Houston Matters

Jan. 6 hearings, and a billion-dollar bond proposal from Harris County (June 15, 2022)

Posted on · On Wednesday's show: In a double dose of our weekly political roundup, we recap the Jan. 6 hearings and find out why county leaders are proposing a billion-dollar bond package. And we visit Harris County’s Emergency Operations Center at Houston TranStar.

Houston Matters

Full Show: Primary Election Runoff Day, And Hurricane Season Preparedness (May 22, 2018)

Posted on · On Tuesday's Houston Matters: We recap what's at stake in the runoffs in the Texas primary election. We discuss the ethical questions raised by research on human embryos. We go shopping for an emergency kit with Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. And we learn about the diverse musical acts coming to Houston this summer.

Houston Matters

Hurricane Isaiah: A Fictional Storm with Potentially Real Consequences

Posted on · With just under a month left in another relatively quiet Atlantic hurricane season for Greater Houston, it’s natural for complacency to set in. But that’s just what worries the folks at Rice University’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disasters, or SSPEED Center. Researchers there are trying to understand just how well (or not) […]

Houston Matters

Galveston County Holds First-Ever Transportation Conference

Posted on · Galveston County held its first ever transportation summit Thursday (Sept. 1, 2016) to discuss how $500 million could be invested to improve transportation infrastructure over the next decade. The U.S. Census Bureau says Galveston County's population grew by close to 11 percent between 2010 and 2015. And while the county is happy to add to […]

Houston Matters

Preparing Houston for the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Posted on · The 2016 Atlantic hurricane season begins today (June 1, 2016). To find out what Houstonians need to know to be prepared for the season, we talk with Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. Judge Emmett discusses how recent floods might have jump-started public awareness of natural disasters in Greater Houston and what lessons we've learned about […]

Houston Matters

Study: Levees Cheaper Than Sea Wall To Protect Galveston From Hurricanes

Posted on · The Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District just finished Phase 2 of their storm surge suppression study. Public meetings are scheduled for later this month (March 2016). We learn about the storm surge suppression study from Robert Eckels, former Harris County Judge and president of the GCCPRD. He details what the GCCPRD does and […]

Houston Matters

Report: Greater Houston’s a ‘Sitting Duck’ for the Next Big Storm

Posted on · Reporters from the Texas Tribune and ProPublica have teamed up on a report examining the Houston and Galveston region's lack of storm infrastructure. The article is called Hell and High Water, and it suggests Greater Houston is simply unprepared to handle that next big storm. To tell us more, we talk with Texas Tribune environmental […]

Houston Matters

Research Shows New Ways to Protect Against Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

Posted on · Research from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy is offering new solutions to better protect the Houston-Galveston region from the impact of future hurricanes and storms. With the Atlantic hurricane season just behind us, we talk with three researchers about the legal implications of the proposals, the costs and benefits of each, and how […]

Houston Matters

What Kind of Hurricane Season Should We Expect and How Prepared is Greater Houston?

Posted on · It's officially Hurricane season, Houston. Starting now, and for the next six months, we Houstonians keep tabs on tropical storms developing in the Gulf and prepare for the possibility that any could make landfall. The last few years have been relatively quiet on the tropical storm front, which would normally leave public officials concerned about […]