Orange County approved for more than $4 million in disaster recovery buyout funds
Published 9:25 am Wednesday, July 8, 2020
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AUSTIN – Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the Texas General Land Office (GLO) approved $4,042,406 in Hurricane Harvey funds to conduct a buyout program for approximately 17 homes located in a floodplain or repetitive flood areas in Orange County on Wednesday. These communities were overwhelmed by Hurricane Harvey as heavy rainfall caused flooding of streets and homes, threatening public health, safety, and welfare.
“Hurricane Harvey devastated communities across the Texas Coast,” said Commissioner Bush. “These recovery funds are critical to protecting lives, homes and businesses from future storms. We continue to work with our partners in communities across the region to leverage these resources efficiently and effectively to benefit Texans affected by Hurricane Harvey.”
Commissioner George P. Bush and the Texas General Land Office was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to lead the historic Hurricane Harvey housing recovery efforts funded by $5.676 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The GLO allocated $413 million of the allocation for infrastructure projects to protect communities affected by the storm. The GLO allocated the funds to regional Council of Governments’ (COGs) based on a HUD approved needs assessment. The locally-led COGs then conducted methods of distribution (MODs) for determining infrastructure and buyout and acquisition amounts for cities and counties within each jurisdiction. COG boards are comprised of officials from the impacted communities elected in part to prioritize funds allocated for recovery programs. The MOD process requires public engagement and the GLO reviewed each MOD for compliance with federal rules and requirements before approving each plan.
