Post-Harvey report outlines 4,000 projects to guard Texas against disasters

AUSTIN, Texas – An after-action report on Hurricane Harvey outlines 4,000 projects aimed at protecting Texas infrastructure against future disasters.

The recommendations made in the 174-page report were announced Thursday by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp, who was named Abbott’s recovery czar about 10 days after the Category 4 storm slammed into the Gulf Coast.

“It was one of the most intense years of my life,” Sharp said.

In addition to the projects, the report also recommends better training for city and county leaders in post-disaster rescue and recovery, creating a statewide task force that can be mobilized before a disaster and creating a state case management system that could eventually replace the federal system.

PHOTOS: Look back at Hurricane Harvey

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A gauge shows the depth of water a an underpass on Interstate 10 which has been inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards of 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.

“The goal is to speed recovery at the local level and the individual level,” Abbott said.

Sharp said some of the proposals are being forwarded to the state Legislature and others are being sent to federal agencies for consideration.

LINK: Read the full report

“The bottom line is that by following the recommendations in this report, Texas will be best prepared to deal with future disaster,” Abbott said.

More than 60 people died during the storm, more than 300,000 structures were flooded and more than $120 billion in damage was caused.