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Freeport, Texas: Building a Flood-Resistant Future After Hurricane Harvey

  //house-home.news-articles.net/content/2026/02/1 .. ood-resistant-future-after-hurricane-harvey.html
  Published in House and Home on Tuesday, February 17th 2026 at 2:09 GMT by CultureMap Austin
      Locales: Texas, UNITED STATES

FREEPORT, Texas (February 17th, 2026) - Seven years after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey, the small Texas beach town of Freeport is no longer simply recovering from disaster, but proactively building against it. What began as a necessity born of widespread destruction has evolved into a nationally recognized initiative: the construction of an entirely new community of flood-resistant homes, designed to withstand not only future hurricanes but the accelerating impacts of climate change and rising sea levels.

In 2017, Harvey's landfall near Freeport brought catastrophic flooding, crippling the coastal community, located approximately one hour south of Houston. The damage was extensive, impacting homes, businesses, and vital infrastructure. But instead of replicating pre-Harvey construction, Freeport's leadership, spearheaded by Mayor Tom Koch, took a bold step: a commitment to building "back better."

The 'Better' in question isn't merely about aesthetic improvements or updated amenities. Freeport's approach is fundamentally about resilience - designing a community capable of absorbing the shock of increasingly frequent and intense storms. The core of this strategy lies in innovative construction techniques. Gone are the days of building at grade. New homes in Freeport are being erected on significantly elevated foundations, lifting living spaces above projected flood levels. This isn't simply a matter of raising structures on stilts, however. Engineers are employing advanced foundation designs that distribute weight more evenly and minimize erosion risks.

Beyond elevation, the project prioritizes resilient building materials. Traditional wood framing is being supplemented, and in many cases replaced, with materials like concrete, fiber cement siding, and closed-cell spray foam insulation. These materials are not only more durable in high winds and floodwaters but also resist mold and mildew - significant health hazards following inundation. Furthermore, drainage systems are being completely overhauled, incorporating larger capacity storm drains and strategically placed retention ponds to manage heavy rainfall and prevent standing water.

"We realized that simply rebuilding the way we always had wasn't a sustainable solution," explains Mayor Koch. "We're facing a new reality, and we need to adapt. This isn't just about houses; it's about the future of our community, the well-being of our citizens, and ensuring Freeport thrives for generations to come."

The Freeport initiative has drawn considerable attention from coastal communities nationwide, many of whom are facing similar threats. Denise Hamilton, a coastal resilience expert at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), calls Freeport's approach "a game-changer." She notes that while flood mitigation strategies have been employed in the past, Freeport is the first community to integrate these measures on a large scale, essentially building an entire neighborhood specifically engineered for resilience. Hamilton and her team at NOAA are actively studying the Freeport project, hoping to extract data and best practices that can be applied to other vulnerable areas.

The project's success hinges on securing adequate funding. Freeport is pursuing a multi-faceted funding strategy, leveraging state and federal disaster recovery programs, attracting private investment from developers committed to sustainable building, and collaborating with non-profit organizations focused on climate resilience. The town has also actively sought grants from foundations dedicated to environmental protection and community development. Recent successes in securing federal infrastructure funding have allowed the project to accelerate, with the first phase of construction - 50 flood-resistant homes - expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

However, challenges remain. The cost of building flood-resistant homes is inherently higher than traditional construction, raising concerns about affordability and potential displacement of long-term residents. Freeport is addressing this issue through a combination of strategies, including offering financial assistance to homeowners, incentivizing developers to include affordable housing units in the new community, and exploring innovative financing mechanisms like resilience bonds.

Looking ahead, Freeport aims to expand the flood-resistant housing initiative beyond the initial 50 homes, eventually transforming the entire town into a beacon of coastal resilience. The lessons learned in Freeport are not just applicable to Texas or the Gulf Coast; they represent a crucial step forward in adapting to a changing climate and safeguarding coastal communities around the world.