Cmr. George P. Bush announces more than $17.4 million in flood mitigation and home acquisition funding for Fort Bend County

Contact: Brittany Eck
(512) 463-5708
Brittany.Eck@GLO.Texas.gov
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PRESS RELEASE — Mar 25, 2020

AUSTIN — Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the Texas General Land Office (GLO) approved $17,417,192 in Hurricane Harvey funds for Fort Bend County to make flood and drainage improvements and conduct a home acquisition program. Several communities in Fort Bend 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."

Fort Bend County will use approximately $13 million of the funds to widen and deepen about 5.5 miles of the existing Big Creek watershed channel from TX-10 Spur to Minonite Road. Additionally, about $4.3 million is allocated to acquire approximately 19 non-residential properties located in a floodplain or repetitive flood areas in Fort Bend County.

Texas GLO Hurricane Harvey Recovery Funds:

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.

To review the approved MODs, please visit https://recovery.texas.gov/action-plans/hurricane-harvey/index.html.



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