Program, New America (Moderator)