The Office of the County Engineer (OCE), with direction from the Harris County Commissioners Court, established the Recovery and Resiliency Division (RRD) in 2018.

The mission of RRD is to reduce flooding of residential structures by improving the internal drainage systems and related infrastructure (instead of buyouts) that carry stormwater from neighborhoods to major drainage channels or bayous.

Internal drainage systems include underground storm sewer systems and roadside ditches and are typically the responsibility of the underlying municipality, utility district, and/or Harris County in unincorporated areas.

OCE develops drainage improvement recommendations, conducts community outreach meetings, and prepares preliminary engineering reports to support the advancement of these projects toward final design and construction.

RRD works in coordination with the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD), Precincts, Purchasing and funding partners. Once the project has begun, RRD oversees the construction to ensure it is completed efficiently.