Analysis and Evaluation of Hurricane Harvey Disaster using the Four Ways of Thinking Framework

Running head: FOUR WAYS OF THINKING FRAMEWORK
ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF HURRICANE HARVEY DISASTER USING THE
FOUR WAYS OF THINKING FRAMEWORK
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FOUR WAYS OF THINKING FRAMEWORK 2
Analysis and Evaluation of Hurricane Harvey Disaster using the Four Ways of Thinking
Framework
1. Introduction
Hurricane Harvey was the country’s biggest rainstorm, recording the highest wind speed of 215
km/h (130 mph). The disaster hit Texas from Friday night of August 25, 2017 through
September 2, 2017. The category 4 storm flooded more than one-third of Houston, displaced
over 30,000 people, caused $125 billion in damages and 68 fatalities, and affected a total of 13
million people across Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky and Tennessee (Amadeo,
2019). On August 24, 2017, there were some efforts to evacuate people from Houston but the
evacuation buses were not enough. Several cities in Texas were destroyed by Hurricane Harvey
and Houston suffered the most. This paper analyzes various aspects of Hurricane Harvey disaster
that are related to sustainability. The analysis is done using the four ways of thinking framework.
2. Four Ways of Thinking Framework
The four ways of thinking framework are systems thinking, values thinking, futures
thinking and strategic thinking. These ways of thinking help in achieving sustainability
(Warren, Archambault, & Foley, 2015). The analysis and evaluation Hurricane Harvey
based on these four ways of thinking is as follows:
2.1. Systems thinking
System thinking involves analyzing different components of the system, including the
system’s complexity and dynamics. As described by Speaker 9 in ‘The Daily’ podcast, Houston
is a broad, diverse and robust business and development community (Barbaro, 2017). It is a
port town, banking center, a cultural and arts hub, industrial center and oil and gas town with a

FOUR WAYS OF THINKING FRAMEWORK 3
population of about 7 million residents, making it Texas’ most populous city and the U.S.’s
fourth most populous city. The city was built on the verge of a swamp (muddy bayou), making it
vulnerable to flooding from the very beginning. Wetlands have the ability to absorb water but
once they are covered with concrete then other measures should be put in place to direct flow of
surface runoff in case it rains. These measures were not put in place despite Houston being made
a concrete jungle because of development. Houston experienced massive economic growth in the
1950s and 1960s and is still one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. The city has become a
boom town despite the challenges posed by its geography.
After experiencing several floods frequently, Houston residents started asking questions
as to why Houston kept on flooding. Whenever it rained, water had nowhere to go but flood the
city. Before Hurricane Harvey, Houston had suffered several major floods from the time it was
founded. However, little was done to prevent possible damages from these floods. The city had
received signals of flooding, including devastating floods in 2015 and 2016.
Prior to that dreadful night of August 25, 2017, Houston residents had received some
warnings about the rainstorm but they did not take it more seriously. This is probably because
they did not understand the potential dangers of the storm and opted to stay in their homes.
Systems thinking helps to understand the various risks and factors that may have led to
Hurricane Harvey. This would help to put in place appropriate strategies of preventing and/or
mitigating the disaster thus reducing its damages and impacts.
2.2. Values thinking
Values thinking deals with analyzing the values, goals, principles and targets of
sustainability. It also has to do with the relationship between sustainability values and decisions
made by different stakeholders. It is apparent that Houston developers and government agencies