Harvey Data Project

November 20, 2018 —Soon after Hurricane Harvey, the City of Houston realized that we weren’t seeing the full picture of damages. Our metrics under-counted and excluded people that already weren’t getting help. So, the Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD) worked with Civis Analytics, Dewberry Engineers, and Knudson, LP, to build a data platform that better shows the impact of Hurricane Harvey on Houstonians.

The project confirmed what we were already hearing from residents. Harvey was an unprecedented disaster. It impacted areas not usually at risk of flooding. Neighborhoods that were vulnerable before the storm were having more difficulty recovering. Residential damages were almost double what traditional methods had told us. Using the Harvey Data Project’s new methods, we have a more complete view of unmet need. We will use this data to better target our programs and measure they are working. This way, we can organize a more complete recovery process.

Read our report on the Harvey Data Project here.

Update April 08: Fast Company recognized the Harvey Data Project in their 2019 World Changing Ideas. We were named an Honorable Mention in the AI & Data Category and a Finalist in the Spaces, Places, & Cities category.