The Texas Tribune and ProPublica are pleased to present a special event on what needs to be done to safeguard the Houston region against a massive hurricane, one that could have an overwhelming impact well beyond the upper Texas coast. The Houston-Galveston region is home to the nation’s largest petrochemical complex and the Houston Ship Channel, a vital waterway that serves one of the largest ports in the nation and the world. As political and scientific leaders continue to debate an approach, billions of dollars in infrastructure, thousands of people and the economy of Texas face unprecedented dangers.

Join us at the new San Jacinto College Maritime Technology and Training Center in La Porte for a discussion on how the region is at risk, what is being proposed to protect against those risks and what must be done to move a consensus approach forward. Tribune Managing Editor Ayan Mittra will moderate, and ProPublica News Applications Developer Al Shaw will present the immersive multimedia story.

Our panelists are:

• State Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood 
• Chad Burke, president and CEO of the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region 
• Leon Phillips, president of the Galveston County Coalition for Justice
• Len Waterworth, executive professor in the Department of Maritime Administration at Texas A&M University Galveston

Community members will be invited to interact and engage with the project, launching March 3, which will include a mapping feature to explore the potential impact of such a storm at any location within the ship channel region.

This event will be held in the Multipurpose Room on the second floor of the San Jacinto College Maritime Technology and Training Center in LaPorte (map). Parking is available in the parking lot immediately in front of the building. It is free and open to the public. Snacks will be provided.

The conversation will also be livestreamed at texastribune.org/livestream (starting at 6:30pm), and the video will be accessible for viewing afterward.

This event is produced in partnership with ProPublica and presented by the Zachry Group, CenterPoint Energy and Southwest Airlines, the official airline of Texas Tribune Events. It is hosted by San Jacinto College. Media support is provided by Houston Community Newspapers & Media Group as well as the Pasadena Citizen, the Deer Park Broadcaster and the Bay Area Citizen. Tribune events are also supported through contributions from our founding investors and members.

Disclosure: Though donors and corporate sponsors underwrite our events, they play no role in determining the content, panelists or line of questioning.