In the Aftermath of Dorian: Reflections on Hurricane Harvey

Our present century is notable for the scale of its disasters. Furthermore, scientific consensus predicts that mega-disasters like Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, and Hurricane Harvey will grow even more intense as the millennium unfolds. As our planet warms, this change in the climate acts as an accelerant to storms that would otherwise be less intense. This climate science is, in the words of Neil deGrasse Tyson, “emergent scientific truth,” meaning that it is no more a matter of debate than are the Theories of Relativity, Evolution, or Gravity. This emergent scientific truth, along with the lived experience of disaster in our time (as of this writing, a record-breaking fire is burning in Los Angeles, while a category-5 Hurricane barrels toward the Leeward Islands and South Florida), brings disaster, disaster preparedness, and disaster response to the forefront of social justice.

Hurricane Harvey has proven to be the greatest rain event in recorded US History and, at $190 Billion, is predicted to be the most expensive storm recovery to date, more than Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy combined. Over 90,000 homes were flooded in Houston alone, with the cities of Port Arthur and Beaumont almost “completely underwater.” Oil refineries in the region account for 25 percent of national capacity, along with a petrochemical complex whose…