Downtown Houston moving forward with repairs since May derecho – Houston Public Media

Since last month’s derecho, recovery of the 10-block area of ​​downtown Houston hardest hit by the storm is moving forward quickly, according to the Downtown Management District.

Kris Larson, head of the Downtown Management District, said streets have reopened,

“We’re about halfway through the reopening process, really it’s block by block,” Larson said.

According to Larson, about two dozen buildings were damaged and about 5,000 windows were broken, which equates to about 20 to 30 tons of glass.

Streets for more than 10 blocks were closed as work crews in buildings smashed remaining windows and covered openings with plywood. As work continues, Larson said people will likely see plywood on more than two dozen damaged skyscrapers for months.

“They have to work with custom glass manufacturers to not only produce it, but deliver it and install it,” he said. “Each of these buildings is competing for the same workforce. So we’re going to install all the glass. of this glass on a contemporary basis. And that’s why it’s going to take so long.

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“There are different situations where you have single pane glass or double pane glass. Then you look at the buildings, some of them will be 40 years old, some of them will be 30, 20, 10 years old,” Larson said. “Each of these buildings has a unique glass composition and design. They will therefore have to rely on manufacturers to reproduce the corresponding glass. »

Despite what happened in a small neighborhood downtown, most of the city, even in the damaged area, remained open and operating.

“Downtown, we were fortunate to conserve power, so our hotels were full,” Larson said.

Larson thanks Houston workers who rallied after the storm to help relieve the area affected by the high winds.

“We brought in seven different contractors. Not only did they step up quickly, but some of them thought they were doing it for free,” Larson said. “And I think it’s just iconic for Houston to be able to respond to these challenges.”

Downtown is open – and was open the night of the storm.

“We had football games that night, the theaters were all up and running, we had a professional football game at Shell Stadium,” he said. “Even though the focus is on serious situations, downtown is this resilient place.”