Harvard Public Health

August 31, 2017 — Tropical storm Harvey has caused devastating flooding around Houston, Texas since making landfall as a hurricane on August 26. The storm has dumped nearly 50 inches of rain—and is being blamed for more than two dozen deaths—though that number is likely to rise. Houston is now assessing the damage as Harvey moves to Louisiana. In this week's episode we speak with Richard Serino, distinguished visiting fellow at the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Kennedy School and former deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Serino says that the focus in Texas and Louisiana right now is still on saving lives—then emergency responders can turn their attention to a recovery that is likely to take years.