TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICE
Community Development & Revitalization
CDBG-DR
George P. Bush, Commissioner
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This Newsletter Includes:
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- Commissioner Bush and the GLO Award Initial Round of Hurricane Harvey Long Term Recovery Funding to Hardest Hit Areas:
- $35.4 Million in Funds For Flood Buyouts in Harris County
- $6.5 Million in Funds To Rebuild Harvey Damaged Housing in Rockport
- GLO And UT Release Housing Needs Survey
- Houston Residents Praise GLO's PREPS Program
- Local COG's Hosting GLO Harvey Funding Meetings
- Commissioner Bush Hosted Conference Call to Prepare Texans for Active Hurricane Season
- Department of Homeland Security Disaster Checklist
- Recovery Updates by County
- PREPS Numbers by County
- Statewide Recovery Progress Report
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"We work to rebuild communities, to put Texans back
in their homes, and to help businesses recover
after the trauma of disaster."
George P. Bush
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COMMISSIONER BUSH AND THE GLO AWARD INITIAL ROUND OF HURRICANE HARVEY
LONG TERM RECOVERY FUNDING
TO HARDEST HIT AREAS:
COMMISSIONER BUSH AWARDS $35.4 MILLION IN
FUNDS FOR FLOOD BUYOUTS IN HARRIS COUNTY:
Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the awarding of
$35.4 million
in Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds for Harris County to initiate a buyout program for repeatedly flooded homes in Harris County. The money is being awarded from
$57.8 million
in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) CDBG-DR funds designated for previous events and held back in the case of an event in 2017. When Hurricane Harvey made landfall, Commissioner Bush made a request to HUD to release the allocation of funds.
"The GLO is moving forward with our recovery efforts as quickly as possible to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey," said Commissioner Bush. "We remain steadfast in our commitment to advocate for and expedite federal housing and infrastructure funds to help Texans recover and rebuild stronger."
According to the National Flood Insurance Program data, Harris County had the highest number of properties - more than 3,000 - that flooded during Hurricane Harvey and have flooded at least one prior time. HUD designated Harris County as the sole most impacted county for this allocation to receive 80% of the total allocation. The GLO awarded
$35.4 million
to fund a housing buyout program, which will to prevent as many homes as possible from being rebuilt in harm's way.
These funds will be administered by Harris County in partnership with the Harris County Flood Control District and will be used to acquire up to 160 single family homes and assist families in moving out of high flood risk areas. The areas acquired through the housing buyouts will be used for floodplain preservation, to include drainage improvements.
To date, the GLO has awarded
$42 million
of the recently approved
$57.8 million
State Action Plan to help Texas communities recover from the devastation from Hurricane Harvey. On Friday, June 1, the GLO submitted Amendment 1 to HUD for approval. Once approved by HUD, an addition
$8,000,000
will be available to Harris County for additional flood buyouts.
Harris County Housing Buy Out Program Contact Information:
Phone Number:
832-927-4961
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COMMISSIONER BUSH AWARDS $6.5 MILLION IN FUNDS TO REBUILD RENTAL HOUSING IN ROCKPORT DAMAGED BY HURRICANE HARVEY
:
Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced
$6.5 million
in Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to help replace damaged and destroyed apartment complexes in Rockport, one of the coastal cities hardest hit by Hurricane Harvey. The money is being awarded by the Texas General Land Office (GLO) from
$57.8 million
in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) CDBG-DR funds designated for previous events and held back in the case of an event in 2017. When Hurricane Harvey made landfall, Commissioner Bush made a request to HUD to release the allocation of funds.
$10 million
of the allocation was set aside for multifamily housing in the Coastal Bend.
"The GLO is moving forward as quickly as possible to help those displaced by Hurricane Harvey come back home to Rockport," said Commissioner Bush. "We remain steadfast in our commitment to expedite federal housing and infrastructure funds to help Texans recover and rebuild stronger."
The
$6.5 million
will fund two large multifamily housing developments:
- $1.5 million to rehabilitate 48 apartments in the Oak Harbor Apartments
- $5 million to reconstruct 50 apartments in the Salt Grass Apartments
To deliver financial support to the hardest hit communities as fast as possible, the GLO created a 5-day application window for the
$10 million
in funding, available to Aransas, Refugio and Nueces Counties. Those applicants who applied within the 5-day window received prioritization with remaining dollars available for an extended application period beyond the five days. The remaining funds will be awarded soon.
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GLO AND UT RELEASE HOUSING NEEDS SURVEY:
ASSESSMENT FOR HURRICANE HARVEY SURVIVORS
The GLO has partnered with researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) Bureau of Business Research, part of the IC2 Institute to develop a survey to assess regional needs of Hurricane Harvey victims. The survey, conducted by UT, will use various outreach methods including social media, phone calls, GLO websites, emails, and FEMA communication.
The survey will be open for three weeks, and the results will be analyzed
for the GLO in early June.
The survey can be shared through the following link:
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HOUSTON RESIDENTS PRAISE
GLO'S PREPS PROGRAM:
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To watch the full video, click the following link:
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LOCAL COG'S HOSTING GLO
HARVEY FUNDING MEETINGS:
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Given the size of the impacted area and how Hurricane Harvey impacted each region differently, local control through a regional approach is vital to long-term recovery. Each COG will develop local Method of Distribution of funds for buyout/acquisitions and infrastructure projects in their region and will host public hearings.
UPCOMING MEETINGS THROUGH 6/20 INCLUDE:
*Please note:
Meetings taking place after 6/20 will be announced next week
- CAPCOG HUD CDBG-DR Public Hearing June 19, 6:00 P.M. Bastrop County Courthouse Annex
- AACOG Public Planning Meeting June 18th 10:00AM - 12:00PM Karnes County, Karnes Annex
- AACOG Public Hearing July 6th 10:00AM Guadalupe County, Seguin Events Center
- CTCOG Public Hearing June 15th from 2:00PM-4:00PM Milam County Courthouse
- BVCOG HUD CDBG-DR Public Hearing June 13th 1:30PM BCVOG Office Bryan, TX
H-GAC MOD Meetings:
- Public Planning Meeting Thursday, June 7, 2018 – 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Liberty County Community Center, 318 San Jacinto, Liberty, TX
- H-GAC Board of Directors Meeting Tuesday, June 19th – 10 a.m. to 11a.m. – Houston Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons Lane, Houston, TX
Coastal Bend COG MOD Meetings:
- Tuesday, June 19, 2018, 10:00AM at The Aquarium Education Center at Rockport Harbor, 706 Navigation Circle, Rockport, Texas, 78382
- Tuesday, June 19, 2018, 3:00PM at Port Aransas Civic Center, 710 W Ave A, Port Aransas, Texas, 78373
Golden Crescent MOD Meetings:
- Monday, June 18, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. at the Victoria Tower Conference Room located at 1908 N. Laurent, 2nd Floor, Victoria, Texas, 77901
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JUNE 1 MARKED THE FIRST DAY OF HURRICANE SEASON: COMMISSIONER BUSH HOSTED
CONFERENCE CALL TO PREPARE
TEXANS FOR ACTIVE SEASON:
Commissioner George P. Bush sent a letter to and held a conference call with elected officials in Texas' communities with information to help constituents be prepared for the 2018 Hurricane Season. He informed local leaders of the work the General Land Office is doing to help communities prepare and recover more quickly should a disaster strike.
"Experts anticipate an above-average season with 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes, three of which are expected to be major," said Commissioner Bush. "Six Presidential Disaster Declarations have been issued for Texas in the past three years. These disasters should serve as a reminder that Texans must prepare for the hurricane season, and the most effective response and recovery begins at the local level."
GLO staff has and will continue to conduct training and outreach throughout the state, focusing on pre- and post-disaster recovery planning. The GLO encourages all jurisdictions to participate in training for disaster recovery planning.
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The GLO provides resources to assist communities as we prepare for
the hurricane season and other hazardous events at:
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY DISASTER CHECKLIST:
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Build A Kit | Disaster Supplies
After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for at least 72 hours. Make sure your emergency kit is stocked with items on the checklist below...
Read more
www.ready.gov
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FROM JOINT FIELD OFFICE (JFO) TO
TEXAS RECOVERY OFFICE (TRO):
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FEMA thanks the GLO for being a great partner in Texas recovery efforts at their ceremony celebrating the transition from the "Joint Field Office" to the "Texas Recovery Office."
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HURRICANE HARVEY COUNTY
RECOVERY UPDATES:
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41-COUNTY RECOVERY:
Please click the following link to access the most
up-to-date dashboards for Hurricane Harvey impacted areas.
*Please note:
If the link doesn't work in your email,
copy and paste into browser.
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To see PREPS Hurricane Harvey
affected counties reports,
click the following link:
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PREPS Homes Under Construction: 198
(as of 6/4/18)
PREPS Homes Completed: 15,508
(as of 6/4/18)
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STATEWIDE PROGRESS REPORT:
HURRICANE HARVEY RECOVERY UPDATE AS OF 6/4/18
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Department of Homeland Security
Disaster Preparedness
FEMA Disaster Preparedness
(voice, 711/VRS-Video Relay Service).
American Red Cross
Department of Housing and
Urban Development
Texas Division of Emergency
Management
National Flood Insurance
Program Flood
Texas Department of
Insurance
Small Business
Administration
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DISASTER RECOVERY RESOURCES:
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Survivors May Register in
Many Ways:
• (TTY:
800-462-7585
). Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).
• Visiting a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). Find the location of nearby DRCs online at
www.fema.gov/DRC
.
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Find Resources on
Social Media:
FEMA – Hurricane Harvey:
Twitter: @FEMARegion6
Twitter: @RebuildTXtoday
Texas General Land Office:
Twitter: @txglo
Instagram: @glotx
Download A Copy of The Hurricane Harvey Recovery Guide:
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Important Contacts:
Federal Agencies:
FEMA Fraud Hotline:
(800) 323-8603
Internal Revenue Service:
(800) 829-1040, TTY (800) 829-4059
Social Security Administration:
(800) 772-1213
Department of Veterans Affairs:
(800) 827-1000
State Agencies:
Texas General Land Office:
(844) 893-8937; or (512) 475-5000
Consumer Protection Help Line:
(800) 621-0508
Texas Windstorm Insurance Assoc. & Texas FAIR Plan:
(877) 281-1431 or Spanish: (866) 443-3144
Texas Dept. of Insurance Consumer Help Line:
(800) 252-3439
Shelter, Food, and Disaster Services:
2-1-1
Education Hotline for Houston, Beaumont and Victoria areas:
(512) 463-9603
Governor Abbott's Information Hotline:
(800) 843-5789
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TexasRebuilds.com
(512) 475-5000
Texas General Land Office
P.O. Box 12873
Austin, Texas 78711-2873
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