A joint poll between Texas Southern University’s Jordan-Leland School and the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs found that respondents in the Houston area have “consistently experienced more blackouts compared to the rest of Texas,” and this comes a year after a separate poll by UH found 57 percent have considered moving from the region in recent years because of the extreme weather.
In Harris County, more than 50 percent of respondents experienced blackouts during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 and Hurricane Harvey in 2017 while less than 25 percent experienced blackouts during extreme weather events in 2023. However, it noted that respondents in the Houston metro area consisting of Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller Counties, took more steps than the rest of the metropolitan areas to prepare for natural disasters and extreme events in 2024, such as buying a generator, charging devices, and maintaining a supply of drinking water.
“While the Houston, Austin, and San Antonio metropolitan areas presented similar aggregated numbers in how respondents prepared for the hurricane season, respondents from the Dallas metro area systematically reported fewer measures of preparedness,” according to the poll results.
Unsurprisingly, it found the elder respondents—baby boomers and Generation X—took greater precautions in preparing than those younger.
As extreme weather continues, particularly in the Houston region which is already flood-prone and has been hit hard in recent years, the greater metropolitan areas are going to have to spend more to harden themselves from the impacts, improve resiliency, and reassure residents as a growing number of people look to live elsewhere to avoid dealing with constant flooding and power outages.
Following Hurricane Beryl, thousands in Houston remained without power as late as July 18, eleven days after the storm.
Mayor John Whitmire said on July 17 that roughly 35,000 individuals remained without power, and Houston City Council Member Amy Peck, whose district largely covers the Spring Branch and surrounding areas, said she had whole neighborhoods still in the dark, including senior centers and schools.