Assessing Non-Profit Organization Response and Adaptation post-Hurricane Harvey

In mid-August of 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in southern Texas. It brought several feet of rain to the Houston-Galveston area over a short period of time, resulting in major flooding. Due to the rapid intensification of the tropical system, impacted areas had little time to prepare or evacuate. As a result, impacts from Hurricane Harvey were widespread, with need exceeding the resources possessed by governmental agencies. Non-profit organizations acted to supplement what these agencies were unable to provide. They addressed the needs of vulnerable populations and helped tremendously in the recovery effort. Understanding how non-profit organizations respond and adapt to disasters will allow for increased knowledge as to how disasters affect local communities, both in the short- and long- term. In this study, the response and subsequent adaptation of select Houston-based non-profit organizations is analyzed and discussed. Through a series of phone interviews, the non-profit organizations reveal how their organization has changed in the wake of the disaster and how prepared they feel for another event of similar magnitude. The interviews reveal much about the current state of climate resiliency in the Greater Houston area and highlight potential areas for improvement.