The document summarizes the findings and recommendations of the Governor's Commission to Rebuild Texas following Hurricane Harvey in 2017. It discusses that the commission was formed by Governor Abbott to analyze the impact of Harvey and provide recommendations. The commission's report identifies ways to improve disaster response and recovery in Texas, such as reorganizing emergency management, applying lessons learned to future recovery efforts, and utilizing new technologies. It provides several key recommendations, including establishing a recovery task force and future-proofing Texas against flooding.

2. Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas
• Hurricane Harvey made landfall
on August 25,2017.
• Gov.Abbott announcedthe
creation of theGovernor’s
Commission to Rebuild Texas
on September 7, 2018.
• Chancellor Sharp was named the
sole Commissioner.
• Resources of the TexasA&M
University System were
committed to the recovery
process.

3. Report Status
• Culmination of one year of work by
the commission.
• It includes atechnical analysis of the
impact of the storm byTAMU-
Galveston.
• Also included are recommendations
for improving state disaster response
and recovery based on the
commission’s work.
• It involved contributions from the
System,TAMU,TAMU-Galveston,
TDEM,TEEX,AgriLife Extension, TFS,
Veterinary Medicine, RiceUniversity,
the private sector, and local officials.

4. Report Findings
• First, we found that Texas is the best in the nation
in its ability respond to disasters, but we also
identified ways that we can improve through more
efficient organization, more effective coordination,
better information and applying emerging
technologies.
• Second, we need to apply the lessons of Harvey to
the strategies we use to begin the recovery in the
critical days and weeks following a future disaster.
• Third, we need to streamline and improve our
longer-term approach to recovery.

5. Report Findings Continue
• Fourth, we need to be better prepared and recommend
ways to do that.
• Fifth, we need to provide local governments, Texas
businesses and individual Texans with better and more
accessible information, and we need to develop our
communities in ways that don’t expose homeowners and
businesses to risks that only become apparent when
disaster strikes.
• Finally, we need to begin the vital work of future-
proofing Texas, and we need to develop a more
organized method of approaching this imposing task.

6. Report Recommendations
• In total, there are 44
recommendations.
• These have been
reviewed with Gov.
Abbott’s Office and the
Division of Emergency
Management.
• Recommendations are tied
to findings.

7. Key Recommendations
• #1-Reorganize emergency management
functions to unify the most critical
response and recovery functions.
• #12-Institutionalize the use of extension
agents from the Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension Service as a “force extender” in
support of the Texas Division of Emergency
Management.
• #13-Use available state resources to create a
recovery task force in support of TDEM to
provide specialized assistance for
communities to speed up recovery.
• #14-Set up a response team at the state
level to respond to questions and other
inquiries from local emergency
management officials.

8. Key Recommendations, continued
• #24-Establish a special study committee
to evaluate and propose options for a
state-local partnership to help future-proof
Texas against flooding.
• #29-Review current training courses
to strengthen training for recovery
operations for state and local emergency
management personnel. (TEEX)
• #34-Collaborate with Congress and
federal agencies to improve disaster
management laws and policies.
• #36-40-Apply new technologies to disaster
response and recovery.
• #27-Develop a comprehensive inventory
of needed ”future-proofing” projects to
pursue as funding permits (TDEM, GCRT).

9. Planning for the Future
• 86th Legislative session has introduced several bills regarding future
proofing Texas recommendations as they relate to Eye of the Storm
Report.
• Some of the recommendations in the report are already being
implemented.
• Executive Order GA-05.

10. Questions?