* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
           
          [Resilience Committee on June 5, 2025.]
          [00:00:18]
TWICE IN A WEEK, HOW FORTUNATE WE ARE. 
          AND WELCOME TO THE RESILIENCE COMMITTEE ON THIS PEACEFUL DAY, IT'S 10:00 AM WELL, OR EXCUSE ME, THIS CLOCK IS OFF. 
          IT'S 10:00 AM AND I'M LOOKING HERE. 
          IT SAYS IT'S 9 0 3. 
          SO ANYWAY, IT'S ACTUALLY 10 0 3. 
          SO WELCOME. 
          I AM TWILA CARTER, THE CHAIR OF THE RESILIENCE COMMITTEE, AND, UM, WE'RE GONNA CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER, ALTHOUGH WE DON'T HAVE A QUORUM, SO WE'RE NOT VOTING ANYWAY, SO IT DOESN'T MATTER. 
          UM, I'LL GO AHEAD AND ACKNOWLEDGE WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, SALLY ALCORN, COUNCIL MEMBER JULIAN RAMIREZ, AND, UH, STAFF FROM, UH, VICE CHAIR AMY PECK, AND ALSO COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN'S OFFICE. 
          SO THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE. 
          TODAY'S AGENDA, UM, AGAIN, TWICE A WEEK. 
          IN ONE WEEK, WE HAVE DR. 
          DAN POTTER, THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSTON POPULATION RESEARCH CENTER AT KINDER INSTITUTE FOR URBAN RESEARCH AT RICE UNIVERSITY. 
          AND DR. 
          KINDER WILL SPEAK ON THE CURRENT, UH, KINDER HOUSTON AREA STUDY, UH, THAT MEASURES ATTITUDES, BELIEFS, AND EXPERIENCE OF HOUSTONIANS IN HARRIS FORT BEND IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
          UM, OUR SECOND SPEAKER IS E IS HER MAN IBANEZ, AND HE'S WITH HOUSTON SHADE BRIGADE. 
          THEIR MISSION IS TO HOLD HOUSTON ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE TREE CANOPY AND SHADE EQUITY GOALS, FOSTERING TRANSPARENCY, EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. 
          UM, WE DO HAVE SOME PUBLIC SPEAKERS, BUT WE'LL WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, SO WELCOME DR. POTTER AGAIN. 
          SO LOOKING FORWARD, UH, AS, AS NOTED, WE'RE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE KINDER INSTITUTE HERE IN HOUSTON, AND WHAT A GREAT ASSET FOR OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE CERTAINLY A LOT OF WHAT YOU ALL DO AND WHAT YOUR FEEDBACK IS, IS VERY MUCH, UH, SOME THE DATA DRIVES DECISIONS FOR OUR CITY. 
          AND SO WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL YOU'RE HERE. 
          SO WELCOME. 
          WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          EXCELLENT. 
          WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ONCE AGAIN JOIN YOU ALL, UH, TALKING ABOUT A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT TOPIC TODAY, BUT AGAIN, SORT OF REFLECTING THE RICH DATA THAT WE DO HAVE AVAILABLE ON OUR CITY, ON THE COUNTY, ON THE PLACE WE CALL HOME, AND THE PLACE WE LOVE. 
          UM, AND SO WANTING TO SHARE OUT WITH YOU SOME OF THIS, UH, INFORMATION THAT WE'RE LEARNING SPECIFICALLY AROUND SEVERE WEATHER, IT'S IMPACTS AND RESIDENTS FEELING OF RESILIENCE HERE IN THE HOUSTON AREA. 
          UH, NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, SO, UH, YOU'VE ALL HEARD THIS BEFORE, SO I WILL GO AHEAD AND MOVE PAST OUR MISSION AND VISION AT THE KINDER INSTITUTE, BUT AGAIN, WE ARE HERE TO IMPROVE LIVES THROUGH DATA, RESEARCH, ENGAGEMENT, AND ACTION. 
          UM, AND WE HAVE A VISION OF INCLUSIVE PROSPERITY FOR OUR FUTURE. 
          AGAIN, ENSURING EVERYONE'S TAKING, UH, BOTH SHARING IN AND BENEFITING FROM THE PROSPERITY OF THE HOUSTON AREA. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, WE DO THAT THROUGH THE DIFFERENT FIVE DIFFERENT RESEARCH CENTERS, AGAIN, FOCUSED ON POPULATION EDUCATION, HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS, ECONOMIC MOBILITY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO MAKE SURE THAT THIS RESEARCH IS NOT DONE IN SILOS, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY INTERSECTING ACROSS THESE THINGS BECAUSE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES. 
          AND THOSE SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES REQUIRE US TO DO SYSTEMIC RESEARCH. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO OUR RESEARCH THROUGH IS WHAT WE REFER TO AS A RESEARCH PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP MODEL. 
          WHAT THIS MEANS IS WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN DOING RESEARCH THAT SIMPLY IS DONE TO SIT ON SHELVES, BUT RATHER WE ARE TRYING TO DO RESEARCH THAT IS, UM, IS RESPONSIVE TO INFORMATION THAT OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND THE PUBLIC IS INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT. 
          SOME OF OUR PARTNERS HERE IN THE HOUSTON AREA INCLUDE THE UNITED WAY, MULTIPLE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AS WELL AS HOUSTON HOUSING AUTHORITY AND HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          FOR TODAY'S AGENDA, WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY PANEL. 
          UH, THIS IS THE STUDY THAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW THAT ALLOWS FOR US TO HAVE THIS SURVEY DATA AVAILABLE USING THAT GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY PANEL. 
          WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT RESIDENTS EXPERIENCES, UM, WITH EXTREME WEATHER AND CLIMATE CHANGE. 
          UM, AND WE'RE GOING TO FIND THAT, UH, HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF EXTREME WEATHER. 
          UM, AND THEY ARE EXPECTING EXTREME WEATHER TO HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THEIR PERSONAL LIVES, AS WELL AS THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS TAKE, UH, MORE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS STEPS. 
          SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WE'RE NOT JUST SITTING AROUND WORRIED, WE ARE TAKING ACTION AND SO WE ARE MORE PREPARED THAN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, BUT AT THE EXACT SAME TIME, THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR US TO IMPROVE IN OUR PREPAREDNESS. 
          UM, WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE IMPACTS THAT EXTREME WEATHER HAVE HAD ON PEOPLE'S LIVES. 
          AND THIS IS NOT JUST THAT TREE FALLING ON THE FENCE OR ON THE HOUSE, BUT RATHER THINKING ABOUT ITS IMPACTS ON OUR HEALTH AS WELL AS OUR ECONOMICS AND OUR FINANCES. 
          UM, AND WE'LL BE SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT THAT FOR THE 2024, UM, UH, SEVERE WEATHER THAT WAS PASSING THROUGH LAST YEAR. 
          UM, AND THEN WE ARE GOING TO FINISH TALKING ABOUT RESILIENCE, UM, AND SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT THE DEGREE TO WHICH, UH, HOUSTON DOES CONTINUE TO BOUNCE BACK, BUT THERE IS THIS SORT OF GROWING SENTIMENT OF WE'RE A LITTLE BIT TIRED OF NEEDING TO 
          [00:05:01]
BE HASHTAG HOUSTON STRONG. 
          SO THAT IS OUR AGENDA FOR TODAY. 
          UH, NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO THE GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY PANEL. 
          NEXT SLIDE IS A SURVEY PROJECT THAT IS FOLLOWING MORE THAN 10,000 HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS. 
          THOSE RESIDENTS COME FROM HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY, FORT BEND, AS WELL AS MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
          NOW, WE HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING RESIDENTS IN HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY FOR THE LONGEST TIME. 
          FORT BEN JOINED US IN 2024. 
          MONTGOMERY COUNTY JOINED THIS PROJECT JUST RECENTLY HERE IN 2025. 
          WHAT IS REALLY UNIQUE ABOUT THIS PROJECT IS WE ARE FOLLOWING THE SAME ADULTS OVER TIME, AND WHAT THAT DOES IS IT GIVES US THAT OPPORTUNITY SO THAT IF WE'RE SEEING SOMETHING CHANGE IN OUR DATA, THAT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE, OH, YOU DREW A DIFFERENT SAMPLE OR RANDOM NOISE OR ERROR, BUT THIS IS REFLECTING LEGITIMATE CHANGES IN PEOPLE'S ATTITUDES, CONDITIONS, CIRCUMSTANCES, AND EXPERIENCES. 
          UH, OUR SURVEY IS DONE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. 
          UH, WE DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY, MANY OTHER LANGUAGES IN THE HOUSTON AREA. 
          WE ARE DOING OUR BEST TO MAKE OUR, OUR SURVEYS AS ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH IT. 
          AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE BUILT A PROCESS FOR WITH, FOR WHICH ENGLISH AND SPANISH ARE THE PRIMARY FORMS IN WHICH THE SURVEY IS ADMINISTERED. 
          UM, AND WE ARE ALSO LOOKING TO EXPAND THAT TO MANDARIN VIETNAMESE AS WELL AS ARABIC. 
          UH, AND THEN FINALLY, UH, WE TALK ABOUT HOW WE VALUE HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC. 
          WE, WE, WHEN WE GIVE THESE TYPES OF TALKS, WHETHER IT'S HERE OR ELSEWHERE AROUND THE COMMUNITY, WE VALUE HEARING FROM, UH, RESIDENTS HERE IN THE HOUSTON AREA. 
          WE PUT OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS. 
          WE ARE PUTTING AN INCENTIVE OUT THERE EVERY SINGLE TIME THAT WE ARE ADMINISTERING A SURVEY. 
          THIS IS ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE HAVE THE RESPONSE RATES THAT WE DO, UM, BUT IS ALSO IT ALL, IT MAKES THIS RESEARCH MORE EXPENSIVE TO DO AT THE EXACT SAME TIME. 
          SO, BUT WHEN IT TE ACKNOWLEDGE, WE OFFER THAT INCENTIVE AS WELL WHEN THEY COMPLETE SURVEYS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UTILIZING THE GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY PANEL, WE ARE ABLE TO HEAR FROM RESIDENTS IN THE HOUSTON AREA MULTIPLE TIMES A YEAR. 
          WE ARE ADMINISTERING SURVEYS THREE TO FIVE TIMES. 
          UM, AND THOSE SURVEYS, UM, AGAIN, ARE LOOKING TO GATHER INFORMATION TO BE ABLE TO INFORM PROGRAMS, POLICIES, UH, SUPPORTS AND SERVICES THAT ARE BEING OFFERED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SUCH AS YOU ALL, AS WELL AS BY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND JUST COMMUNITY LEADERS IN GENERAL. 
          UM, YOU CAN SEE IN THE LAST BULLET POINT ON THIS SLIDE, THE SURVEY HAS COVERED A LOT OF DIFFERENT TOPICS RANGING FROM THINGS LIKE MASS ATTITUDES TOWARDS MASS, DEPORTATION, PARKS, AND GREEN SPACE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. 
          WE ARE OF COURSE, GOING TO SPEND THE BULK OF OUR TIME TODAY TALKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND STORM IMPACTS. 
          UM, BUT THROUGH THIS SURVEY WORK, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GATHER A LOT OF INFORMATION ON HOW HOUSTON RESIDENTS ARE LIVING THEIR LIVES HERE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO LET'S START BY TALKING ABOUT HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS CONCERNS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, UM, AND JUST SORT OF AS A SPOILER ALERT, THEY WANNA SEE MORE DONE. 
          UH, SO NEXT SLIDE. 
          WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT RESIDENTS CONCERNS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, WE CAN SIMPLY CLOSE THE BOOK ON THE DEBATE OF WHETHER OR NOT CLIMATE CHANGE IS A THING AND SHIFT GEARS TO STOPPING THE DEBATE AND STARTING THE DOING. 
          60% OF HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. 
          UM, AND THAT IS A WORRY THAT THEY ARE SITTING WITH ON A REGULAR BASIS. 
          UM, WHEN THEY THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THEY WORRIED, THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT 84% OF THEM WORRIED ABOUT NEGATIVE IMPACTS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE AND SEVERE WEATHER IS HAVING ON THEIR OWN PERSONAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING. 
          AND OVER 80% CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT IT IS GOING TO HAVE ON THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE HOUSTON AREA, THE ECONOMY OF THE HOUSTON AREA. 
          AND SO THERE'S WORRY. 
          AND THAT CONCERN IS NOT JUST ABOUT THEMSELVES INDIVIDUALLY, BUT THERE IS A MORE COLLECTIVE CONCERN ABOUT OUR REGION. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          WHEN PEOPLE ARE THINKING, WHAT DO THEY WANT TO SEE DONE? THEY WANT TO SEE MORE DONE, THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE DONE BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT, STATE GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND THEY ALSO WANNA SEE MORE DONE BY BIG BUSINESS. 
          NOW, AT THE EXACT SAME TIME, THIS IS NOT INDIVIDUALS LOOKING AROUND GOING, IT'S ALL YOU ALL, YOU NEED TO BE DOING THIS. 
          THERE IS AN INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY THAT PEOPLE SEE AS WELL. 
          57% OF RESIDENTS, THAT'S NEARLY SIX IN 10 RESIDENTS ALSO REFLECT BACK ON THEMSELVES. 
          I CAN BE DOING MORE TO ADDRESS, UH, THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO THAT IS WHERE WE ARE AT IN TERMS OF THINKING ABOUT, UH, OUR, OUR THOUGHTS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND SEVERE AND EXTREME WEATHER. 
          LET'S THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ACTIONS THAT FOLKS ARE DOING, SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT STUFF LIKE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT STEPS THAT PEOPLE COULD BE TAKING WHEN IT COMES TO DISASTER PREPAREDNESS. 
          UM, WE, UH, THE, UH, FEMA, UH, HAS A LIST OF DIFFERENT, UH, PREPARATION STEPS THAT PEOPLE CAN TAKE. 
          AND WHAT YOU ARE SEEING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SLIDE IS THE HOUSTON AREA, WHICH IS THE DARKER BAR COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE NATION, WHICH IS THE LIGHTER BAR. 
          AND WHAT YOU SEE OVER AND 
          [00:10:01]
OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS THAT RESIDENTS IN THE HOUSTON AREA ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE TAKING PREPARATION STEPS THAN RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. 
          NOW, ON THE ONE HAND, THIS IS GOOD AND IN SOME WAYS REFLECTS THEY SHOULD BE. 
          WE DO KNOW THAT HOUSTON IS PRONE TO ITS OWN FAIR SHARE OF, UH, SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS, EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS, UM, AND ANOTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. 
          UH, WE ALSO CAN CALL ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT NONE OF THESE BARS ARE AT A HUNDRED. 
          NONE OF THESE BARS ARE REALLY EVEN OVER 60. 
          AND SO WE ARE DOING BETTER THAN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR PREPAREDNESS, BUT WE ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR US TO BE GROWING AS IT RELATES TO OUR PREPAREDNESS FOR THE NEXT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, WE ASKED RESIDENTS REFLECTING ON HURRICANE BARREL LAST YEAR, WHAT WERE SOME OF THE SPECIFIC THINGS THAT THEY DID IN PREPARATION FOR THAT STORM? UH, MAKING LANDFALL, MOST COMMONLY RESIDENTS TALKED ABOUT, THEY CHARGED UP THEIR POWER BANKS SUCH AS CHARGING THEIR PHONE OR IF THEY HAD PORTABLE, UH, CHARGERS, THEY WERE CHARGING THOSE ALSO, RESIDENTS WERE TAKING THE PRECAUTION OF MAKING SURE THEY WERE PUTTING FUEL IN THEIR CAR, OR IF THEY HAPPENED TO HAVE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE, THEY WERE GOING AROUND MAKING SURE THAT THAT WAS AT A CHARGE THAT WOULD HELP IT TO, UH, SORT OF, UH, UH, SURVIVE FOR A A LITTLE BIT WITHOUT NECESSARILY HAVING MORE GAS OR MORE ELECTRICITY FOR IT. 
          WHILE THESE WERE THE TWO MOST COMMON, AGAIN, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ACTIONS AND STEPS THAT FEWER THAN 60% OF RESIDENTS HAD TAKEN. 
          AND SO WE ARE LOOKING AT THINGS WHERE PEOPLE ARE TAKING STEPS TO PREPARE, BUT THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY, UM, STEPS BEING TAKEN BY EVERYONE. 
          UM, AND ON THE ONE HAND, WE CAN REFLECT ON SOME OF THESE THINGS. 
          THERE IS A RESOURCE COMPONENT TO THIS, RIGHT? THAT FOR US TO HAVE AN EMERGENCY KIT FOR US TO GO FILL THAT GAS TANK, FOR US TO HAVE THESE OTHER TYPES OF RESOURCES, SOME OF THAT'S GONNA REQUIRE RESOURCES THAT RESIDENTS AROUND HERE ARE NOT ALWAYS HAVING AT THEIR DISPOSAL. 
          THERE ARE ALSO PREPARATION STEPS THAT PEOPLE CAN BE TAKING THAT REALLY DON'T HAVE A COST TO THEM, BUT WE DON'T SEE A TON OF IT TAKING PLACE. 
          AND THERE, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THINGS LIKE PREPARING OUR DOCUMENTATION. 
          WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE FILLING THE WATER, UH, FILLING THE TUB WITH WATER. 
          WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THOSE STEPS THAT DON'T NECESSARILY CARRY AN EXTENSIVE COST TO THEM, CAN BE EXTREMELY BENEFICIAL, UH, FOLLOWING A NATIONAL, A NATURAL DISASTER. 
          UM, BUT THAT WE STILL DON'T SEE A TON OF FOLKS DOING. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, AND SO, UH, DESPITE NOT THAT MANY STEPS BEING TAKEN, WHEN WE ASKED RESIDENTS, OKAY, HOW DID YOU THINK YOU WERE PREPARED? DID YOU FEEL VERY PREPARED OR NOT PREPARED? IN GENERAL, RESIDENTS THOUGHT THAT THEY THEMSELVES WERE PREPARED FOR HURRICANE BARREL. 
          UM, THEY ALSO FELT IN GENERAL THAT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD WAS PREPARED FOR HURRICANE BARREL. 
          WHEN WE ASKED THEM ABOUT HOW THEY FELT THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN PREPARED, STATE GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN PREPARED, AND THEN IN THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMPANIES HAD BEEN PREPARED, YOU SEEK A DIFFERENT STORY. 
          THERE WAS A MUCH, UH, MUCH LESS SENTIMENT, MUCH LESS CONFIDENCE, UM, ABOUT THE PREPAREDNESS OF THESE DIFFERENT ENTITIES. 
          AND AGAIN, THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY AN INDICATION OF WHAT PREPARATION DID TAKE PLACE OR DID NOT TAKE PLACE. 
          THIS IS MERELY REFLECTING WHAT DID RESIDENTS THINK IN TERMS OF THEIR, THE PREPAREDNESS THEY SAW, AGAIN, FROM LOCAL, STATE, AND ELECTRIC UTILITY COMPANIES. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO THAT'S THE PREPAREDNESS PIECE OF IT. 
          WE CAN ALSO LOOK TO SEE WHAT ARE SOME OF THE IMPACTS THAT PEOPLE WERE EXPERIENCING FROM, AGAIN, THIS WEATHER IN 2024. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, IN SHORT, PEOPLE WERE EXPERIENCING A LOT OF IMPACTS. 
          SO WE ASKED ABOUT 11 DIFFERENT IMPACTS THAT PEOPLE COULD HAVE EXPERIENCED. 
          UM, AND WE, WE ASKED ABOUT THESE IMPACTS FROM BOTH SOME OF THOSE, THE, THE LATE APRIL AND EARLY MAY FLOODING THAT WAS TAKING PLACE UP IN NORTHERN HARRIS COUNTY. 
          WE ASKED ABOUT THE DERECHO THAT TOOK PLACE ON MAY 16TH. 
          WE ASKED ABOUT THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THAT TOOK PLACE ON MAY 28TH, AND THEN OF COURSE, FINISHED THAT OFF WITH THE HURRICANE BARREL ON JULY 8TH. 
          AND SO ACROSS THESE DIFFERENT INCIDENTS, WE ASKED ABOUT SOME OF THE, THE DIRECT IMPACTS OF THE STORM ON INDIVIDUALS. 
          AND SO THESE COULD HAVE BEEN THINGS LIKE DAMAGE TO HOME VEHICLE DAMAGE, POWER OUTAGE, WATER LOSS, UTILITY OUTAGE. 
          UM, THERE WERE A VARIETY OF OTHER THINGS ACROSS THESE DIFFERENT STORMS. WE WERE ASKING ABOUT. 
          ON AVERAGE HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS EXPERIENCED FOUR IMPACTS FROM THE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS OF 2024. 
          UM, ONLY 3% OF HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS REPORTED HAVING ZERO DIRECT EFFECTS. 
          AND SO, UM, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SORT OF LOOK AT IT AS CUP HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY PERHAPS. 
          BUT, BUT REGARDLESS OF HOW YOU WANTED TO LOOK AT THOSE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS FROM LAST YEAR, VERY, VERY, VERY FEW RESIDENTS IN THE HOUSTON AREA WERE UNIMPACTED OR UNAFFECTED BY THEM. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, 
          [00:15:01]
THE MOST COMMON IMPACT THAT PEOPLE REPORTED, AND THIS IS OF COURSE NOT SURPRISING FOR US HAVING LIVED THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE LAST YEAR, WAS THE LOSS OF ELECTRICITY MORE THAN NINE IN 10 RESIDENTS LOST ELECTRICITY FOR AT LEAST FOUR HOURS AT SOME POINT DURING BECAUSE OF EXTREME WEATHER. 
          UH, AT SOME POINT DURING THE, UH, 2024 SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS. 
          UM, THAT FOUR HOURS MAY NOT SOUND THAT LONG, BUT IF WE LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, WE WILL SEE THAT FOUR IN 10 RESIDENTS REPORTED LOSING ELECTRICITY FOR FOUR OR MORE DAYS. 
          UH, THE FOUR OR MORE DAYS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT IS THE POINT AT WHICH MOST ANY REFRIGERATOR OR FREEZER HAS LOST ITS ABILITY TO MAINTAIN TEMPERATURES OF FOOD. 
          AND SO THIS IS RESULTING IN A LOT OF FOOD SPOILAGE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND SO WE CAN LOOK AT A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT IMPACTS FROM THE STORM, UH, INCLUDING FOOD SPOILERS, WHICH I THINK WE'LL GET TO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, BUT WE CAN LOOK AT THINGS. 
          OH, SORRY. 
          UM, AWESOME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, SIX IN 10 RESIDENTS REPORTED THAT THEIR SLEEP WAS IMPACTED. 
          I CAN PERSONALLY ATTEST TO THAT HAVING SPENT A FEW NIGHTS ON THE TILE FLOOR IN MY KITCHEN BECAUSE MY HOUSE WAS UPWARDS OF 90 DEGREES. 
          'CAUSE I DID NOT HAVE ELECTRICITY FOR 10 DAYS. 
          UM, SO THAT SLEEP WAS NOT GREAT. 
          UM, BUT THAT WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE THERE. 
          SIX IN 10 RESIDENTS REPORTING THAT THEIR SLEEP HAD BEEN DISRUPTED AND SLEEP WAS SO CRITICAL FOR US TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE. 
          36% OF RESIDENTS TALKING ABOUT THEIR MENTAL HEALTH HAD WORSENED. 
          THIS COULD BE THINGS LIKE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, UH, OTHER TYPES OF THINGS IMPACTED BY SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS. 
          AND SO THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR HEALTH IMPACTS. 
          WAGES, OVER HALF OF HOUSTON AREA WORKERS LOST WAGES DUE TO THE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS. 
          THOSE LOST WAGES COULD HAVE BEEN THAT THEIR HOME WAS DAMAGED, THEIR VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED AND DID NOT ALLOW THEM TO GET INTO WORK. 
          IT COULD ALSO BE THAT THEIR PLACE OF BUSINESS WHERE THEY WENT TO WORK HAD EXPERIENCED ITS OWN DAMAGE, HAD EXPERIENCED ITS OWN POWER OUTAGE, AND SO IT WAS NOT IN A POSITION TO BE ABLE TO OPEN OVER HALF OF WORKERS EXPERIENCED SOME SORT OF IN AN INCOME LOSS DUE TO THE SEVERE WEATHER. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          HERE IS OUR FOOD SPOILAGE. 
          AND AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THAT IDEA, AFTER FOUR DAYS, FOOD REALLY DOES NEED TO SORT OF, UH, BE TOSSED OUT. 
          NEARLY EIGHT IN 10 RESIDENTS REPORTED THROWING AWAY FOOD AT SOME POINT BECAUSE OF PROLONGED POWER OUTAGES. 
          IN 2024, IT WAS ABOUT A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN HALF OF RESIDENTS HAD TO THROW OUT FOOD. 
          UH, FOLLOWING THE APRIL AND MAY SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS, MORE THAN SEVEN IN 10 RESIDENTS HAD TO THROW OUT FOOD FOLLOWING HURRICANE BARREL. 
          UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT HAVING TO THROW OUT THE MILK AND THE EGGS. 
          WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HAVING TO EMPTY OUT THE ENTIRETY OF THE REFRIGERATOR. 
          AND SO WHEN WE ASKED RESIDENTS, HOW MUCH WAS THAT FOOD VALUED AT, UH, THAT YOU HAD TO THROW AWAY, OUR MOST COMMON RESPONSE WAS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 102 HUNDRED $49 AND MORE THAN HALF OF THE FOOD, UH, MORE THAN HALF, UH, OF RESIDENTS WHO HAD TO THROW AWAY FOOD SO THAT IT WAS WORTH OVER $250. 
          AND SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HAVING TO THROW AWAY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FOOD. 
          AND FOR, AGAIN, MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS, WE, WE ARE PERHAPS IN THAT POSITION WHERE WE CAN HOP IN THAT CAR, WE CAN HEAD TO THE HEB, THE KROGER, THE FIESTA, WE CAN GO FILL UP THE CART, FILL UP THE FREEZER, AND WE'RE ON WITH OUR LIVES. 
          WE'RE A LITTLE BIT INCONVENIENCED FOR MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS. 
          THAT'S NOT THE REALITY. 
          COMING, BOUNCING BACK FROM $250 WORTH OF FOOD BEING THROWN OUT IS JUST NOT SOMETHING THEIR BUDGET ALLOWS THEM TO DO. 
          BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY NEED TO FIGURE OUT BECAUSE FOOD IS ESSENTIAL FOR US TO BE SURVIVING. 
          AND SO JUST RECOGNIZING THIS ISN'T SIMPLY A SMALL COST THAT MANY OF US WERE HAVING TO BEAR AS PART OF THAT THROWING AWAY OF FOOD. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE IMPACTS THAT WE WERE SEEING FROM THE STORMS. AGAIN, THOSE DIRECT IMPACTS DAMAGE TO HOME, DAMAGE TO CAR. 
          WE ALSO SAW SOME OF THOSE HEALTH IMPACTS, SOME OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS, IMPACTS TO OUR FOOD AND OUR ABILITY, UM, TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE BASIC NEEDS. 
          SO LET'S LOOK THEN IN THIS RESPONSE AND RECOVERY SPACE. 
          UM, AND SO HERE WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THROUGH THIS SURVEY, WE WERE ABLE TO GO AND WE WERE TALKING WITH RESIDENTS TWO WEEKS AFTER HURRICANE BARREL. 
          UM, AND SO, UH, FOR SOME OF THIS, WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT VERY EARLY RECOVERY PHASE. 
          UM, AND SO I WANNA MAKE THAT CLEAR. 
          WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A PRETTY, YOU KNOW, EARLY ON, UH, YOU KNOW, ABOUT THE FIRST TWO TO FOUR WEEKS WAS WHEN WE WERE TALKING WITH MOST OF OUR RESPONDENTS. 
          UM, SO HOW WERE THEY RECOVERING? UM, AND SO, UH, WE WANTED TO FIRST ASK HOW DID THEY THINK, UH, THE RESPONSE TO HURRICANE BARREL WENT? AND SO ABOUT THREE IN 10 RESIDENTS RATED THE RESPONSE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AS POOR. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, THIS IS NOT AN INDICTMENT OR AN INDICATION OF WHAT WAS OR WAS NOT DONE. 
          THIS IS REFLECTING ONCE AGAIN, THE OPINIONS AND ATTITUDES OF RESIDENTS. 
          UM, THEY HAD EVEN LESS FAVORABLE VIEWS OF THE 
          [00:20:01]
STATE'S RESPONSE TO HURRICANE BARROW. 
          UM, THEY DID HAVE MORE FAVORABLE VIEWS TOWARDS THE RESPONSE THAT WAS BEING DONE BY FIRST RESPONDERS. 
          WE KNOW HFD AND HPD WERE OUT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS, UM, AS WELL AS THE LINE CREW THAT WAS COMING IN TO HELP TO TRY TO RESTORE ELECTRICITY. 
          UM, AND SO YOU CAN SORT OF SEE WHERE RESIDENTS WERE FEELING THAT THERE, THEY WERE SATISFIED WITH WHAT WAS HAPPENING POST STORM AND THEY WERE LESS THAN SATISFIED WITH WHAT WAS HAPPENING POST STORM. 
          UH, NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, WHEN WE ASKED RESIDENTS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAD BEEN ABLE TO GET BACK TO NORMAL, UM, MOST RESIDENTS WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF HURRICANE BARREL WERE BACK TO NORMAL, HOWEVER, ABOUT A QUARTER WERE NOT. 
          AND THIS ABSOLUTELY DIFFERED BY INCOME. 
          AND SO ONE THIRD OF HOUSEHOLDS THAT WERE MAKING LESS THAN $25,000 A YEAR, ONE THIRD OF THOSE OF THOSE HOUSEHOLDS HAD STILL NOT BOUNCED BACK TWO WEEKS AFTER HURRICANE BARROW. 
          YOU CAN COMPARE THAT TO ABOUT ONE IN 10 HOUSEHOLDS MAKING OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, UH, THAT WERE STILL SAYING THAT THEIR LIFE WAS DISRUPTED. 
          UM, IT IS WORTH NOTING THIS IS NOT REFLECTIVE OF HURRICANE BARREL HAVING DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED LOWER INCOME OR HIGHER INCOME. 
          UH, THESE MODELS ARE NET OF THE IMPACT OF HURRICANES, UH, HURRICANE BARREL'S, DIRECT IMPACTS ON HOUSEHOLD, ON ON THE HOUSEHOLD. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, WHEN, UM, WE WERE ASKING ABOUT SOME OF THE, UH, CONCERNS RESIDENTS HAD WITH THE FORTHCOMING RECOVERY, UH, WE HEARD FROM RESIDENTS, UH, UH, TWO AND THREE WERE CONCERNED, UH, THAT THEY WERE, UH, GONNA BE UNABLE TO PAY FOR BASIC NECESSITIES. 
          AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT THE COSTS AND THE IMPACTS OF BARREL, UM, WHAT THAT MEANT FOR THEIR ABILITY TO PAY THE RENT, TO PAY THE UTILITIES TO, TO PAY THE GROCERIES, UH, IN THE MONTHS AHEAD, TWO AND THREE SAID THAT THEY WERE WORRIED. 
          THEY, THEY, UH, ANTICIPATED THAT IT WAS GOING TO MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT, UH, TO PAY FOR THOSE BASIC NECESSITIES. 
          UH, UM, A QUARTER, ALMOST A QUARTER, 23% OF RESIDENTS, UH, WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. 
          AND SO AGAIN, HURRICANE BARREL CAME THROUGH, DROPPED TREES ON FENCES, ON HOUSES, ON CARS IN THE ROADWAY, A VARIETY OF OTHER DAMAGES CAUSED BY THAT HIGH WIND AS WELL. 
          A QUARTER OF RESIDENTS WERE CONCERNED, UH, SAYING THAT IT WOULD BE VERY OR EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PAY FOR THOSE REPAIRS THAT WERE BEING DONE. 
          UM, AND ALMOST 80%, SO EIGHT IN 10 RESIDENTS SAID THAT DURING, BECAUSE OF HURRICANE BARREL, THERE HAD BEEN ADDITIONAL EXPENSES THAT HAVE BEEN ACCRUED. 
          AND SO THIS WOULD BE PEOPLE THAT RATHER THAN SLEEPING ON THE TILE FLOOR IN THEIR KITCHEN, MAY HAVE OPTED FOR A HOTEL ROOM, MAY HAVE OPTED TO HOP IN THE CAR AND DRIVE FOR HUNDREDS OF MILES TO A, A FAMILY'S HOUSE, A FRIEND'S HOUSE THAT HAD ELECTRICITY TO BE ABLE TO GET AWAY FROM IT. 
          THERE WERE ADDED EXPENSES THAT WENT INTO THAT. 
          UM, AND SO 80% OF FOLKS ACCRUED, UM, THOSE ADDITIONAL EXPENSES. 
          AND OF THOSE WHO DID ACCRUE THOSE ADDITIONAL EXPENSES, THREE QUARTERS OF THEM SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE AT LEAST MODERATELY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO PAY THEM OFF. 
          SO AGAIN, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING ADDITIONAL EXPENSES AND THOSE FOLKS CONCERNED ABOUT THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR THOSE ADDITIONAL COSTS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          NOW I'M TELLING YOU, AND I'M DESCRIBING TO YOU SOME OF THE CHALLENGES, AND WE OBVIOUSLY KNOW THOSE CHALLENGES AND MAY HAVE LIVED THEM PERSONALLY DURING THE STORM. 
          WE CAN ALSO LOOK AT THE WAYS IN WHICH THE STORM AND THE WAY IN WHICH COMMUNITIES RESPONDED TO THE STORM MAY HAVE HAD POSITIVE BENEFITS FOR THE HOUSTON AREA AS WELL. 
          NEARLY EIGHT IN 10 RESIDENTS REPORTED HAVING EITHER HELPED SOMEONE RECEIVED HELP FROM SOMEONE OR SAW SOMEONE HELPING ONE OF THEIR NEIGHBORS. 
          IN OTHER WORDS, THEY WATCHED AS THAT COMMUNITY THEY EITHER PARTICIPATED IN OR WATCHED AS THAT COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER. 
          FOR THOSE FOLKS THAT WERE EXPERIENCING THAT KIND OF HELP, UH, OVER HALF OF THEM SAID THAT THEY HAD BECOME, THEY WERE FEELING MORE CONNECTED TO THEIR NEIGHBORS. 
          SO AGAIN, SORT OF GROWING IN SOLIDARITY WITH THEIR COMMUNITY, UH, AND NOT JUST FEELING CONNECTED TO NEIGHBORS, BUT A THIRD OF RESIDENTS WHO WERE EXPERIENCING THAT KIND OF HELP SO THAT THEY ACTUALLY SAW THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AS STRONGER FOLLOWING THE STORM THAN THEY DID BEFOREHAND. 
          AND AGAIN, IT JUST SORT OF SPEAKS TO THE WAY IN WHICH AS A COMMUNITY, WHEN HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS COME TOGETHER, THEY HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO BOTH HELP ONE ANOTHER AND THEN BENEFIT FROM THAT HELP IN A LONGER TERM WAY. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND SO, SHIFTING OUT OF THAT RESPONSE AND RECOVERY SPACE TO NOW LOOKING AT RESILIENCE AND THE FUTURE, NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO RESIDENTS WERE FEELING CONFIDENT THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO RECOVER FROM HURRICANE BARREL. 
          AGAIN, THIS SORT OF, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH ALL OF THIS OTHER EVIDENCE IN MIND THAT WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING 
          [00:25:01]
AT WHEN ASKING RESIDENTS, DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO RECOVER FROM HURRICANE BARROW? OVER 70% OF RESIDENTS SAYING THAT THEY WERE VERY CONFIDENT THAT YES, THEY, THEIR HOUSEHOLD WOULD BE ABLE TO RECOVER. 
          THEY WERE A LITTLE BIT LESS CONFIDENT, BUT STILL PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD BE ABLE TO RECOVER ABOUT 62%, FEELING THAT VERY OR EXTREMELY CONFIDENT. 
          BUT THEN WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA AND WHETHER WE WOULD BE ABLE TO FULLY RECOVER FROM HURRICANE BARREL, YOU SEE A VERY NOTABLE DIP DOWN TO ALMOST ABOUT 40% OF RESIDENTS SAYING THAT THEY JUST, THAT THEY WERE FEELING VERY OR EXTREMELY CONFIDENT. 
          AND SO RESIDENTS FEELING OKAY ABOUT THEMSELVES, BUT WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AROUND, SORT OF HUNG UP IN THAT SPACE OF THINKING ABOUT HOW ARE WE AS AN AREA GOING TO BOUNCE BACK BEYOND JUST ASKING ABOUT HURRICANE BARREL. 
          WE ALSO ASKED RESIDENTS THOUGH, SO, AND AGAIN, WE WERE ASKING THIS IN JULY, WELL, WHAT IF ANOTHER STORM COMES THROUGH HOUSTON NEXT YEAR? HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOUR ABILITY TO RECOVER FROM AN ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER EVENT? NOW WE OF COURSE, ARE FORTUNATE ENOUGH, IN RETROSPECT, WE CAN SAY HOUSTON REALLY DID NOT HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL SEVERE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS IN 2024. 
          BUT WHEN RESIDENTS WERE REFLECTING ON HOW WELL THEY THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO RECOVER, WHAT YOU SEE IS A, A, AN ABSOLUTE DECLINE IN THAT CONFIDENCE TO BE ABLE TO BOUNCE BACK AGAIN. 
          AND SO WHEN ASKED ABOUT THEIR OWN HOUSEHOLD, UH, RECOVERING FROM AN ADDITIONAL STORM IN 2024, YOU SEE LESS THAN HALF FEELING VERY OR EXTREMELY CONFIDENT THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO BOUNCE BACK SLIGHTLY LESS THAN, YOU KNOW, JUST UNDER 40%, FEELING THAT WAY ABOUT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          AND THEN AGAIN, YOU SEE ONLY ABOUT A QUARTER OF RESIDENTS FEELING VERY OR EXTREMELY CONFIDENT THAT THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA WAS GONNA BE ABLE TO BOUNCE BACK, WERE IT TO HAVE BEEN HIT BY ANOTHER STORM LAST YEAR. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          IN REFLECTING ON SORT OF THAT MOVEMENT FROM THE STORMS, ITS IMPACTS RECOVERY AND OKAY, WHAT ARE WE DOING NEXT? BECAUSE AS WE KNOW, IT IS NOT A QUESTION OF IF, BUT WHEN THE NEXT STORM IS COMING THROUGH. 
          IN GENERAL, RESIDENTS DID TRUST THAT LOCAL OFFICIALS WERE GOING TO PREPARE EFFECTIVELY FOR FUTURE STORMS. WHEN ASKED ABOUT STATE OFFICIALS AND ELECTRIC UTILITY COMPANIES, THEY WERE LESS CONFIDENT. 
          SO WHEN ASKED, DO YOU TRUST THAT STATE OFFICIALS ARE DOING WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO PREPARE EFFECTIVELY FOR FUTURE STORMS? ONLY ABOUT A THIRD OF RESIDENTS SAID THAT THEY DID. 
          AND THEN WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMPANIES, ONLY ABOUT ONE IN FIVE 19% SAID THAT THEY TRUSTED THAT THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMPANIES WERE PREPARING EFFECTIVELY FOR THE FUTURE. 
          SO AGAIN, THEY'RE LOOKING AT YOU ALL AND THEY'RE SAYING, WE ARE TRUSTING THAT OUR LOCAL LEADERS ARE TAKING THE STEPS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE READY FOR THE NEXT STORM. 
          UM, BUT WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, OTHER ENTITIES, THAT CONFIDENCE IS NOT QUITE THERE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS IS, OF COURSE, RESIDENTS ARE THINKING ABOUT LEAVING RESIDENTS, UH, GROW TIRED OF HAVING TO BOUNCE BACK. 
          UM, AND SO, UH, WE ASKED, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF THE SEVERE WEATHER THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING, UM, ARE YOU CONSIDERING LEAVING THE HOUSTON AREA MOVING AWAY? AND FOUR IN 10 RESIDENTS SAID THAT, YES, THEY WERE CONSIDERING MOVING OUT OF THE HOUSTON AREA ENTIRELY DUE TO THE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS THAT WERE HAPPENING. 
          NOW, OF COURSE, I DON'T NEED TO TELL YOU WE HAVE NOT SEEN A 40% DECLINE IN OUR POPULATION. 
          SO OF COURSE THIS SENTIMENT DOES NOT NECESSARILY ALWAYS TRANSLATE TO ACTION, BUT IT AGAIN SPEAKS TO THIS PSYCHOLOGY, TO THE MENTALITY, UH, TO THE RESILIENCE THAT PEOPLE MAY BE FEELING IN THE FACE OF THE UPCOMING HURRICANE SEASON THAT WE ARE SETTING OFF ON RIGHT NOW. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF INFORMATION SHARED, AND SO LET ME TRY TO DISTILL THIS DOWN FOR YOU HERE IN A COUPLE OF BULLETS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ONE, UH, UH, WHEN IT, WE THINK ABOUT PREPARATION, THE HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS ARE MORE PREPARED THAN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. 
          THIS IS GOOD, BUT THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN OUR PREPAREDNESS. 
          PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES CAN BE TARGETED TO HELP SUPPORT PREPARATION AND THAT THESE CAN BE PARTICULARLY BENEFICIAL FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE PERHAPS LOWER EARNERS DUE TO SOME OF THE COST THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH ACQUIRING THINGS SUCH AS NON-PERISHABLE FOOD BATTERIES, AS WELL AS SOLAR TECHNOLOGY. 
          UM, WE HAVE TO ALSO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE PREPARATION IS NOT GONNA STOP THAT NEXT STORM FROM HAPPENING. 
          WE ALL KNOW THAT, BUT IT IS A THING THAT WE CAN BE DOING PROACTIVELY IN ORDER TO HELP INDIVIDUALS, NEIGHBORHOODS, AS WELL AS THE BROADER HOUSTON COMMUNITY BOUNCE BACK WHEN THAT NEXT STORM DOES HAPPEN. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          WHEN WE THINK ABOUT STORM IMPACTS, SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS IN 2024 IMPACTED PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE IN THE HOUSTON AREA. 
          UM, MOST COMMONLY THIS WAS SEEN IN POWER OUTAGES. 
          THIS 
          [00:30:01]
WAS PARTICULARLY IMPACTFUL, UM, BECAUSE IT WAS HAVING CONSEQUENCES, ESPECIALLY THE PROLONGED POWER OUTAGES BECAUSE OF ITS CONSEQUENCES ON HEALTH AS WELL AS PEOPLE'S FINANCES AND THE ACCRUAL OF, UH, OF ADDITIONAL EXPENSES. 
          THIS IS PARTICULARLY NOTEWORTHY WITHIN THE REALM OF THROWING AWAY FOOD AND AGAIN, EIGHT IN 10 RESIDENTS THROWING AWAY FOOD BECAUSE OF THOSE PROLONGED POWER OUTAGES. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          AS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT RESPONSE AND RECOVERY, UM, RESPONDENTS WERE NOT RECOVERED. 
          I'M SORRY, RESIDENTS WERE NOT RECOVERED. 
          UH, LEMME TRY THAT ONE MORE TIME. 
          RESIDENTS WERE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE RESPONSE TO HURRICANE BARREL. 
          MANY RESIDENTS HELPED ONE ANOTHER IN THE IMMEDIACY OF THE STORM, AND THROUGH THAT, HELPING DID FIND THEMSELVES FEELING CLOSER TO THEIR NEIGHBORS AS WELL AS STRONGER AS A COMMUNITY. 
          SO AGAIN, WE CAN LOOK AT SOME OF THE POSITIVES, PERHAPS SILVER LINING THAT IT MAY BE, UM, AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS. 
          UM, THE COSTS THAT FOLKS, UH, TOOK ON, AND AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT HOTELS, REPLACING THOSE GROCERIES, UH, FOLKS THAT WERE OUT THERE BUYING BATTERIES, GENERATORS, OTHER DIFFERENT THINGS, UH, UH, RESIDENTS SAW THAT AS INFRINGING UPON THEIR ABILITY, UH, MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT TO COVER THE COST FOR BASIC NECESSITIES, UM, AS WELL AS OTHER STORM RELATED, UH, UH, AND OR JUST PAYING OFF OTHER STORM RELATED BILLS, IT WAS GONNA BE DIFFICULT. 
          UM, RECOVERY WAS RELATED TO INCOME. 
          SO YOU SAW ALREADY WITHIN THOSE FIRST TWO WEEKS, A THIRD OF RESIDENTS MAKING LESS THAN 25,000 WERE STILL GETTING BACK TO NORMAL, WHILE ONLY ONE IN 10 RESIDENTS MAKING OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, RESILIENCE OF RESIDENTS, UM, RESIDENTS WERE CONFIDENT THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO RECOVER FROM HURRICANE BARREL. 
          THERE WAS LESS CONFIDENCE WHEN THEY REFLECTED ON THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA, UH, AND AGAIN, RECOGNIZING THAT, UH, THEIR, UH, CONFIDENCE FROM BARRELL WAS MUCH, UH, WAS LOWERED, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY WHEN ASKED ABOUT ADDITIONAL STORMS. AND SO THINKING ABOUT FUTURE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS AND ITS IMPACTS, UM, THERE WAS A GREAT CONCERN THAT BOTH THEMSELVES AS WELL AS THE BROADER HOUSTON AREA WOULD NOT RECOVER. 
          UM, AND SO IN GENERAL, YOU CAN KIND OF SUMMARIZE THIS AS HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS ARE READY TO NOT NEED TO BE HASHTAG HOUSTON STRONG. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          THE RESEARCH THAT'S BEEN SHARED WITHOUT, UH, SHARED WITH YOU TODAY, UH, SHOWS UP IN A VARIETY OF OUR OTHER DIFFERENT STUDIES. 
          ALL OF OUR RESEARCHERS AVAILABLE FOR FREE ONLINE@KINDER.RICE.EDU. 
          UM, THESE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF THE, UH, COVERS OF SOME OF THE RESEARCH THAT HAS BEEN RELEASED THERE. 
          UM, AND SO PLEASE CHECK THAT OUT IF YOU WANNA HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL DETAILS THAT WERE NOT SHARED OUT HERE TODAY. 
          AND THEN NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, I WELCOME QUESTIONS AND HERE'S MY CONTACT INFORMATION. 
          WOW, WHAT A GREAT PRESENTATION. 
          A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION. 
          THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE. 
          UM, UH, YOU SUMMED IT UP VERY WELL. 
          WHAT, UM, I THINK WE KNOW A LOT OF, BUT YOU KNOW, A WHOLE LOT MORE ABOUT, UM, ONE OF, IN THE MEANTIME, WELCOME VICE CHAIR ABBY ABBY CAYMAN, WHO IS LISTENING ONLINE AS WELL AS STAFF MEMBERS FROM MARIO CASTILLO, JOAQUIN MARTINEZ, UH, MARTHA CASTEX TATUM AND LETICIA PLUMMER'S OFFICES, AS WELL AS TARSHA JACKSON. 
          SORRY, YOU JUST SHOWED UP. 
          ASHA JACKSON'S OFFICE. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          UM, JUST A COUPLE OF COMMENTS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU STARTED OFF WITH THE HOUSTON STRONG LAST YEAR, I HEARD SOMEBODY SAY, YEAH, BUT WE'RE HOUSTON TIRED. 
          AND I, I THINK REALLY HOUSTON'S ALWAYS GONNA STAND UP AND SHOW UP AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER, BUT WE'RE WE'RE HOUSTON WEARY. 
          YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE ALL WEARY OF WHAT NEXT AND, AND SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, ON YOUR SURVEYS, WHICH I YESTERDAY, OR I GUESS IT WASN'T YESTERDAY, IT SEEMS LIKE A LIFETIME AGO, LISTENING TO, UM, YOU ON THE 2 CENTS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN'S 2 CENTS BUDGET, YOUR BUDGET 2 CENTS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE HOW CAN WE GET TO MORE PEOPLE TO SURVEY WAS MY FIRST, AND YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS THINK OF CRAZY IDEAS SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, CAN WE PARTNER WITH 3 1 1 OR CELL SERVICE PROVIDERS OR VOTER REGISTRATION OR MEDIA OUTLETS BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH, I THINK IT'S SUCH CRITICAL INFORMATION AND INPUT THAT IS SO NECESSARY NOT ONLY ON OUR CITY BUDGET, BUT ON THIS, THIS INFORMATION. 
          AND THE MORE WHO WEIGH IN, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU START TO LOOK DOWN AND YOU SAY, OKAY, LOOK DOWN THE PATH OF, YOU KNOW, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF, AND, YOU KNOW, AND WHERE COULD WE DRILL DOWN AND FOCUS ON THOSE AREAS? AND CERTAINLY, UM, THE SURVEYS YOU ALL DO IS JUST REALLY GREAT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER WE CAN HELP TO GET THE INFORMATION OUT, I THINK EVERYONE AROUND WOULD BE ON BOARD WITH THAT. 
          UM, BUT, UH, JUST REALLY THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND, UM, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE AND, AND I'VE GOT PLENTY OF QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL LET THEM GO AHEAD AND GO FIRST. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          THANKS, DAN. 
          GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, AND GREAT INFORMATION. 
          AND I DO TAKE SOME COMFORT THAT PEOPLE THINK LOCAL GOVERNMENT'S A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, BETTER THAN  THE STATE ON THESE THINGS AND CERTAINLY THAN THE ELECTRIC COMPANIES. 
          I THINK, UH, THAT ALL YOUR INFORMATION BORE OUT 
          [00:35:01]
THAT THAT WAS REALLY WHERE PEOPLE'S ANXIETY IS MOST WITH, WITH THE ELECTRIC COMPANIES. 
          AND WE'VE SEEN A LOT MORE INVESTMENTS, UM, OR HAVE BEEN TOLD ABOUT A LOT MORE INVESTMENTS IN VEGETATION, UM, REMOVAL AND EVERYTHING THAT'S GONNA BE DONE TO, AND WE'RE CERTAINLY LOOKING AT PROVIDING MORE GENERATION GENER, GENERATORS ALL OVER THE PLACE FOR, FOR PEOPLE. 
          SO WE ALL LEARNED A LOT OF LESSONS FROM, FROM THIS, BUT IT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO HAVE KIND OF THE, THE PULSE OF THE COMMUNITY ON THE COMMUNITY PANEL. 
          IS THAT DIFFERENT THAN YOUR OTHER SURVEY? I MEAN, IT'S NOT PART OF YOUR HOUSTON AREA, IT'S NOT PART OF THE BIG SURVEY. 
          IS IT THE SAME GROUP? I'M, I'M CONFUSED. 
          YEP, IT'S THE SAME GROUP. 
          OKAY. 
          SAME GROUP. 
          SAME GROUP. 
          SO THE HU THE COMMUNITY PANEL'S THE SAME GROUP ALL ACROSS THE BOARD. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          OH, SORRY. 
          HOW IS IT DESIGNED? I MEAN, HOW DO Y'ALL, I KNOW IT'S ALL SCIENTIFIC AND YOU MAKE SURE IT'S A GREAT CROSS SECTION, BUT CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW YOU PICK THE 10,000 PEOPLE? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          SO WE ARE STARTING OFF WITH AN ADDRESS BASED SAMPLE. 
          SO WE ARE NOT THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF THOSE ONLINE PANELS THAT ARE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW, AND THEY'RE USUALLY EITHER BASED OFF OF VOTER ROLES OR THEY'RE BASED OFF OF WHO SIGNS UP FOR THEM. 
          AND YOU CAN ACCESS A LOT OF DIFFERENT VOICES THAT WAY. 
          UM, BUT THERE ARE ALSO KEY VOICES THAT GET MISSED WHEN YOU START OUT WITH AN ONLINE PANEL. 
          AND SO, UH, WE ARE INVITING PEOPLE TO AN ONLINE SURVEY, BUT WE ARE STARTING IN THE MAIL, SO WE ARE SELECTING ADDRESSES OKAY. 
          FROM ALL OF THE DIFFERENT RESIDENTS IN THE HOUSTON AREA. 
          UM, WE WORK WITH A COMPANY THAT HAS A LITTLE BIT OF PROPRIETARY INFORMATION, SO I DON'T HAVE ALL THE SURE SECRET SAUCE INVOLVED. 
          SURE. 
          BUT YOU ESSENTIALLY START WITH USPS DELIVERY ADDRESSES. 
          YOU LAYER ON TOP OF THAT AMAZON, YOU LAYER ON TOP OF THAT OTHER DIFFERENT DELIVERY, UH, MECHANISMS. UM, AND BY DOING SO, YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY IDENTIFYING WHERE ARE THERE PEOPLE IN THE HOUSTON AREA. 
          UM, AND FROM THERE WE'RE GOING THROUGH AND WE'RE DRAWING OUR SAMPLE NOW WE ARE OVERSAMPLING ADDRESSES IN, UM, AREAS, UH, BASED ON THE PROPORTION OF NON-WHITE RESIDENTS AND MM-HMM . 
          AND THAT IS BECAUSE NON-WHITE RESIDENTS, UM, ARE A LITTLE BIT OF A HARDER TO REACH POPULATION. 
          AND BECAUSE OF HOW DIVERSE THE HOUSTON AREA IS, THEY ARE A CRITICAL PIECE RIGHT, OF OUR SAMPLE. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND WE MUST HAVE THEIR VOICES INCLUDED. 
          AND SO WE'RE OVERSAMPLING THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR NUMBERS ARE REFLECTIVE AND REPRESENTATIVE OF THE WHOLE DIVERSITY OF THE HOUSTON AREA POPULATION. 
          OKAY, KEEP GOING. 
          NO. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          . 
          UM, AND, UH, AND THEN WE'RE, UH, UH, INVITING THEM TO DO THE SURVEY AND THAT SURVEY IS HOUSED ONLINE. 
          UM, LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, ENGLISH AND SPANISH ARE THE LANGUAGES THAT WE HAVE. 
          AND YOU FOLLOW THE SAME PEOPLE TH THROUGH. 
          CORRECT. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF YOUR DEAL. 
          OKAY. 
          AND, AND, UH, BACK TO THE HURRICANE STUFF. 
          SO H HOW CAN, HOW DO YOU FEEL LIKE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAN DO A BETTER, DO DO A JOB TO IMPROVE PEOPLE'S ATTITUDES ABOUT OUR RESPONSE? I MEAN, WE HAVE NUMEROUS DISASTER RE PREPAREDNESS, YOU KNOW, SEMINARS, WE BRING KITS EVERYWHERE WE GO. 
          I KNOW EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER'S PRETTY ENGAGED IN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR, BUT WE WANNA BRING THOSE NUMBERS UP. 
          WE WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL LIKE WE ARE BETTER PREPARED. 
          UM, WE CERTAINLY HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS AT THE BUDGET YESTERDAY ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE'RE, WE'RE WE PUT ASIDE FOR DISASTER. 
          SO THAT'S PART OF IT. 
          BUT ANY, ANY HELPFUL HINTS THERE? I THINK PART OF IT IS A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING THE CONSTRAINTS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT HERE IN TEXAS THAT FOR A LOT OF RESIDENTS, THEY ARE NOT FROM HERE. 
          THEY HAVE MOVED IN TO THE HOUSTON AREA AND MAY COME FROM PLACES WHERE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FEELS AND OR OPERATES IN A LITTLE BIT MORE OF AN INDEPENDENT CAPACITY. 
          MM. 
          SO THERE'S A DISASTER COMING, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO? MM-HMM . 
          AND IT'S ALL OF A SUDDEN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT. 
          AND IN THE TEXAS CONTEXT, IT JUST DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, THE STATE SETS SO MANY REGULATIONS ABOUT WHAT CAN DISASTER RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS LOOK LIKE, AND, UM, UNFORTUNATELY HOUSTON OFTENTIMES HAS A TARGET ON IT, UM, WITH OUR, UH, STATE CURRENTLY. 
          UM, AND SO THERE IS I THINK A DEGREE OF PERHAPS MISPLACED OKAY. 
          FRUSTRATIONS. 
          YEAH. 
          I THINK THAT IT IS, UM, EVEN IF IT'S MISPLACED, HOWEVER, I DO THINK THAT WE CAN STILL HEAR IT AS RESIDENTS LOOKING FOR MORE, THEY WANT MORE. 
          YEAH. 
          AND, AND SO YOU MENTIONED THE GENERATORS. 
          THAT IS ONE OF THOSE KEY THINGS THINKING ABOUT, WE'VE GOT SOME OF THESE MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS MM-HMM . 
          LOCATED IN NUMEROUS COMMUNITIES AROUND THE AREA. 
          HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE THAT THOSE ARE APPROPRIATELY RESOURCED AND STAFFED 
          [00:40:01]
SO THAT THEY CAN BECOME A COMMUNITY HUB FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE, IN THE AFTERMATH, RIGHT. 
          IN THE FACE OF DISASTER. 
          UM, AND I THINK ANOTHER PART OF IT IS JUST RECOGNIZING THAT, UM, SOMETIMES, UM, FIGURING OUT HOW DO WE MAKE CLEAR WHERE OUR JURISDICTION BEGINS AND ENDS. 
          GOT IT. 
          UM, YEAH, WE DO GET CRITICIZED ABOUT NOT HAVING APPROPRIATE RESOURCES IN CERTAIN PARTS OF TOWN AND, AND WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING TO DO A BETTER JOB THERE TOO. 
          BUT THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT AND THANKS FOR THIS STUDY. 
          VERY INTERESTING. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY TO, UH, PIGGYBACK ON COUNCILMAN BOURN, YOU KNOW, WE START SELLING CHRISTMAS IN JULY AND IT'S, I THINK, ESSENTIAL FOR HOUSTONIANS IN GENERAL TO THINK ABOUT PREPAREDNESS YEAR ROUND, BECAUSE IF NOT A HURRICANE, THEN A WINTER FREEZE. 
          AND I THINK WE FOCUS ON, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU START THINKING BACK, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT MEDIA COVERAGE AND THE MEDIA, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE PAST 30 DAYS HAS STARTED TALKING ABOUT HURRICANE SEASON, RIGHT? BUT I THINK AS HOUSTONIANS, WE KNOW THAT THE NEXT STORM IS COMING, WE'RE JUST NOT REALLY SURE WHAT IT'S GONNA BE. 
          IS IT WIND? IS IT RAIN? IS IT HAIL? WE'RE GONNA FREEZE. 
          AND CERTAINLY I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT WE JUST, IT'S, IT SHOULD BE PART OF OUR CONVERSATION, NOT JUST LET'S PREPARE NOW. 
          LET'S ALWAYS BE PREPARED. 
          A GOOD GIRL SCOUT. 
          I THINK, UM, VICE, UH, CHAIR CAYMAN IS IN THE QUEUE. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          THANKS SO MUCH, DAN. 
          THIS IS A REALLY GREAT PRESENTATION, UH, AND JUST REALLY INCREDIBLE RESEARCH ON THE KINDER INSTITUTE'S PART. 
          UM, AND THE COUNCIL MEMBER IS IN FULL AGREEMENT THAT WE ARE PAST THE POINT OF DEBATING CLIMATE CHANGE HERE IN HOUSTON. 
          IT'S TIME FOR SIGNIFICANT ACTION. 
          UH, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ON THE STUDY. 
          BASED ON THE STUDIES THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING, HAVE YOU NOTICED A SHIFT THIS PAST YEAR 2024 WITH THE THREE STORMS IN TERMS OF OPINIONS, LIKE WHETHER THAT'S WHO THEY TRUST MORE OR LESS THE CONSIDERATION OF LEAVING THE CITY WAS THIS PAST YEAR LIKE A BREAKING POINT FOR ANYONE? SO WE WERE WONDERING THAT EXACT QUESTION. 
          AND SO ON THE KINDER HOUSTON AREA SURVEY, WHICH WE WERE HERE EARLIER THIS WEEK TO PRESENT ON, WE, WE, WE RE-ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT LEAVING TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THERE HAD BEEN KIND OF A COOLING OFF OF ATTITUDES. 
          AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW WAS THERE WAS A DROP, BUT IT WASN'T, IT WASN'T A A HAVING A HAL OF, THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT WORD. 
          IT DIDN'T CUT IN HALF . 
          UM, IT WENT FROM ABOUT 40% TO ABOUT 36%. 
          UM, AND SO SORT OF SIGNALING THAT THERE CONTINUES TO BE THIS UNEASINESS AMONG HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS. 
          UM, WE, UM, UH, HAD IN ADVANCE OF THE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS IN 2024, WE HAD ASKED RESIDENTS A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT, THIS IS WHERE THE CLIMATE CHANGE QUESTIONS CAME FROM. 
          THIS IS WHERE THE WORRY ABOUT THE IMPACTS. 
          AND SO THAT 60% NUMBER WAS COMING FROM A SURVEY THAT WAS DONE BACK IN JANUARY OF 2024. 
          AND SO WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SEEING CONCERN EXISTING PRIOR TO THOSE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS. 
          AND WHILE THEY ALMOST CERTAINLY DID NOTHING TO IMPROVE ON THAT WORRY, I THINK IT AGAIN, JUST SORT OF REITERATES, PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THIS IS AN AREA FOR DISASTER. 
          AND I THINK AS WAS MENTIONED, INCREASINGLY BECOMING AWARE THAT IT IS A 12 MONTH DISASTER AREA MM-HMM . 
          UM, THAT IT'S VERY UNSETTLING TO SOME EXTENT. 
          BUT I THINK IT ALL JUST SPEAKS ABOUT THE WAY TO WHICH NORMALIZING THAT KIND OF A CONVERSATION GIVES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO NOT NECESSARILY FREAK OUT IN THE FACE OF THAT DISCUSSION, BUT RATHER TO BECOME MUCH MORE PRAGMATIC AND PLANNING AND INTENTIONAL AND HOW ARE WE SETTING OURSELVES UP KNOWING THAT IT'S ON ITS WAY TO BE ABLE TO BOUNCE BACK FROM IT. 
          AND I THINK THAT THAT'S AN INDIVIDUAL, HOW ARE WE SETTING OURSELVES UP? AND IT ALSO SORT OF BECOMES THAT MORE, YOU KNOW, GOVERNMENTAL WIDE, HOW ARE WE AS A MM-HMM . 
          COMMUNITY SETTING OURSELVES UP. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UM, IS KINDER LOOKING AT OTHER CITY MODELS AS TO WHAT HOUSTON COULD BE DOING OR HOW WE COULD BE MODIFYING THAT. 
          SO WE WERE EXPLORING THE WAYS IN WHICH THE HOUSTON AREA HA RESPONDED TO NATURAL DISASTERS RELATIVE TO OTHER SPACES AROUND THE COUNTRY. 
          AND THAT IS WHERE WE JUST KEPT BUMPING INTO THIS TEXAS MODEL THAT, THAT THE ABILITY FOR HOUSTON TO UNILATERALLY TAKE ACTION AS IT RELATES TO, UH, STORM. 
          UH, I GUESS THIS IS REALLY SORT OF LIKE IN THE, IN THE IMMEDIACY OF THE STORM, THERE'S ALWAYS STUFF I SUPPOSE WE COULD BE DOING MORE OF IN THE PREPARATION PIECE, BUT AT SOME POINT THOSE BECOME UNFUNDED MANDATES, RIGHT? AND SO IT'S FIGURING OUT THAT BALANCE BETWEEN WHAT IS THE ROLE THAT THE STATE NEEDS TO BE ASKED TO PLAY. 
          UM, AND HERE YOU CAN THINK ABOUT LIKE THE VEGETATION ENFOR, UM, 
          [00:45:01]
UH, WHAT'S THE RIGHT PHRASING? VEGETATION REMEDIATION ENFORCEMENT MM-HMM . 
          AS IT RELATED TO, UH, THE OVERGROWTH ON THE WIRES IN ADVANCE OF THE STORM. 
          THAT'S NOT A YOU ALL THING, THAT'S NOT A HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL. 
          WHY WEREN'T YOU OUT THERE CHECKING THE LINES THING? RIGHT? THAT'S A STATE THING. 
          UM, AND SO IT'S THAT KIND OF A BALANCE TO, TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF THE BUSINESS WE CAN TAKE CARE OF LOCALLY RECOGNIZING WE'RE OPERATING WITHIN A SYSTEM THAT PUTS A LOT OF POWER INTO THE HANDS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT HERE. 
          RIGHT. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND LASTLY, UH, AND THIS KIND OF GOES TO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ALCORN WAS MENTIONING. 
          WAS THERE ANY INFORMATION ON WHAT RESIDENTS SPECIFICALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF IN TERMS OF ACTION AND POLICY? LIKE ANYTHING SPECIFIC? PROBABLY NOT LINE ITEMS, BUT JUST GENERAL THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN LOOK AT. 
          THERE'S NOTHING THAT COMES TO MIND. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, GENERATORS CAME UP REGULARLY MM-HMM . 
          UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK I, AGAIN, THE, UM, THE, THE, THE COMMUNITY CENTERS MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS, SOME OF THEM WITH GENERATORS, SOME OF THEM WITHOUT, UH, WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS SEEN. 
          AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AND KNOWING THAT ACTION IS BEING TAKEN ALREADY TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE, I THINK CASHMERE GARDENS, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, GOT A, GOT FUNDS ALLOCATED TOWARDS IT FOR ITS GENERATOR. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, AND SO, UM, WE, WE SEE ACTION BEING TAKEN. 
          AND I THINK THAT THAT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT RESIDENTS SORT OF LOOKED AROUND AND SAW, LIKE THAT'S A THING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COULD BE DOING. 
          AND SO HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THOSE COMMUNITY CENTERS, SERVICE CENTERS, UM, RIGHT. 
          ARE UP AND RUNNING. 
          GOTCHA. 
          AND I'M SO SORRY, CHAIR, THE COUNCIL MEMBER JUST TEXTED ME ONE LAST QUESTION. 
          UM, IS INSURANCE COVERAGE OR INSURANCE DROPPING RESIDENTS PLAYING INTO ANY OF THESE SENTIMENTS OR FEELINGS THAT RESIDENTS ARE EXPRESSING THROUGH THESE, UH, STUDIES? SO WE DID NOT EXPLICITLY ASK ABOUT HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE. 
          UM, IT IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS BECOMING AN INCREASING REALITY FOR PEOPLE MM-HMM . 
          THAT WE KNOW IT IS PUTTING PRESSURE ON HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IN PARTICULAR RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BE PAYING ATTENTION TO AND KEEPING OUR EYE ON WITH FUTURE STUDIES. 
          GOTCHA. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          APPRECIATE IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. 
          THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. 
          AND THANK YOU, UH, DAN FOR, AGAIN, FOR YOUR RESEARCH. 
          UM, VERY INTERESTING FINDINGS. 
          I AM DISMAYED BUT NOT SURPRISED, I GUESS, TO, TO SEE THAT, UH, LOCAL RESIDENTS FEEL THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT, UH, CAN DO A BETTER JOB, MUCH BETTER JOB IN, IN MANY CASES OF, UM, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE. 
          AND SO I'M, I TOO AM CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT SPECIFICS, UM, THEY MIGHT BE THINKING, AND YOU MENTIONED, UH, GENERATORS AND I'M KIND OF CURIOUS AS TO THE FORMAT OF THE SURVEY THAT ALLOWED, UM, PARTICIPANTS TO, TO GET SPECIFIC LIKE THAT AND, AND MENTION GENERATORS AND WHATNOT. 
          YEAH, SO A LOT OF IT'S THROUGH OTHER POLICE SPECIFIES. 
          AND SO THERE'LL BE RESPONSES WHERE YOU'LL HAVE, THERE'LL, THERE'LL BE QUESTIONS, WILL, YOU'LL HAVE RESPONSE OPPORTUNITIES AND THERE'LL BE A COUPLE OF CHOICES. 
          AND THEN ONE OF THOSE WOULD BE OTHER, PLEASE SPECIFY. 
          AND SO I SEE PEOPLE WERE FILLING IN A LOT OF INFORMATION INTO THOSE OTHER POLICE SPECIFIES. 
          AND SO IT'S, I CAN'T NECESSARILY OFFER YOU A PERCENT OF PEOPLE THAT SAID GENERATORS IN PART BECAUSE IT WASN'T THE OPTIONS THAT WE HAD PROVIDED. 
          IT WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE WERE SEEING REGULARLY POPPING UP IN THE OTHER POLICE SPECIFY. 
          GOT IT. 
          GOT IT. 
          IF THERE WERE ANY OTHER RESPONSES LIKE THAT, WE'D CERTAINLY BE INTERESTED IN, IN KNOWING WHAT THEY WERE. 
          AND, AND OF COURSE, GENERATORS IS A, IS A BIG PART OF THE CDBG, UM, THAT WE ARE ABOUT TO VOTE ON. 
          AND SO TO THE EXTENT WE GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT THAT, I THINK THAT MIGHT HELP, UM, EDUCATE FOLKS IN REGARDS TO THE SURVEY QUESTION, UH, ABOUT PEOPLE THINKING OF MOVING OUT OF THE AREA, UH, I'M SURE YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE HAD AN OUT MIGRATION FROM HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY IN RECENT YEARS AND OUR POPULATION HAS SORT OF BEEN PROPPED UP BY IMMIGRATION, MUCH OF IT FROM OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY. 
          SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FOUR OUT 10 PEOPLE THINKING OF MOVING OUT OF HOUSTON, WAS THAT SPECIFICALLY DUE TO, UH, WEATHER RELATED EMERGENCIES? OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          YES. 
          AND WITH REGARDS TO THE END MIGRATION AND OUT MIGRATION, IT IS A, THAT'S A VERY TRICKY NUMBER TO TRY TO WRAP OUR, OUR HEADS AROUND. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, UM, IT IS NOT IMMIGRANTS, BUT RATHER YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE SIMPLY MOVING INTO THE HOUSTON AREA FROM OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY. 
          AND THAT MIGHT SEEM LIKE I'M PLAYING SEMANTICS WITH YOU, BUT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY BE ABROAD FOR EDUCATION, THEY MAY BE ABROAD, UH, DOING A STENT WITH A JOB, ESPECIALLY WITH THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY BEING IN HERE. 
          WE KNOW THERE ARE LOTS OF FOLKS THAT ARE COMING INTO 
          [00:50:01]
THE HOUSTON AREA FROM ABROAD THAT, THAT'S ACTUALLY US BORN INDIVIDUALS SIMPLY, YOU KNOW, QUOTE UNQUOTE RETURNING HOME. 
          UM, AND IN FACT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS, IT'S SOMETHING NORTH OF 20% OF, IN THAT INTERNATIONAL, UH, MIGRATION NUMBER IS, UH, THOSE, THOSE TYPES OF INDIVIDUALS. 
          UM, AND SO THERE IS DEFINITELY A MIXTURE OF FOLKS THAT MAKE UP THAT PIECE. 
          IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE, UH, BIRTH, UH, RATE IS CONTINUING TO OUTPACE THE DEATH RATE HERE. 
          AND SO GROWTH IS HAPPENING NATURALLY WITHIN THE HOUSTON AREA AS WELL. 
          UM, AND SO IT IS IMPORTANT, I, I DO NOT WANT TO UNDERPLAY THE IMPORTANCE THAT IMMIGRANTS HAVE IN OUR AREA AND TO OUR POPULATION. 
          I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION THAT IS NOT EQUIVALENT TO IMMIGRANT, BUT RATHER IS A WHOLE MIXTURE OF INDIVIDUALS, UH, MANY OF THEM RETURNING HOME MM-HMM . 
          AND I'D BE INTERESTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE BREAKDOWN. 
          IF, IF THERE'S SOME RESEARCH THAT YOU'VE DONE, UH, THAT YOU CAN SHARE, I'D BE INTERESTED TO SEE THAT. 
          YEP, THAT'S AVAILABLE. 
          THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEYS DATA IS WHAT IS USED TO BE ABLE TO BREAK DOWN WHAT THAT INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION NUMBER IS COMPOSED OF, SPECIFICALLY FOR HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY. 
          IT WOULD BE FOR HARRIS COUNTY, I BELIEVE. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          AND LAST TOPIC, UH, AND, AND, AND I BROUGHT IT UP INSURANCE, RIGHT? UH, INSURANCE PREMIUMS HAVE GONE THROUGH THE ROOF AND, UM, I'M WONDERING HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE JUST CHOSEN NOT TO RENEW THEIR, THEIR POLICIES. 
          DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THAT? WE HAVE NOT COLLECTED INFORMATION. 
          WE DID DO A STUDY LOOKING AT THE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE WAS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS THAT HOUSING WAS BECOMING LESS AFFORDABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS NOW. 
          UM, AND SO WE DO KNOW THAT IS A PROBLEM AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALREADY SEEING INSURANCE COMPANIES MOVING OUT OF AREAS IN EASTERN HARRIS COUNTY. 
          UM, AND SO, UM, HOW LONG THAT IS UNTIL THAT IS HAPPENING MORE BROADLY HERE IN THE HOUSTON AREA IS A GREAT QUESTION. 
          UM, WE KNOW PREMIUMS ARE GOING UP FOR FOLKS. 
          UM, EITHER WE'RE LIVING IT OURSELVES OR WE'RE SEEING IT IN OUR NEIGHBORS AND OUR OTHER, OUR COLLEAGUES. 
          AND SO UNDERSTANDING HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. 
          UM, AND, UM, THIS IS, AGAIN, ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT IS PROBABLY NOT A LOCAL ISSUE, EVEN THOUGH IT IS EXPERIENCED LOCALLY, BUT IS REQUIRING ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY THE STATE. 
          MM-HMM . 
          OKAY. 
          AND, AND ACTUALLY I, I THOUGHT OF, I DID NOTICE ONE MORE THING ON SLIDE NUMBER 13, WHICH WAS TITLED MORE PREPARED CAN DO BETTER. 
          UM, SO SPECIFICALLY PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO ASSEMBLED OR UPDATED EMERGENCY SUPPLIES AND PERCENTAGE WHO MAKE A HOUSEHOLD FAMILY EMERGENCY PLAN. 
          THE HOUSTON NUMBERS WERE LOWER THAN THE NATIONAL. 
          THE NATIONAL. 
          YEP. 
          AND, AND I FIND, FIND THAT KIND OF INTERESTING. 
          WHY, WHY DO YOU SUPPOSE, UH, A LOWER PERCENTAGE OF FOLKS ASSEMBLE OR UPDATE EMERGENCY SUPPLIES AND MAKE AN AN EMERGENCY PLAN? SO THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE GRAPPLED WITH BECAUSE YOU SEE ACROSS EVERY SINGLE OTHER ONE THE HOUSTON AREA HIGHER. 
          UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, SEEMED TO BE RELATED THERE WAS INCOME THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BUILDING THAT EMERGENCY KIT, YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT SPENDING MONEY TO PUT THINGS ASIDE. 
          UM, AND THAT FOR MANY HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS THAT ARE DOING THAT PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK KIND OF LIVING, THAT IS JUST NOT A GREAT OPTION FOR THEM. 
          AND SO BUILDING THAT EMERGENCY KIT IS JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY NECESSARILY HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DO. 
          THE FAMILY EMERGENCY PLAN IS THE ONE WHERE I THINK IS ONE OF THE LOWEST HANGING FRUITS THAT IS OUT THERE THAT IS FREE TO DO. 
          AND THERE ARE RESOURCES, TEXAS READY.GOV HAS, YOU KNOW, HERE'S A CHECKLIST OF THINGS THAT YOU CAN, UH, WORK THROUGH IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO, UH, CREATE THAT EMERGENCY PLAN. 
          AND SO THAT IS ONE OF THOSE ITEMS THAT TO ME FEELS LIKE CAN BE PART OF THAT NORMALIZING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT DISASTERS AND BUILDING THAT INTO JUST HOW ARE WE OPERATING AS FAMILIES, AS HOUSEHOLDS, UM, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN THAT NEXT DISASTER IS HAPPENING, WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE TO KNOW WHAT TO DO. 
          MM-HMM . 
          SO, UH, I DON'T HAVE A GREAT REASON WHY THAT IS SO LOW, BUT IT IS ONE OF THE ONES WE SAW AND THOUGHT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE MOVED. 
          THAT, THAT IS A, THAT IS SOMETHING YOU CAN MOVE THE NEEDLE ON WITHOUT AN EXPENSE ASSOCIATED WITH IT. 
          RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          I FEEL SO MUCH SMARTER THIS MORNING, . 
          IT'S REALLY GREAT INFORMATION. 
          UM, THE WORK YOU ALL DO AGAIN, GOES WITHOUT SAYING IT'S AMAZING AND WE COULD TALK TO YOU ALL DAY, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT. 
          SO BARRING ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU AGAIN. 
          AND I'M SURE YOU'LL BE CALLED ON MANY TIMES, SO THANK YOU. 
          EXCELLENT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          YOU BET. 
          UP NEXT WE HAVE, UM, THE HOUSTON SHADE BRIGADE. 
          [00:55:01]
COME ON DOWN. 
          THAT IS MR. IBANEZ. 
          GOOD TO SEE YOU. 
          REALITY. 
          SORRY. 
          AND THEN, UH, NUMBER TWO, UH, WE ALSO HAD THE RICE, UM, UH, CANOPY REPORT THAT CAME OUT IN JANUARY OF 2024. 
          AND THAT WAS BEFORE, UM, THE, ALL THE, THE STORMS THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT. 
          AND WE WERE 10% UNDER THE CANOPY. 
          UM, WHAT THEY SAW THE CANOPY WAS. 
          SO, UM, IF YOU ADD ALL THE, ALL THE, THE, UM, THE, UM, STORMS IN IN 2024, I'D ADD ANOTHER FIVE TO 10% ON THAT. 
          SO WE'RE DEFICIT MORE. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, DRIVING UP AND DOWN MEMORIAL, UM, MEMORIAL DRIVE, YOU COULD SEE SOME OF THE OLDER HOMES WITH THE OLDER TREES THAT, UH, WERE AFFECTED BY SOME OF THOSE STORMS. SO OUR VISION IS A HOUSTON WHERE, UH, A THRIVING TREE CANOPY, NATIVE PLANTS AND SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE, PROTECTING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, FOSTER HEALTH, PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND UPHOLD ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTABILITY. 
          AND OUR MISSION IS TO HOLD HOUSTON ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS TREE CANOPY. 
          EXPANSION OF THE TREE EQUITY GOALS, FOSTERING TRANSPARENCY, EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE THROUGH A VIGILANT ADVOCACY AND STRATEGIC, UM, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. 
          AND I'M ONE OF THOSE GUYS THAT KEEPS YOU GUYS ACCOUNTABLE. 
          SO, UH, THE THREE PILLARS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE HOUSTON SHADE BRIGADE IS CHAMPIONING, UM, UM, POLICY REFORM, AUDIT, UH, THE TREE COMMITMENTS, AND THEN ENGAGE IN EDUCATION AS WELL. 
          AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS ON THE, ON THE POLICY SIDE, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT PAGE. 
          UM, YOU CAN SEE THE POLICY IES AND WATCH DOG PRIORITIES. 
          ONE IS TO CHANGE THE ORDINANCE ON TREE PLANTING. 
          RIGHT NOW, THAT REQUIRES TWO PARTS OF OUR, OUR, OUR, OUR, UM, DEPARTMENTS, PARKS, AND PUBLIC WORKS TO DO THAT. 
          AND SO WE WERE ASKING FOR MOVING, UH, MOVING FROM TWO TO FOUR TREES FOR THE 500 SQUARE FOOT LOTS THAT WE HAVE SOME OF OUR HOMES ON. 
          UH, WE HAVE EXAMPLES, UM, THAT I CAN SHARE WITH YOU FROM OTHER CITIES WHERE IT'S A LOT EASIER AND I DON'T THINK WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH TWO DEPARTMENTS TO GET THIS, UH, UH, ADJUSTED. 
          UH, WE ALSO WANT TO, WE BIRD DOGGED, UM, THE, SOME OF THE, UH, PUBLIC WORKS, UM, MANUALS WHERE THEY'RE SUGGESTING WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY'RE PUTTING, GROWING NEW SUBDIVISIONS, STUFF LIKE THAT ON TREE PLANTING AND TRYING TO MAKE THAT MORE GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE AND FLOOD PREVENTION. 
          WE'RE ALSO, WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, TALKING ABOUT, UM, FIFA COMING UP, UH, NEXT YEAR AND TRYING TO CAPITALIZE ON THAT, UH, CATALYST, UH, TO, UM, TO TRY TO GET MORE TREES IN THE RIGHT PLACES. 
          UH, WE ALSO WANT TO, UM, UM, I THINK WE WOULD GET ACTUALLY MORE, UM, MORE INDUSTRY TO PLANT TREES IF WE KNEW IT, THAT WE WOULD MAIN BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEM. 
          AND SO WE, WE ARE ASKING YOU, ASKING THE CITY TO ACTUALLY INVEST IN, UH, WATER TRUCKS TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE, ALL THE TR NEW TREES THAT ARE BEING PLANTED ARE BEING WATERED, ESPECIALLY IN THE FIRST YEAR, BECAUSE THAT'S THE CRITICAL TIME FOR, FOR THEM. 
          AND NOT TO PLANT THINGS IN. 
          YOU KNOW, THE PLEA PAN PLANNING, UH, PERIOD FOR HOUSTON IS SORT OF OCTOBER, NOVEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER AND NOT DO IT IN APRIL, UH, ALIGNING WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, EARTH DAY. 
          SO, UM, AND THEN WE WANT TO, UM, PROMOTE THE ACCESS TO THE TREE PLANTING PORTAL, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, AND THEN DO AN INVENTORY ON, ON ACTUALLY WHAT'S BEEN IN THERE. 
          AND THEN, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST DO MORE, UH, ACCOUNTABILITY ON WHAT, WHAT WE'RE DOING. 
          AND I WANNA THANK, UM, UH, HUGO ESPECIALLY THAT HE SENT ME THE, THE BUDGET AND HE GAVE ME THE STATS THAT YOU HAD IN THE BUDGET ON THE TREE PLANNING PROGRAM. 
          SO I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          WE ALSO 
          [01:00:01]
HAVE, UM, THE CLIMATE ACTION PLANS. 
          WE HAVE THREE THAT, THAT ARE, ARE, ARE IN OUR AREA. 
          WE HAVE THE UPDATE OF THE, THE CITY CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND RESILIENCY PLAN. 
          UM, IT ACTUALLY IS, UM, RIGHT NOW IS SORT OF PIGGYBACKING ON WHAT, UM, THE HOUSTON, UH, GALVESTON AREA, UM, COMMUNITY COUNCIL, UH, AREA COUNCIL IS DOING. 
          UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE, THEY GOT MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO, TO DO THAT. 
          AND, AND, UM, I UNDERSTAND, BUT BY TALKING TO THE SUSTAINABILITY GROUP UNDER, UH, ANGELA, UM, THAT THEY'RE TALKING AND WE'RE NOT DOING A LOT ON, ON THE CITY'S BEHALF, WE'RE PIG BACK ON, ON, ON HI. 
          UH, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE HARRIS COUNTY ONE THAT WAS JUST ANNOUNCED, UM, MAYBE A TWO MONTHS AGO ON WHAT THEY'RE DOING, UM, AS WELL. 
          SO THOSE, THOSE WHERE WHERE WE'RE FOCUSED AND WE'VE NOTICED THAT TREE PLANTING IS, UH, A, A, A MAJOR PART OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING. 
          AND, AND THE REASON WHY IS IT IS THE CHEAPEST WAY TO DO, TO HELP WITH CARBON EMISSIONS, UH, COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN DO. 
          SO OUR PRIORITIES, NEXT SLIDE. 
          OUR PRIORITIES ARE WORKING IN OUR PARTNERSHIPS. 
          WE'RE WORKING WITH, UM, UM, HARC, UH, ON THE, UH, FOR US TREES INITIATIVE. 
          UH, EVERYBODY ON, ON, ON, ON THE, UM, SHAPER GRADE ACTUALLY SHOWED UP FOR ONE OF THEIR, THEIR MEETINGS THAT THEY HAD ON THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN. 
          UM, AND, AND TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY WERE DOING, NOT DOING AND, AND WHERE THEY WERE GETTING MONEY FOR DOING THAT. 
          UM, ED, OF COURSE, WITH THE FRIENDS COLUMBIA, UH, FRIENDS OF COLUMBIA TAP IS, YOU KNOW, IN THE LAST THREE WEEKENDS HE'S HAD MULCHING, UH, PRO PROJECTS AND, AND INVITED EVERYBODY TO HELP WITH THAT PROJECT. 
          UH, ESPECIALLY 'CAUSE, UM, COLUMBIA TAP IS IN, IN, UH, IN THE AREA THAT'S, UM, THE GREEN ZONE FOR, UH, THE FIFA STUFF. 
          SO HE'S DOING A GREAT JOB, UH, DOING THAT. 
          WE HAVE, UM, UH, PARTNERSHIPS TO TRY TO MITIGATE WITH THE, UM, HEAT, URBAN HEAT AND SPRING BRANCH WITH THE FREE PARK. 
          ESSENTIALLY THE, THE, THE, THE HEATING SURVEY HAD JUST BEEN COMPLETED AND JUST ISSUED. 
          AND SO WE ACTUALLY KNOW WHERE, WHERE THE PROBLEMS ARE. 
          WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THREE THINGS. 
          NO, THERE'S, THERE'S BEEN MONEY ALLOCATED, UM, IN THE GULFTON AREA THROUGH, UH, UM, REPRESENTED FLETCHER. 
          THAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR. 
          AND SO WE'RE SEEING THE FRUITS OF THAT. 
          UH, WE HAD, UH, AN EPA GRANT FOR THE FIFTH WARD. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S BEEN AFFECTED OR NOT. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE MONEY FROM THE THIRD WARD FOR $7 MILLION FOR, FOR SOME PAY TRAINING THAT, THAT, UH, THE COLUMBIA, COLUMBIA TAP HAS DONE. 
          UM, WE'RE ALSO, UM, WE, THE HOUSTON CLIMATE MOVEMENT HAS AN, UM, A CLIMATE SUMMIT THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IN, IN, IN, UH, IN SEPTEMBER. 
          UH, WE, WE, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH THE I 45 EXPANSION PROGRAM, THERE'S ACTUALLY A, A PARK, UM, CHANGE, BUTTE PARK, WHICH IS NORTH OF HOUSTON, NEAR WHERE, UM, UNIVERSITY OF, UH, HOUSTON DOWNTOWN IS, THAT IS A POTENTIAL, UH, UM, TREE PLANTING AREA THAT ACTUALLY COULD DO SOME GOOD TO MINIMIZE SOME OF THE, THE GREENING EFFECTS, UM, IN DOWNTOWN. 
          AND THEN WE'RE ENGAGING WITH ALL, YOU KNOW, TREES FOR HOUSTON, UM, WILDERNESS HOUSTON, UH, HA AND ALL THE OTHER, UM, UM, AGENCIES ARE DOING IT. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO WHAT WE ARE ENVISIONING IS, UM, A COLLABORATION BETWEEN US AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON, ESPECIALLY THIS COMMITTEE, TO TRY TO EXPAND OR THE CANOPY TRY TO, UH, RECOUP, UM, FROM THE STORMS IN 2 20 24 BY, YOU KNOW, COLLABORATING ON TREE PLANTING. 
          AND ESPECIALLY WITH, WITH THE BUDGET THAT YOU GUYS ISSUED, YOU KNOW, PERMITTING FOR TREES SHOULD BE LESS RED TAPE, UM, AND ABLE TO HELP, BECAUSE ESSENTIALLY THE PARTS DEPARTMENT IS NOT GONNA HAVE THE MONEY. 
          AND IF YOU'RE ALLOWING PEOPLE TO MOW, UH, FOR, UM, FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO ALLOW, UH, PEOPLE THAT WANT TO PLANT TREES IN, IN PUBLIC SPACES LESS RED TAPE AND, AND TRYING TO DO THAT. 
          AND PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE, LIKE IN IN OUR GROUP, WE'VE GOT FOUR PEOPLE THAT ARE DEEPLY INVOLVED IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT, WHAT, UH, WHAT, WHAT TREES AND OTHER THINGS WE OUGHT TO BE DOING AS OPPOSED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE RANDOMLY JUST 
          [01:05:01]
PUTTING OUT TREES THAT, THAT, UH, SHOULDN'T BELONG HERE BECAUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AREA THAT WE'RE IN. 
          SO, NEXT SLIDE. 
          WHO WE ARE ESSENTIALLY, WE'RE SIX PEOPLE. 
          UH, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ADVOCATES ARE ED, MYSELF AND SHERRY, UM, AND THE, AND THE, UH, THE FORESTRY GUYS, OR ELIZABETH, NANCY, ED AND BRIAN. 
          UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE DEFINITELY, UH, WE'RE ADVOCACY. 
          WE WANT TO HELP AND WE WANT IDENTIFY THINGS SO THE CITY CAN DO BETTER AND BETTER JOB. 
          AND WE WANT TO KEEP YOU ACCOUNTABLE. 
          I THINK THAT YOU KNOW THAT, THAT, BECAUSE YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE ALL THE POWER, BUT CAN WIELD POWER TO GET THINGS DONE. 
          IT, IT, IT, IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S AN ART, NOT A SCIENCE HERE. 
          SO IN CONCLUSION, WE WANNA WORK TOGETHER TO THROUGH, UM, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, COMMUNITY DRIVEN ACTION AND SHEER COMMITMENT FOR, UH, CLIMATE EQUITY. 
          UH, THE SHADER GRADE IS PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR A COOLER, GREENER AND MORE RESILIENT, UM, FUTURE FOR THE ALL HOUSTON. 
          AND LIKE I SAID, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ASK THOUGH, WHAT ELSE COULD WE BE DOING? AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION EMISSIONS ARE PROBABLY THE NEXT THING THAT, THAT WE OUGHT TO DO. 
          AND ESSENTIALLY WE CAN CON, WE CAN LIKE IN LIKE THE PORT OF, UH, LOS ANGELES CONVERT ALL THE LONG HAUL TRUCKS TO CNG HYDROGEN AND STUFF LIKE THAT. 
          WE ARE NOT DOING THAT YET. 
          WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT, BUT WE'RE NOT DOING THAT YET. 
          THAT WOULD BE THE NEXT THING. 
          TREE PLANTING IS A LOT CHEAPER THAN DOING THAT CONVERSION. 
          I'M READY FOR YOUR QUESTIONS. 
          WELL, THANK YOU. 
          GREAT PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU ALL ARE DOING, BUT ALSO THE PARTNERSHIPS, UM, IN, IN REALLY FULFILLING THE MISSION OF YOUR WORK. 
          UM, CERTAINLY WE, WE REALIZE THAT REPLACING TREES IS, IS ESSENTIAL AND, UH, IN MY COMMUNITY AND I KNOW THAT, UH, TREES FOR HOUSTON IS VERY ACTIVE AND, AND YOU ALL WORK TOGETHER TO GET THINGS DONE. 
          SO I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. 
          UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN IS IN THE QUEUE. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANKS REMON. 
          GREAT TO SEE YOU. 
          AND I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE SHADE BRIGADE, ED, THIS IS VERY EXCITING. 
          LOVE THE NAME, GREAT NAME . 
          AND YOU KNOW, WE, WE ALL HEAR THE STATS ABOUT IT'S 25 DEGREES HOTTER IN ONE PART OF TOWN THAN THE OTHER. 
          AND THE SHADE IS SO IMPORTANT. 
          I KNOW WHEN WE JUST HAD THE MAIN STREET, UH, UH, CONVERSATION ABOUT THE MAIN STREET PROMENADE THERE, SHADE'S GONNA BE A BIG PART OF THAT. 
          SHADE'S IMPORTANT IN HOUSTON, IT GETS HOT MM-HMM . 
          UM, SPECIFICALLY ON THE ORDINANCE CHANGES. 
          TALK TO ME ABOUT THAT. 
          TALK TO ME ABOUT CURRENTLY IN OUR RIGHT OF WAY, IF YOU TAKE, JUST TELL, TELL ME WHAT IT, WHAT IT IS NOW AND WHERE, WHAT IT, I KNOW YOU'RE WANTING TO GO FROM TWO TO FOUR, BUT GIMME A LITTLE MORE EXPLANATION ABOUT IT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UM, I GIVE YOU, IN THE PRESENTATION, THEY ACTUALLY GIVE YOU THE NAME OF THE, UH, YEAH, I SAW THE NUMBERS. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          AND SO RIGHT NOW IT SAYS FOR, UM, A LOT SIZE FOR TREE FOR, FOR HOUSING AND STUFF LIKE THAT. 
          YOU ONLY ARE REQUIRED TWO TREES IN THAT LOT SIZE. 
          UM, AND SO, UH, WHAT WE'RE ASKING TO DO IS CHANGE THAT NUMBER FROM TWO TO FOUR, BUT FROM MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE APARTMENT DEPARTMENT CAN'T DO IT ON ITS OWN BECAUSE, UH, THE, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT HAS ACTUALLY ALSO HAS TO, UM, UH, WHAT'S THE WORD? UH, ALSO HAS TO BUY IN ON THAT. 
          AND SO, SO, SO ON, SO ON A LOT, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY'S PRIVATE LOT. 
          NOW THERE'S A RULE THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE TWO TREES. 
          OKAY. 
          EVEN THOUGH NEW, NEW, NEW NEW BUILDINGS, NEW NEW CONSTRUCTION AS WELL. 
          SO NEW CONSTRUCTION ON, ON THEIR, ON YOUR PRIVATE PROP, NOT IN CITY RIGHT OF WAY ON YOUR, ON THE ACTUAL PRIVATE LOT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE TWO TREES. 
          YEAH. 
          AND THEN IT'S FUNNY 'CAUSE I'VE, I'VE BEEN A, I'M TALKING TO A NEIGHBORHOOD TONIGHT, AND ONE OF THEIR BIG COMPLAINTS IS EVERYBODY'S TEARING DOWN ALL THE TREES IN THEIR HOUSE AND THEY'RE ON THE NEW, NEW CONSTRUCTIONS. 
          EVERYBODY'S TEARING 'EM DOWN AND THEY'RE NOT PUTTING UP AN EPISODE. 
          THIS IS VERY TIMELY. 
          I'M GONNA USE THIS. 
          OKAY. 
          . 
          AND, UM, AND SO YOU WANT, AND, AND IT, AND DOES, AND IT DOES IT DESIGNATE CALIPER AND ALL OF THAT OF WHAT? WELL, RIGHT NOW, SO, UM, I AM, I'M IN AN OLD NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT THERE'S SOME STILL OPEN LOTS. 
          AND SO, UH, I GOT A NEW NEIGHBOR AND  AND UH, AND THEY BUILT THEIR, THEIR, THEIR EXPANSIVE MCMANSION SURE. 
          AND I, AND THEY HAVE THEIR, THEIR, THEY HAVE TO BE, I WANNA SAY THREE, THREE INCHES IN DIAMETER, THAT KIND OF THING. 
          AND THEY PUT IN THEIR TWO TREES UP FRONT. 
          THEY DON'T HAVE A BACKYARD. 
          SO THEY, I, I KNOW WHAT THE TREES ARE AND THEY PUT IN THEIR TWO TREES. 
          UM, SO ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS THAT IN, IN OUR GROUP IS TRYING TO SAVE THE TREES THAT ARE ALREADY THERE. 
          AND SO IN THAT LOT, NEXT TO HIM, 
          [01:10:01]
TO THE NEW HOUSE, THERE IS AN OLD TREE AND IT'S ONE OF THOSE THAT NEEDS TE LOVE AND CARE, BUT I'M, I'M GONNA SEE, I, I'M GONNA BE AFRAID THAT THEY'RE GONNA KNOCK IT DOWN AND PUT IN THEIR, THEIR NEW, NEW TREES WHEN THEY HAD PERFECTLY GOOD, GOOD OLD TREE THAT NEEDED SOME TLC TO FINISH IT. 
          SO RIGHT. 
          RIGHT NOW IT'S, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCT CONSTRUCTION WINDS. 
          UH, AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST AS LONG AS YOU HAVE YOUR TWO TREES AND YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY SAVING THE OLD TREES RIGHT NOW, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING STOPPING THEM. 
          AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A LOT OF CITY AUDITS THAT, THAT, RIGHT. 
          THAT, THAT STOP THAT. 
          AND, AND JUST REAL QUICK CHAIR, IF YOU DON'T MIND, DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH ONE OF THOSE WATER TRUCKS COSTS? NO, I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION, BUT I'M HAPPY TO LOOK IN AND LINK TO IT. 
          AND WE HAVE OUR CIP MEETING NEXT WEEK. 
          I WANT A STREET LANE STRIPER, AND I MIGHT BE ASKING FOR A, A WATER TRUCK. 
          I JUST NEED TO KNOW. 
          OKAY, ED, GO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS. 
          LET'S GET SOME WATER TRUCKS IN HERE. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE NEED THOSE WATER TRUCKS, OTHERWISE WE DON'T NEED TO PLANT THOSE TREES. 
          WE CAN'T TAKE CARE OF 'EM. 
          NO, I ACTUALLY, I ACTUALLY THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, I THINK WE WERE TALKING, ELIZABETH IN OUR TEAM WAS SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, CHEVRON, OTHER PEOPLE ARE, ARE HAPPY TO PUT IN MORE TREES WHEREVER YOU WANT THEM, BUT YOU'VE GOTTA BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEM. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          AND, AND, AND ESSENTIALLY IF YOU DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, MOBILE WATER TRUCKS, YOUR SOL, ESPECIALLY WITH THINGS THAT ARE GOING OUT, GOING ON, UH, ESPECIALLY THIS, THIS, THIS SUMMER WHERE WE HAVE MORE, MORE HURRICANES, UH, PREDICT WE LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING THE PRICE. 
          MAYBE WE'LL BUY TWO. 
          YEAH. 
          I THINK PUB PUBLIC WORKS OUT THE PRICE TOO. 
          YEAH. 
          WE'LL, WE'LL GET THE PRICE ON THAT. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. 
          THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, I'M A BIG FAN OF TREES. 
          UH, THEY HELP MAKE HOUSTON, YOU KNOW, THE BEAUTIFUL PLACE THAT IT IS AND, UM, CONCERNED ABOUT ALL THE MATURE TREES THAT WE HAVE. 
          UH, THEY HAVE TO BE REPLACED WITH SOMETHING. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND, UM, SO I, I LIKE WHAT YOU'RE DOING. 
          I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT Y'ALL ARE PUTTING IN HERE. 
          UM, CURIOUS, CURIOUS ABOUT, UH, THE RE THE PROPOSED REQUIREMENT ON, ON INCREASING THE NUMBER OF TREES MM-HMM . 
          UH, PER, PER LOT I GUESS YOU'D SAY. 
          UM, DO YOU, DO YOU CARE AT ALL WHAT KIND OF TREES THEY ARE OR ARE YOU PROPOSING CERTAIN TYPES OF TREES OR, SO WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVE A LIST. 
          ALL THE TREE FOLKS KNOW WHAT THE LIST IS THAT ARE, UH, NATIVE TO THIS AREA. 
          WE, YOU KNOW, UM, SO ONE OF THE ONES THAT IS CONTROVERSIAL IS, UM, WAS IT THE ONE WITH THE PURPLE LEAVES ON IT? UH, ED MYRTLES. 
          GREAT. 
          MYRTLES. 
          THAT'S IT. 
          SO CRAIG MYRTLES ARE NOT NECESSARILY, UH, UH, INDIGENOUS TO THIS, THIS, UH, THIS AREA, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF THEM. 
          UH, AND WHAT, WHAT THE ISSUE IS THAT, UH, THE FOUR AND THE FAUNA, ESPECIALLY BUTTERFLIES AND OTHER STUFF, POLL, UM, UM, POLLINATORS ARE, ARE ESSENTIALLY NOT USING THOSE TREES. 
          AND WE CAN USE OTHER TREES THAT ARE EITHER LOOK SIMILAR TO THEM OR ARE MORE NATIVE TO THIS, THIS AREA. 
          BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE TREES THAT WE SEE A LOT OF BUT AREN'T INDIGENOUS. 
          WELL, CAN, CAN YOU REQUIRE THAT, UH, PEOPLE PRUNE THE CREPE MYRTLES PROPERLY  AND NOT COMMIT CREPE MURDER? ? I USED TO, I USED TO HAVE ONE IN ONE OF MY OTHER PLACES I LIVED IN. 
          SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THE SITUATION, IF, IF THEY'RE NOT IMPROPERLY PRUNED WHEN, WHEN THEY MATURE, THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL TREES. 
          UH, SO I, I CAN APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UH, ARE YOU AWARE THE CITY HAS SOME TYPE OF PROGRAM WHERE IF YOU, THE CITY WILL PROVIDE TREES IF YOU YES. 
          PLANT THEM IN THE RIGHT OF WAY, I BELIEVE IS THE WAY THAT WORKS. 
          CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THAT WORKS? WELL, I, I KNOW THAT THERE'S GIVEAWAYS FROM DIFFERENT PLACES. 
          I DON'T KNOW USUALLY, UM, WHEN, WHEN WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT IN THIS GROUP, UM, UM, IT'S BEEN PEOPLE GOING TO CERTAIN PLACES AND, AND PICKING UP TREES AND THEN PUTTING IT IN THEIR HOUSES OR OTHER PLACES. 
          MM-HMM . 
          I DON'T KNOW IF, UH, OKAY. 
          BECAUSE OF THE PERMITTING THINGS THAT THE CITY HAS, I DON'T KNOW IF I COULD GO AND PUT IT IN THE MEDIAN, UH, THE MEDIUM IN, IN, IN MY STREET. 
          I THINK THAT NO, NO. 
          YEAH, I'M NOT TALKING. 
          THAT WOULD BE A NO NO. 
          AND I'D BE FINE. 
          I DON'T LIKE TO GET FINED. 
          RIGHT, RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I'LL LOOK THAT UP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, BARRING NO OTHER QUESTIONS, SOUNDS LIKE WE OWE YOU A BIG THANK YOU AND WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. 
          AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THAT WE'VE GOT A LIST OF THE APPROVED TREES FOR PLANTING, SO YOU MAY SHARE THEM, UM, WITH THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS BECAUSE CERTAINLY WE PUT THAT IN OUR NEWSLETTER BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT HOUSTONIANS KNOW THE PROPER TREE TO PLANT BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME 
          [01:15:01]
THAT, THAT, UH, WE, WE WELCOME MORE THAN OTHERS. 
          BUT THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN SOON. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO MY, MY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT IS A BUDGET ON THE, ON THE ON TREE WATER TRUCK PRICING AND A LIST OF TREES LIST. 
          GOT IT. 
          YOU GOT IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SORRY, JUST ONE MORE QUICK QUESTION. 
          SORRY, COUNCIL, IF YOU DON'T MIND ON, ON THE PERMITTING ON THE TREES. 
          UHHUH . 
          SO IN YOUR, I I I, I SHOULD KNOW ALL THIS, I'M EMBARRASSED THAT I DON'T, BUT LIKE ON THE TWO TREES THAT YOU HAVE TO PLANT IN YOUR YARD, YOU HAVE TO GO GET A PERMIT TO PLANT THOSE TREES IN YOUR YARD. 
          NO, NOT, NO. 
          JUST TREES IN THE RIGHT OF WAY. 
          RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY, GOOD. 
          I WAS LIKE, WE, SO, UM, WE HAVE, UM, A COUPLE OF GUEST SPEAKERS, UH, SIGNED UP TO, UH, SPEAK. 
          SO, UH, MS. MS. MORAN, UM, MS UH, DEBORAH MORAN HAS GOT A FEW QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, I BELIEVE. 
          THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          YES, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. 
          I'M DEBBIE MORAN. 
          I AM A LIGHT POLLUTION ADVOCATE, AND I'LL EXPLAIN WHY IT'S CALLED POLLUTION. 
          THIS IS MISUSED LIGHTING, NOT ALL LIGHTING. 
          AND MY EDUCATIONAL WEBSITE IS WWW.SOFTLIGHTHOUSTON.COM. 
          AND THIS ACTUALLY DESERVES AN ENTIRE PRESENTATION. 
          WE DO HAVE TWO PRESENTATIONS NOW ON OUR HOMEPAGE. 
          ONE IS THE TALK TO THE MUSEUM PARK SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL AHEAD OF THE, THE ORDINANCE THAT WAS PASSED, WHICH WE'RE NOW FINDING IS NOT ALWAYS BEING, UH, ENFORCED BY THE CITY INSPECTORS AND BY THE LAW DEPARTMENT. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE OUR COLLECTION OF ACCIDENT SITES. 
          THESE ARE AUTO PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS. 
          IF YOU LOOK IN YOUR FOLDER, I HAVE A GREEN FOLDER ON THE LEFT SIDE. 
          THE, UH, THE ACCIDENT SITES LOOK A LOT LIKE THE TOP PICTURE. 
          AND WE STARTED SENDING THOSE SITES TO POLICE CHIEFS, STARTING WITH ART ACEVEDO. 
          AND THE BOTTOM PICTURE IS NEW LIGHTING, WHICH ACTUALLY MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS OF OUR ORDINANCE. 
          AND NOTICE HOW CLEAR THE CROSSWALK IS. 
          BUT THERE IS SO LITTLE OF THAT LIGHTING IN HOUSTON. 
          IT ACTUALLY HAPPENS TO BE ON A SMALL GAP IN THE HIGH INJURY STREETS ON THE VISION ZERO MAP. 
          SO AS FAR AS IT'S BEING AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE, LIGHT POLLUTION WORKS LIKE A POLLUTANT IN THAT IT, IT BLOCKS OUT THE NIGHT SKY THE SAME WAY WATER POLLUTION MUDDIES A BODY OF WATER. 
          AND SO WE ARE BLOCKING OUT THE SKY, NOT ONLY FOR PEOPLE IN HOUSTON, BUT FOR PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF HOUSTON. 
          WE HAVE LOST THE ENTIRE NORTH HALF OF THE SKY AT THE GEO OBSERVATORY, BUT IT ALSO WORKS AS A LIGHT, AS A POLLUTANT ON BOTH HUMAN AND ANIMAL HEALTH. 
          SO FOR HUMANS, THE MECHANISM IS THAT WHEN WE PUT DAYLIGHT OUTSIDE OUR BEDROOMS AT NIGHT, IT SUPPRESSES A HORMONE MELATONIN AND THAT BOTH INTERRUPTS SLEEP. 
          THE SLEEP DEPRIVATION ITSELF CAUSES MANY HEALTH ISSUES, WHICH I SENT TO YOU IN AN EMAIL. 
          UM, THERE'S RECENT ONE FINDING THAT LIGHT POLLUTION SPECIFICALLY IS INCREASING ALZHEIMER'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE LATEST ONES. 
          AND PEOPLE UNDER 65 MANY CANCERS, BECAUSE THE ME, WHEN THE MELATONIN IS SUPPRESSED, THE CANCER IS SUPPRESSED. 
          UH, HOWEVER, CAN I MAKE ONE LAST POINT? UM, YOU DO NOT HAVE POLITICAL COVER TO COLLECT THIS, TO CORRECT THIS LIGHTING. 
          IF THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF OUR SAFETY ARE UNEDUCATED ABOUT THE LIGHTING, WHEN YOU GO TO MY TALK, YOU WILL SEE A POLICEMAN FIRST RECOMMENDING VERY BRIGHT LIGHT, JUST GET BLACKOUT SHADES. 
          NO ONE WANTS BRIGHT DAYLIGHT COMING IN THEIR WINDOWS. 
          IN OTHER WORDS, HE'S RE RECOMMENDING THE LIGHTING TO SEE AT THE TOP OF THE PA OF THE PAGE. 
          AT THE END OF OUR TALK, HE CHANGES HIS THINKING. 
          AND NOW FOR THE POLICE, WE HAVE COMPILED ALL OF OUR ACCIDENT SITES. 
          WE ALSO NOW HAVE COMMENTARY ON AVIATION ACCIDENTS. 
          THE SAME LIGHTING KILLING PEOPLE ON THE GROUND IS KILLING PEOPLE IN THE AIR. 
          IT WAS MENTIONED FOR THE REAGAN NATIONAL. 
          YES. 
          SO, SO THEY AIRPLANES CAN'T SEE AVIATION LIGHTING. 
          UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOOD INFORMATION. 
          I THINK WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO IS SET UP A TIME, I KNOW YOU'VE GOT SOME LIGHTING DISPLAYS AND SUCH, BUT REALLY SET UP A TIME TO, UH, AND VISIT WITH YOU AND SEE ABOUT BRINGING YOUR PRESENTATION, BUT BEFORE THE COMMITTEE, UM, YOU KNOW, SO I I THINK WE'D, WE'D LIKE TO DO THAT. 
          DOES COUNCIL MEMBER HOR, I THINK HAS A QUESTION FOR YOU, CHAIR. 
          I THINK THAT'D BE A GREAT IDEA. 
          UH, MS. MORAN HAS BEEN AT THIS FOR A VERY LONG TIME, 10 YEARS, AND YOU HAVE BEEN THE CONSCIENCE OF OUR CITY AS FAR AS LIGHTING GOES. 
          AND NOBODY KNOWS, KNOWS MORE THAN YOU ABOUT IT. 
          YOU'VE CERTAINLY EDUCATED ME AND NOW I, I LOOK AT THE GAS STATIONS AND EVERYTHING. 
          DO THEY HAVE THE RIGHT LIGHTS? DO THEY NOT HAVE THE RIGHT LIGHTS? SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVOCACY AND, AND CHAIR. 
          I WOULD LOOK FORWARD TO A A, A BROADER THANK YOU. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          ONE MINUTE FOR THE DEMONSTRATION, IF THERE'S TIME FOR PRESENTATIONAL. 
          WELL, YOU KNOW, BUT WE WOULD REALLY LIKE, BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED BEFORE, BUT WE WOULD REALLY, I, I THINK IT DESERVES MORE TIME AND WE REALLY ARE ON A TIME CONSTRAINT, BUT I THINK IT REALLY DESERVES TIME FOR PRESENTATION. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY AND, AND WE, WE WELCOME YOU BACK. 
          UM, HUGO WILL GET WITH YOU TO SEE IF WE CAN GET YOU SCHEDULED AGAIN TO, TO SHOW THE LIGHTING AND REALLY SEE IT BECAUSE IT'S EASIER WHEN YOU SEE IT TO UNDERSTAND 
          [01:20:01]
RIGHT. 
          YOUR POINT. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          YEAH, THE REAL LIGHT IS FAR BETTER THAN ANY PHOTO AND ACTUALLY FAR MORE. 
          BEAUTIFUL. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          IT IS WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, SO NEXT UP WE HAVE A, UH, STEVE, UH, GOLDBERG. 
          MR. GOLDBERG, UH, WOULD WELCOME YOUR QUESTIONS. 
          FOR THOSE THAT ARE LOOKING AT THE HANDOUT, YOU MAY RECOGNIZE IT. 
          UH, DEE AND, AND SALLY, YOU WERE THERE AT THE, AT TOMATO TASTING ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF AGO, SO THAT'S GOOD. 
          UM, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE RE RESILIENCY OF THE GRID, YOU KNOW, AND WITH PROPER LIGHTING ON THE GRID, IT CAN HELP, UM, REDUCE THE, THE STRAIN ON THE GRID. 
          AND AT THE WESTBURY COMMUNITY GARDEN, THERE'S A NEW STRIP CENTER WAS BUILT, UH, THAT SHARED A PROPERTY LINE DURING CONSTRUCTION. 
          THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS WERE TURNED ON, AND YOU CAN SEE IT IN THE TOP PICTURE OF HOW BRIGHT THEY WERE. 
          AND THAT WAS A DAYTIME PICTURE. 
          SO THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH THAT WOULD BE LIKE AT, AT NIGHT. 
          SO WHAT WE DID IS WE TOOK, UH, UH, THE COMMUNITY GARDEN, BOUGHT FIVE LIGHT FIXTURES AND GAVE IT TO THE, TO THE STATION, AND THEY PAID TO HAVE 'EM PUT IN. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE, THE SECOND AND THIRD PICTURE OF WHAT IT COULD DO AND WHAT THAT DID FROM THE GRID STANDPOINT, WE LESSENED THE LOAD ON THE GRID. 
          SO WE WENT FROM A 80 WATT FIXTURE TO A 32 WATT FIXTURE. 
          SO THAT MEAN IT TOOK LESS POWER. 
          SO THAT ADDED TO THE RESILIENCY OF THE GRID, NOT IT WON'T HAPPEN OR HELP DURING A STORM, BUT JUST OVERALL. 
          AND IF WE CAN GET EVERYBODY TO DO THAT, DRIVE DOWN WESTHEIMER, YOU WERE MAKING COMMENTS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CHECKING THE, THE GAS STATION LIGHTS. 
          THAT'S EXACTLY IT. 
          IF WE CAN GET THEM TO LOWER THEIR WATTAGE, DIRECT IT ONLY ON THEIR PROPERTY WITHOUT LIGHT TRESPASS, YOU KNOW, THAT WILL SAVE THE GRID. 
          BECAUSE WE ALWAYS HEAR ABOUT, WELL, DURING THE DAY, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE WIND DOESN'T RUN, DOESN'T, UH, BLOW OR, YOU KNOW, OR, OR THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE SUN ISN'T OUT, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, WE NEED MORE POWER ON THE GRID BY REDUCING THESE LIGHTS, REDUCING THE USAGE THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, HELP SAVE THE GRID. 
          SO THAT'S IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, AGAIN, I I THINK THAT THE, THE, UH, BELIEVING IS IN THE SEEING. 
          I MEAN, WE SEE IT IN THE PICTURE AND CERTAINLY AGREE WITH IT, BUT I THINK THE PRESENTATION OF ACTUAL BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT IN A ROOM YESTERDAY, I WAS TALKING TO SOMEONE IN, FROM MY ANGLE LOOKING OUT BECAUSE THE LIGHTS ARE SO BRIGHT, I COULDN'T SEE A SOUL. 
          AND SO IT'S THAT SAME THEORY. 
          SO WE WELCOME YOU, UM, BACK TO, UH, REALLY PRESENT TO THE, TO THE, UH, COMMITTEE AND, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN SOON. 
          IF YOU HAVE DEBBIE, I'LL BE WORKING WITH HER. 
          SO WE'VE BEEN ON THIS FOR 10. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          WE APPRECIATE Y'ALL BEING ON THIS. 
          WE DO HAVE ONE QUESTION MEMBER FROM, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, KASEK TATUM'S OFFICE. 
          THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. 
          AND THANK YOU MR. GOLDBERG FOR COMING. 
          AND ALSO, UH, MS. MORAN, UM, MAYOR PRO TEM HAS USED THIS EXAMPLE, UH, AT THE COMMUNITY GARDEN, UM, IN FEW IN, UM, OTHER CONVERSATIONS, YOU KNOW, REGARDING LIGHTING. 
          AND SHE RECOGNIZED THE WORK DONE BY, UM, MS. MORAN AND ALSO, UM, THE WESTBURY COMMUNITY GARDEN. 
          BUT THANK YOU FOR COMING FORWARD AND CHAIR. 
          WE LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, A PRESENTATION ON, ON THE LIGHTING. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THE BENEFITS OF CONVERTING TO MORE EFFICIENT. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, LADY, THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE. 
          UM, THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS AND WITH THAT WE STAND ADJOURNED. 
          AND OUR NEXT, UH, MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR COUNCIL BREAK WEEK. 
          WE COUNCIL BREAK WEEK JULY 3RD. 
          SO WE'LL BE SENDING OUT A NOTICE WITH AN UPDATE ON THAT BECAUSE I NOTICED THAT WHEN I WAS SITTING THERE, I'M LIKE, I DON'T THINK WE'LL BE HERE. 
          BUT APPRECIATE YOUR IN INFO, UH, YOUR INFORMATION, YOUR INPUT, AND YOUR BEING HERE. 
          SEE YOU NEXT TIME.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.