What do you think of Houston's future?

[gimmethesimplelife]

I'm just curious....what do you'all see for the future of Houston, TX? Do you see it as a smaller city in the future (this is what I am thinking personally) or rebounding and retaining it's status as the forth largest US city in terms of population? Rob

[CathyA]

I have no idea. I imagine some people will say "forget it", and move to higher ground. But it wouldn't surprise me if the majority just build again. I wonder if there will be any new building codes now?
Before the hurricane, I was watching the news and one person built a huge house on cement supports. I can't remember how tall they were. I never heard how his house fared.

[pinkytoe]

Just talked to a relative in the area. Closer to Galveston. House gone. They are building again. I guess home is home for some.

[Rogar]

I think Houston will recover fairly quickly. Its importance as a hub of the petroleum business and a port city will continue to support a stable population. In spite of all the attention, I don't think Harvey was another Katrina. It will take another few once in 500 years or once in 100 years coastal disasters to convince people that climate change events, or weather extremes as Trump likes to call it, may now happen more like every ten or twenty years.

[Gardnr]

I believe nearly all will stay and rebuild and Houston will remain the 4th largest city in the USA.

Mom and Dad were adults near Rotterdam during WW2. Mom said "it's your home. You stay. When your home gets blown up, your neighbors move you in with them. It doesn't matter how many live there. The nieghborhood stays together".

Mom helped me understand why people stay in a location of continued repetitive strikes of nature. Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes. She said " no different from war zones. It's home".

A friend of mine got flooded. The 2nd the water left her home? In she goes with a wonderfuly volunteer girlfriend....boxing, stacking, hiring day labor to pull out heavy/wet carpets....ruined sofas/ottomans to the curb......assessing repairs, hopefully new refrigerator installed soon so she can live in her home again despite it's condition. She figures 6 months before she is finished with repairs.

[Lainey]

The question is, Who pays when only 20% of homeowners had flood insurance? Here's an opinion piece from USA Today:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...umn/619926001/

[gimmethesimplelife]

The question is, Who pays when only 20% of homeowners had flood insurance? Here's an opinion piece from USA Today:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...umn/619926001/

Good question. This is going to make rebuilding in Houston (or elsewhere, really) sticky for many people. I wonder if Houston may become something like Detroit - there are actually people who have moved to Detroit and have accepted the risks of living there due to the ultra low housing costs. There's actually a community of entrepreneurs there that praise the place as a cheap place to get a business off the ground.....Though in Houston's case, with the petroleum industry there, I don't know how low land valuations could realistically sink. There's more market forces invested in getting Houston rebuilt than Detroit, at least in my mind. Rob

[Tradd]

Good question. This is going to make rebuilding in Houston (or elsewhere, really) sticky for many people. I wonder if Houston may become something like Detroit - there are actually people who have moved to Detroit and have accepted the risks of living there due to the ultra low housing costs. There's actually a community of entrepreneurs there that praise the place as a cheap place to get a business off the ground.....Though in Houston's case, with the petroleum industry there, I don't know how low land valuations could realistically sink. There's more market forces invested in getting Houston rebuilt than Detroit, at least in my mind. Rob

There is much more of an economic base in Houston. It's not like Detroit, which is essentially ghetto.

[dmc]

The question is, Who pays when only 20% of homeowners had flood insurance? Here's an opinion piece from USA Today:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...umn/619926001/

I wish the government would get out of the insurance business. It would probably lower the value of my home, but I self insure for most of the value from flood anyway. But for those who have to get a loan it would mean they could not live here. Or would have to pay more for insurance.

People would still live here, in very expensive homes. But they would either self insure or get it elsewhere, like they do now if they want additional coverage.

[SteveinMN]

I wish the government would get out of the insurance business. It would probably lower the value of my home, but I self insure for most of the value from flood anyway. But for those who have to get a loan it would mean they could not live here. Or would have to pay more for insurance.

People would still live here, in very expensive homes. But they would either self insure or get it elsewhere, like they do now if they want additional coverage.

It surprises me (only a little) that there is not a stronger sentiment for this line of thought. However, since this is not the political forum, I'll stop here.

I think Houston will rebuild. As other posters point out, there is an economic base which will be disrupted but is not (yet) in danger of being phased out in favor of something else (it was easy to switch from buying a Pontiac to buying a Mazda; it's not so easy to switch from burning petroleum to using some other form of fuel).

I also think that, for every homeowner or businessperson who throws in the (figurative) towel and leaves, there will be someone who moves in for the warmer temperatures, the lower cost of living, and the benefits of living in one of the biggest cities in America. It will take sustained meteorological events and several wallops in the wallet before most people think differently. What's the saying? For everyone trying to get rid of losing stock shares, there's someone willing to buy because they predict an upswing.