AUSTIN — Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the comment period for the State Action Plan has been extended to May 1, 2018. The plan details the distribution and eligible uses of $5.024 billion in Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) including U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements as outlined in the Federal Register posted on February 9, 2018.

Action Plan available for review at
http://www.glo.texas.gov/recovery/reports/action-plans/index.html

"Hurricane Harvey disrupted the lives of countless coastal Texans," said Commissioner George P. Bush. "Throughout the recovery process, the GLO has continuously worked with local leaders and residents in all 49 of the affected counties to keep everyone informed while expediting the release of disaster recovery funds. We remain steadfast in our commitment to working together to help Texans recover and rebuild."

All public comments received prior to 5:00 pm on May 1, 2018, will be considered. The GLO will respond to these comments prior to final submission of the document to HUD for authorization and approval. For more information on the State Action Plan, please review the original press release from April 10, 2018, announcing the public comment period. 

Background on $5.024 billion CDBG-DR funding allocation: Three days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall, Commissioner Bush submitted a letter to President Donald J. Trump and key members of his Cabinet describing $180 billion in damage to the state of Texas and estimating at least $40 billion in unmet need to the state. On September 8th, President Trump signed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018, and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017, which included $7.4 billion appropriated to HUD for long-term recovery. HUD then allocated $5.024 billion of the appropriations to Hurricane Harvey - the single largest allocation of its kind for any event. To date, the GLO estimates more than $60 billion in unmet need in Texas as a direct result of Hurricane Harvey. The GLO anticipates additional allocations from HUD from the recent Congressional appropriation of nearly $90 billion in disaster relief funds for all disasters occurring in 2017 and will continue to work with local, state and federal partners to ensure funding is available to continue recovery efforts.

About GLO Community Development and Revitalization (CDR): In addition to short-term housing in partnership with FEMA, the CDR division of the Texas General Land Office administers the Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) on behalf of the state of Texas. More than $9 billion have been allocated for recovery following Hurricanes Rita, Dolly, and Ike, the 2011 wildfires, the 2015 and 2016 floods and Hurricane Harvey. These grants can be used for a wide variety of activities including housing redevelopment, infrastructure repair and long-term planning. For more information, please visit TexasRebuilds.org.

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