After Harvey, will Houston learn from its mistakes?
This political cartoon is based on a 2016 investigation by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica into how unchecked development has worsened the Bayou City's flooding problems. The investigation found that many Houston-area officials deny that long-standing policies allowing construction in Houston's high-risk floodplains — coupled with the paving over of wetlands — have increased the region's vulnerability.
This cartoon was underwritten by Bayou City Waterkeeper, whose mission is to ensure the aquatic integrity of the Lower Galveston Bay watershed by focusing on the protection of wetlands and other critical habitats, advocating for adequate mitigation of lost wetland resources and enforcing all aspects of compliance with the Clean Water Act.
Disclosure: The Texas A&M University System has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.
