By Sandra Tzul Houstonians found ways to ensure their neighbors got what they needed by cruising neighborhoods with supplies. Photo courtesy of Debbie Z. Harwell. As Houstonians rode out Hurricane Harvey the most devastating storm in Houston’s history recovery weighed heavily on their minds. Rains pounded the area in late August 2017, as residents witnessed […]
By Anna Mayzenberg Having found a safe haven, a dog rests on an American Red Cross blanket. The change in policy to allow pets in the shelter was a big step forward in responding to disasters. Photo courtesy of Friends For Life. The first day the George R. Brown Convention Center(GRB) opened as a Hurricane […]
By Sean D. Bartell Built in 1956, Eric Dowding’s Braeburn home had never flooded until he hit the trifecta: Memorial Day 2015, Tax Day 2016, and Harvey in 2017. Photo courtesy of Eric Dowding When Hurricane Harvey came, flooding was nothing new to Braeburn resident Eric Dowding. Having lived in Houston with his wife Trang […]
![“[Houston Strong] was
so widespread in Harvey ... I love how Houston is
so diverse. ... Different ethnicities, different religions, and this crossed that. This was not a Jewish issue. This was not a Christian issue. This was a Houston issue, and it continues to be. ... We can all come together and support each other, even if we don’t have an answer for it.”1 Nomi Solomon, Meyerland resident.](https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/houston-1238154_1920-1-100x100.jpg "Drawing Power from Community — Houston Strong")
By Eva Marie Bernal Although Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston, residents’ spirits rose above it all, symbolized by the phrase: Houston Strong. The expression became a rallying cry that symbolized the city’s resilience, hope, and optimism as residents worked to rebuild. But it also meant different things to different people, from helping a neighbor to unifying […]
Download the full pdf here18.1 Letter from the Editor, Debbie Z. Harwell 2Before the Storm: Forecasting Hurricane HarveyBy Samantha de Leon5Stories from the Watersheds: How Harvey Impacted Houston’s NeighborhoodsBy Nadia Abouzir8Looking Back: First Responders Reflect on Hurricane HarveyBy Graciela Cortez11Disaster and Dedication: The Story of Meyerland’s Jewish CommunityBy Anna Mayzenberg15Connecting Through Chaos: How Social Media Platforms Helped Save LivesBy Syed […]
This issue looks at ways our community has evolved in its attitudes, politics, neighborhoods, and culture. In the 1920s or 1930s, an unknown artist painted this futuristic vision of Houston in 1980 that is at once fantasy and truth. Houston has evolved to include elevated freeways that encircle downtown as the artist anticipated, although they […]
Debbie Harwell and Stephen Klineberg at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University. A Conversation with Stephen L. Klineberg and Debbie Z. Harwell This year marks the thirty-ninth annual Houston Area Survey produced by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University under the direction of Dr. Stephen Klineberg. The survey, which […]
The Judson Robinson Family represents multiple generations of Houston civic and political leadership.
Houston’s Fourth Ward as seen through the lens of Roxanne Quezada Chartouni’s camera in 1987.
For over a quarter-century, the nonprofit New Hope Housing has provided low cost, single room occupancy (SRO) housing for single adults living on little to no income in Houston to help them realize their goals. Today, New Hope has expanded to assist vulnerable families. It keeps residents’ rent costs low to provide affordable housing options […]
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