County officials discuss prevention, management of disasters

Harris County, Texas Commissioner Rodney Ellis makes a point during Saturday’s Resilient Counties Lunch. Looking on are (l-r) Douglas County, Neb. Commissioner Chris Rodgers and Sonoma County, Calif. Supervisor James Gore. Photo by Leon Lawrence III
Error message
In order to filter by the "in queue" property, you need to add the Entityqueue: Queue relationship.-
County NewsFloods topped discussions at the Resilient Counties LunchCounty officials discuss prevention, management of disasters
-
County News Article
County officials discuss prevention, management of disasters
Harris County, Texas Commissioner Rodney Ellis had a message for the audience of county officials gathered Saturday at the Resilient Counties Lunch: “Developing New Partnerships in National-Regional Water Resiliency and Innovation.”
After running down a number of statistics on Hurricane Harvey, which decimated his county in August 2017, he said: “I can summarize it by saying it was hell.”
The hurricane dumped 33 inches of water on the county in four days. “The amount of water that came down amounted to the flow of Niagara Falls over an entire year,” he said. “We were fortunate to have not lost more lives.” It was the second largest natural disaster outside of Hurricane Katrina.
On the one-year anniversary of the hurricane, Harris County voters passed a $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond to help protect the area during future storms. And regulations on new construction are being tightened, he said. Harris County Commissioners approved tougher development rules in floodplains starting immediately and lasting at least until 2021.
Fellow panelist Douglas County, Neb. Commissioner Chris Rodgers had his own flood stories to tell. A 12-inch snow, followed by mild weather and several days of rain in March earlier this year was a recipe for disaster, he said.
“I wake up, look at the TV at 4 o’clock in the morning and head down to the emergency operations center,” he said. People were cutoff after roads were closed due to flooding and many had to be rescued. In the aftermath, there was about $150 million in road damage, he said.
“We never saw anything that happened like this,” he said. The county held a town hall last month to explain how property tax relief, thanks to a new state bill recently passed, could help homeowners whose homes were damaged.
When you get those kinds of “perfect storm” conditions, of not just the snow, not just the mild weather and not just the heavy rain — “those kinds of events break your system,” said Sonoma County, Calif. Supervisor James Gore, who chairs Resilient Counties.
After flooding, debris removal is crucial and often there aren’t enough workers available to get the job done, he noted.
Counties also need to look into pre-disaster mitigation programs at FEMA, he said, noting that counties don’t want to miss an opportunity to go after such funding. Any FEMA consultants need to be lined up before disaster strikes your county, he advised.
Gore said that county officials sometimes need to wake up their constituents if they aren’t doing their part. Recently he intentionally used foul language to describe his frustration over noncompliance by residents with fire safety rules to reduce the risk of wildfires. He knew it would get the attention of local media and he was right.
Only half of the properties inspected in a month-old program were in compliance with county rules requiring owners to create firebreaks around their homes, the county’s fire marshal told Gore and other supervisors.
Nearing the second anniversary of the 2017 wildfires that killed 24 people and destroyed 5,300 homes, Gore said “I’m not gonna use words like ‘concerned.’ “I’m actually pissed that more people aren’t doing more. … If you get burnt, and you are not clearing your land, you can’t call yourself a victim on the other side of it.”
Ellis echoed those remarks, telling NACo members: “It’s tough talk for people, if it means you don’t get reelected... just do right and suffer the consequences.”
Floods topped discussions at the Resilient Counties Lunch2019-07-14County News Article2023-04-11
Harris County, Texas Commissioner Rodney Ellis had a message for the audience of county officials gathered Saturday at the Resilient Counties Lunch: “Developing New Partnerships in National-Regional Water Resiliency and Innovation.”
After running down a number of statistics on Hurricane Harvey, which decimated his county in August 2017, he said: “I can summarize it by saying it was hell.”
The hurricane dumped 33 inches of water on the county in four days. “The amount of water that came down amounted to the flow of Niagara Falls over an entire year,” he said. “We were fortunate to have not lost more lives.” It was the second largest natural disaster outside of Hurricane Katrina.
On the one-year anniversary of the hurricane, Harris County voters passed a $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond to help protect the area during future storms. And regulations on new construction are being tightened, he said. Harris County Commissioners approved tougher development rules in floodplains starting immediately and lasting at least until 2021.
Fellow panelist Douglas County, Neb. Commissioner Chris Rodgers had his own flood stories to tell. A 12-inch snow, followed by mild weather and several days of rain in March earlier this year was a recipe for disaster, he said.
“I wake up, look at the TV at 4 o’clock in the morning and head down to the emergency operations center,” he said. People were cutoff after roads were closed due to flooding and many had to be rescued. In the aftermath, there was about $150 million in road damage, he said.
“We never saw anything that happened like this,” he said. The county held a town hall last month to explain how property tax relief, thanks to a new state bill recently passed, could help homeowners whose homes were damaged.
When you get those kinds of “perfect storm” conditions, of not just the snow, not just the mild weather and not just the heavy rain — “those kinds of events break your system,” said Sonoma County, Calif. Supervisor James Gore, who chairs Resilient Counties.
After flooding, debris removal is crucial and often there aren’t enough workers available to get the job done, he noted.
Counties also need to look into pre-disaster mitigation programs at FEMA, he said, noting that counties don’t want to miss an opportunity to go after such funding. Any FEMA consultants need to be lined up before disaster strikes your county, he advised.
Gore said that county officials sometimes need to wake up their constituents if they aren’t doing their part. Recently he intentionally used foul language to describe his frustration over noncompliance by residents with fire safety rules to reduce the risk of wildfires. He knew it would get the attention of local media and he was right.
Only half of the properties inspected in a month-old program were in compliance with county rules requiring owners to create firebreaks around their homes, the county’s fire marshal told Gore and other supervisors.
Nearing the second anniversary of the 2017 wildfires that killed 24 people and destroyed 5,300 homes, Gore said “I’m not gonna use words like ‘concerned.’ “I’m actually pissed that more people aren’t doing more. … If you get burnt, and you are not clearing your land, you can’t call yourself a victim on the other side of it.”
Ellis echoed those remarks, telling NACo members: “It’s tough talk for people, if it means you don’t get reelected... just do right and suffer the consequences.”

About Mary Ann Barton (Full Bio)
County News Editor & Senior Writer
Mary Ann is the County News editor and senior staff writer and is returning to NACo after previously working at the association. She comes to NACo after covering local news for Patch.com in Northern Virginia.More from Mary Ann Barton
-
County News
County reshapes justice system for women battling mental health issues
Problem: Too many women who needed mental health support were being incarcerated and left untreated. Solution: -
Blog
FEMA requests feedback from counties on the BRIC non-financial Direct Technical Assistance program
On May 23, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit feedback on the capabilities of organizations that help FEMA deliver the -
Blog
Bipartisan bills introduced to support counties in the disaster recovery process
On May 18, Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) reintroduced the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act to permanently authorize the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program. -
Webinar
Familiar Faces Initiative: Model Jurisdictions for Improving Outcomes through Coordinated Health and Justice Systems
May. 11, 2023 , 2:00 pm – 3:30 pmIn 2022, NACo relaunched the Familiar Faces Initiative during Mental Health Awareness Month to support counties and cities in better meeting the needs of their familiar faces—individuals with complex health and behavioral health conditions who frequently cycle through jails, homeless shelters, emergency departments and other crisis service -
Blog
Pima County leans into innovation to enhance sustainability
This blog post is sponsored by NACo partner American Gas Association. Unlock the potential of wastewater facilities: Transform waste into clean, renewable energy and contribute to your county's sustainability goals. -
Blog
How counties can extend the reach of drug disposal programs with at-home drug deactivation and disposal
This blog post is sponsored by NACo partner Deterra. Empower Your Community: Enhance Drug Disposal Programs with At-Home Deactivation & Disposal Solutions
-
Webinar
Exploring Outdoor Recreation as a Component of Economic Diversification
July 27, 2023 , 3:00 pm – 4:00 pmJoin the BRECC National Network for a conversation on outdoor recreation as a viable component to build a robust, diverse local economy. Learn more about research trends linked to outdoor recreation economic development, small business ecosystems and resources that could support coal communities.07273:00 pm<p>Join the BRECC National Network for a conversation on outdoor recreation as a viable component to build a robust, diverse local economy.
-
Basic page
Resilient Counties Initiative
The NACo Resilient Counties Initiative builds leadership capacity to identify and manage risk, and prepare counties to become more flexible and responsive to system shocks and stresses. It has a holistic approach to resilience, examining social and economic resilience, sustainability and disaster management.pagepagepage<p>Hurricanes, wildfires, economic collapse, and other disasters can be natural or man-made, acute or long-term, foreseeable or unpredictable.
-
Basic page
Justice & Public Safety Steering Committee
All matters pertaining to criminal justice and public safety systems, including criminal justice planning, law enforcement, courts, corrections, homeland security, community crime prevention, juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, emergency management, fire prevention and control, and civil disturbances.pagepagepage<p>All matters pertaining to criminal justice and public safety systems, including criminal justice planning, law enforcement, courts, corrections, homeland security, community crime prevention, juvenile justice and delinquency preven
-
Reports & Toolkits
Implementing Infrastructure Investments at the County Level: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. 117-58)
As intergovernmental partners, counties play a key role in ensuring the successful interpretation and implementation of the BILReports & Toolkitsdocument100710:00 amReports & Toolkits<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%" summary="call-out transparent jump">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td> -
Reports & Toolkits
Opioid Solutions Center
NACo’s Opioid Solutions Center empowers local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction practices that save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorder.Reports & Toolkitsdocument10123:30 pmReports & Toolkits<p>NACo's Opioid Solutions Center empowers local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction practices that save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorder.
Contact
-
County News Editor & Senior Writer(202) 942-4223
Related Resources
-
Blog
FEMA requests feedback from counties on the BRIC non-financial Direct Technical Assistance program
On May 23, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit feedback on the capabilities of organizations that help FEMA deliver the -
Blog
Bipartisan bills introduced to support counties in the disaster recovery process
On May 18, Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) reintroduced the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act to permanently authorize the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program. -
Blog
Pima County leans into innovation to enhance sustainability
This blog post is sponsored by NACo partner American Gas Association. Unlock the potential of wastewater facilities: Transform waste into clean, renewable energy and contribute to your county's sustainability goals.
-
Reports & Toolkits
Intergovernmental Roles and Responsibilities in Disaster Resilience
Counties are on the front lines of emergency management and response when disasters hit - fully 99 percent of counties report having an Emergency Operations Plan and Hazard Mitigation Plan in place. -
Press Release
National Association of Counties Responds to Congressional Challenge to WOTUS Rule
NACo today issued a statement in response to the U.S. House of Representatives passing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval challenging the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule issued in December 2022. -
Reports & Toolkits
Implementing Infrastructure Investments at the County Level: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. 117-58)
As intergovernmental partners, counties play a key role in ensuring the successful interpretation and implementation of the BIL
Related Events
-
27Jul2023Webinar
Exploring Outdoor Recreation as a Component of Economic Diversification
Jul. 27, 2023 , 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
More From
-
Opioid Solutions Center
NACo’s Opioid Solutions Center empowers local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction practices that save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorder.
Learn More