40% ready to leave Houston unless more is done about severe weather, new survey shows

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- While Census numbers show more people are moving to Houston, a new survey shows even more want to move out because of severe weather.

When it comes to dealing with storms like Hurricane Beryl, a new survey shows 40% of Houston-area residents say they're over it. A new survey from the Kinder Institute at Rice found that's how many people may move because of severe weather.

"It speaks to the psychology, to the mentality, to the resilience that people may be feeling in the face of the upcoming hurricane season," Kinder Institute at Rice's Daniel Potter explained.

On Thursday, a council committee heard from Potter on the findings of the survey. Researchers told leaders that people aren't just tired of how storms impact their lives, they struggle to afford to bounce back.

"Recovery was related to income," Potter said. "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 for those making more than $100,000."

To help neighbors, the council will soon consider how to spend $315 million the city received from the federal government in disaster recovery money. Almost half of it would go to generators for recovery centers.

None of it, though, would go towards home repair programs.

"I think that it's not in this package that we're ignoring home repair," City Councilmember Sallie Alcorn explained. "I think we're going to find other monies to work on home repair."

Assistance researchers told leaders their survey shows neighbors need. Because for some, it's not just repairs they struggle to afford, but creating a kit to survive Houston's severe weather.

"For many Houston-area residents that are doing that paycheck-to-paycheck kind of living, that is just not a great option for them," Potter said.

Another area the survey found people here struggle with is making an emergency plan. Experts said it's free, and you just need a pen and paper.

Write it out, and include items like where you'd go, important phone numbers, and pet information. This way, if the power goes out, you have access to it.

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