Flooding is an ongoing threat to the safety and well-being of residents across Harris County. In 1973 Harris County created the original Flood Control Task Force to help address flooding issues, and in 2020 Harris County Commissioners Court reconstituted the group into the Community Flood Resilience Task Force (CFRTF), to bring more community voice into those efforts. The CFRTF is composed of community representatives and subject-matter experts working to promote equitable, innovative, and nature-based solutions to building flood resilience. The CFRTF works to ensure the perspectives and experiences of diverse and historically excluded communities across Harris County are integral to the development and implementation of Harris County’s short- and long-term flood resilience efforts, including the Harris County 2050 Flood Resilience Plan.
TASK FORCE MEETINGS
The seventeen (17) members of the CFRTF are committed to serving the community, and represent the geographic, gender, age, racial, and ethnic diversity of Harris County. These members are flood survivors, community organizers, engineers, advocates, technical experts, working together to reduce flood risk for all Harris County communities.
These members bring an expanded set of skills that are necessary for shifting Harris County’s approach beyond traditional engineering to the full scope of flood resilience. This full set of understanding—from qualitative and quantitative data to nature-based solutions, consensus-building, public health, and community leadership—allows the Task Force to provide holistic feedback on Harris County’s on-going efforts.