“Building long-term resiliency is much more than disaster response. It’s about enabling the people of our city to thrive.”

US Country Chair Bruce Culpepper
Down town Houston street scape with storm clouds in the distance.
Through the city’s membership in the 100RC Network, Houston will be provided with resources necessary to develop a roadmap of resilience.

Nearly a year after Hurricane Harvey, the City of Houston joined the 100 Resilient Cities Network – Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation (100RC), sponsored through $1.8 million in funding by Shell Oil Company (Shell).

The 100RC Network is a $164 million global effort to bolster resilience around the world. The organization aims to help cities become more resilient to physical shocks such as earthquakes, fires and floods—as well as chronic social and economic stresses, such as public transit, housing, and city infrastructure.

City of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the sponsorship at City Hall in Houston on August 29, accompanied by the President of 100RC, Michael Berkowitz and Shell Oil Company President and US Country Chair Bruce Culpepper.

Culpepper spoke about the city’s post-recovery climate, saying, “A year after Hurricane Harvey, Houstonians can clearly say we didn’t let the storm get the best of us. Nevertheless, there’s still work to be done across a wide range of challenges that we share as a community.”

Through the city’s membership in the 100RC Network, Houston will be provided with resources necessary to develop a roadmap of resilience. The sponsorship funds a grant from 100RC to hire a Chief Resilience Officer to lead resilience efforts in Houston, technical support to develop a holistic Resilience Strategy, and access to an innovative platform of private sector/NGO services to support strategy development and implementation for years to come. Inclusion in the 100RC Network also facilitates knowledge and best practice sharing with other member cities.

Citing Shell’s legacy in the area, Culpepper noted, “Building long-term resiliency is much more than disaster response. It’s about enabling the people of our city to thrive. We’ve been in the Gulf Coast for 100 years. Houston is the home of the Shell’s US headquarters, and Texas is home to roughly 11,000 Shell employees and 9,000 retirees. We look to support those working on innovative solutions to ensure the longevity of and strengthen the communities in and around our operations.”

To learn more about Shell’s participation in the communities in which we live and work, click here. To explore more about Houston’s membership in the 100RC Network, click here.

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