AUSTIN – On Monday, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced awarding $5,993,387 in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to Austin County and the cities of Sealy and Wallis for infrastructure projects.
The $5,993,387 will fund:
- $2 million for road and drainage improvements in Austin County Precinct 4
- $1,993,387 for drainage improvements in Sealy
- $2 million for the creation of a drainage system in Wallis
“Texas has faced more than its fair share of natural disasters and the floods of 2016 are no exception,” said Commissioner Bush. “The GLO continues to partner with local communities to administer long-term recovery funds for both housing and infrastructure. Projects to be funded have been prioritized by local leaders in affected communities to help address ongoing housing needs and harden infrastructure to mitigate against future flooding events.”
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) encouraged 2016 disaster-impacted communities to submit applications for long-term recovery projects for funding consideration. The awards were based on scoring and ranking of submitted project applications from eligible entities in 66 Texas counties during the 120-day application period. Eligible entities included cities, counties and local housing authorities.
Background
HUD awarded Texas $238.9 million in disaster recovery funds for 2016 in three separate allocations appropriated by Congress in September and December of 2016 and May of 2017. Of those funds, HUD designated that 80 percent, or $160.8 million, must be awarded to the HUD declared “most impacted counties” of Brazoria, Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery and Newton. This $40.2 million was awarded for projects in the remaining counties not designated by HUD as most-impacted. For more information regarding eligibility and application process, please visit Recovery.Texas.Gov.