More than $285 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding will assist in long-term recovery efforts from severe flooding in South Texas and the Lower Rio Grande Valley and from Tropical Storm Imelda in Southeast Texas.
The counties of Cameron, Chambers, Harris, Hidalgo, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Orange, San Jacinto, and Willacy are set to receive $212.74 million to allocate for 2019 disaster recovery.
Under the plans, Hidalgo, Cameron, and Jim Wells are set to receive $72.91 million for their recovery from 2018 South Texas floods.
Details of this program are:
- Homeowner Assistance Program ($31.7 million): Rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged owner-occupied single-family homes.
- Homeowner Reimbursement Program ($3.47 million): Eligible expenses and Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster home loans.
- Affordable Rental Program ($10.11 million): Rehabilitation, reconstruction, and new construction of affordable multifamily housing projects. Maximum award is $10 million per development.
- Infrastructure Competition ($19.69 million): Disaster relief, long-term recovery, and restoration of infrastructure for local communities. Each applicant may submit a total of two applications, whether applying as the lone applicant or jointly with another jurisdiction(s). Each application must consist of one project. Minimum award is $250,000 and maximum award is $1 million.
- Local, Regional, and State Planning ($3.64 million): Funding for regional and statewide planning studies and tools that work to reduce risks and impacts of future disasters.
For both plans, funds must be spent within six years. Eighty percent of the allocations must address unmet needs in the HUD-designated Most Impacted and Distressed county. At least 70 percent of CDBG-DR funds must benefit low- and moderate-income individuals.