BEAUMONT, Texas — Texas will soon have $4 billion in new flood-prevention funding, according to Gov. Greg Abbott.
The funds were approved by Congress in 2018 for mitigation projects in areas affected by Hurricane Harvey as well as floods in 2015 and 2016.
Gov. Abbott says that the Texas General Land Office and Commissioner George P. Bush will lead the program.
“The state of Texas is committed to making our communities more resilient to natural disasters,” Governor Abbott said in a news release. “Today we are pushing forward with the single-largest mitigation program our state has ever seen
Since 2015, 183 Texas counties have received a Presidential disaster declaration due to flooding.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant for Mitigation comprises more than $4 billion in funding for "large-scale, regional projects that increase the state’s resilience to disasters statewide, protect lives and mitigate against future hurricanes and other natural disasters," according to a statement issued by Abbott's office.
Abbott said the funds will be focused on reducing “long-term risk of loss of life, injury, damage to and loss of property, and suffering and hardship, by lessening the impact of future disasters.”
Flood Money Distribution
- $4,074,456,000 for Hurricane Harvey
- $169,748,000 for 2016 Floods
- $52,985,000 for 2015 Floods
KHOU 11 in Houston reports that neither the city of Houston or Harris County will manage how the funding is distributed.
“Houston and Harris County have proven that they are unable to ensure victims are receiving resources in a timely manner," Abbott spokesman John Wittman said Friday.
