I’ll never forget my first day on the job in Houston, July 15, 2003. It was supposed to be routine, filled with HR meetings and paperwork. Instead, I found myself in the studio as Category 1 Hurricane Claudette made landfall in Galveston and pushed into Houston.
One memory from that storm has stayed with me ever since. Two lives were lost, not during the storm itself, but afterward. One person was killed by a falling tree branch, another by a downed power line. It was a sobering reminder that the danger doesn’t end when the winds die down.
If you’ve been here a while, you remember Hurricane Beryl in 2024. It was also a Category 1 storm, but it hit an area where many trees hadn’t been pruned since Hurricane Ike in 2007. The result was devastating. Falling trees knocked out power to millions and caused more than $3 billion in damage across Texas. Tragically, 43 people in the Houston area lost their lives, most due to heat-related illness. Once again, the aftermath proved deadlier than the storm itself. That’s why, this year, the National Hurricane Center is emphasizing power outages and extreme heat in its warning messages.
Even in years without a direct hurricane landfall, like 2025, we’re not immune to tragedy. The July 4th floods in Kerr County are a painful reminder. Tropical moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry combined with a slow-moving, intense area of storms, dumping more than 10 inches of rain in just an hour over one of the most flood-prone regions in the country, Flash Flood Alley. In the end, 139 lives were lost, including 28 at Camp Mystic.
The investigation into Camp Mystic revealed there was no written evacuation plan and according to testimony provided to state legislators, staff had not been adequately trained or equipped for an emergency. Counselors acted bravely, but without preparation and organization, they didn’t have what they needed to safely get those girls evacuated after the first flood warning was issued.
The stories are heart wrenching. But they also carry an important lesson. If you’re a business owner, a manager, or an employee, ask yourself: are you prepared for a worst-case scenario?
Every year, we put together this Hurricane, Flood, and Survival Guide for you, for this community we all care about so deeply. It’s not meant to alarm you, but to prepare you. Because going into hurricane season hoping for the best isn’t enough. We must be ready for the worst.
That starts with a few simple steps:
- Have a family plan
- Practice that plan
- Build an emergency kit
- Stay informed
History can be a powerful teacher but only if we’re willing to learn from it. A recent study from Rice University’s Kinder Institute found that just 8% of Harris County residents are adequately prepared for hurricane season. Given everything we’ve been through, that number should be much higher.
We’ll continue doing our part to keep you informed. Please do yours by staying weather-aware, watching KPRC 2, visiting Click2Houston.com, and streaming on KPRC 2+.
We’re here for you, and we’re committed to helping keep you and your family safe.
The hurricane & flood survival guide is below. Open it up and print it. There is vital information and a checklist to make sure you are prepared for whatever this season brings.
Be sure to check out these pages to help prepare your children for disaster: Ready.gov games and the National Hurricane Center’s education resources.
We have more resources on the KPRC 2 Hurricane Headquarters page here.