AUSTIN — AUSTIN - Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the Texas General Land Office (GLO) has completed the State of Texas Action Plan detailing eligible uses and allocation of available funding to assist communities with long-term recovery from the compounded floods and other disasters of 2016.The GLO's Community Development and Revitalization program (GLO-CDR) will oversee administration of $222.2 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for recovery efforts in the 71 Texas counties that are eligible as a result of receiving Presidential Declarations for 2016 events in March, April and June.  

"Flood events in Texas over the past two years have had disastrous results in counties representing 76 percent of the state," said Commissioner Bush. "Affected counties are home to nearly 21 million people - a total population greater than the populations of 48 states. The GLO's Community CDR program plays a vital role restoring a sense of comfort and community spirit through these recovery efforts. Our CDR team welcomes feedback from these affected communities to prioritize projects and will work to maximize the use of this disaster recovery funding." 

The HUD requirements, published in the Federal Register identifies Brazoria, Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, and Newton as being designated "Most Impacted Counties" and requires an allocation of 80% of funds, therefore $177.85 million. The remaining 20% of the funds, in the amount of $44,452,800, will be allocated at a later date. Cities, counties, and housing authorities in the declared areas are eligible to apply. 

"My entire district has been heavily impacted by the recent flooding events of 2015 and 2016. In the 2016 disaster, our Deweyville community lost an entire elementary school due to flooding," said Representative James White. "I greatly appreciate the outreach of Commissioner Bush and his team to help my local community prioritize and maximize the use of disaster recovery funds. With the assistance from GLO, I know our community will recover from the disaster stronger than ever."

The plan is available for review at http://texasrebuilds.org/Pages/2016Floods.aspx. The public and all stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback. The comment period will begin Monday, March 13, 2017.

Given the impact of the multiple disasters suffered by Texas in both 2015 and 2016, GLO estimates a combined loss of over $2 billion in unmet long-term recovery needs. The Texas counties impacted by these floods represent 76 percent of the Texas population, or 20.9 million people - a total population greater than that of 48 states. The CDBG-DR allocation made to the State of Texas for the 2015 and 2016 floods totals $364.2 million.

About GLO Community Development & Revitalization 

The CDR program of the Texas General Land Office administers the Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) on behalf of the state of Texas. Funds totaling more than $3.9 billion have been allocated for recovery following Hurricanes Rita, Dolly, and Ike, the 2011 wildfires, and the 2015 and 2016 floods. These grants can be used for a wide variety of activities including housing redevelopment, business assistance, and infrastructure repair. CDR will keep impacted communities informed on developments. Additional information on long-term disaster recovery is available at TexasRebuilds.org.