Houston, TX has always had an eye for new technology and innovation. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey; however, local officials learned just how helpful these tools can be during a storm and after when it is time to rebuild. Jesse Bounds, director of innovation for the City of Houston, relayed several examples of the ways Houston residents used technology during and after the storm, including:
- The local tech community of civic hackers developed ad-hoc technologies to address citizens’ immediate needs;
- Volunteers used crowdsourcing tools to rescue 7,000 households;
- Houston-area public agencies used open-sourced platforms and social media websites like Nextdoor to share critical emergency communications; and
- Houston leaders are currently partnering with The Atlas Marketplace to learn how other cities are building back even better after a natural disaster.