AUSTIN — Today Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced more than 15,000 homes have received repairs through the Partial Repair and Essential Power for Sheltering (PREPS) program in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This is the first time in Texas history that repairs have been offered as a part of the short-term recovery mission.

"Helping 15,000 Texas homeowners return to their homes after Harvey is a major milestone on our long road to recovery," said Governor Greg Abbott. "Our goal from the beginning, and to this day, remains to get families back into their homes as quickly as possible, and the State of Texas will continue to be relentless in our efforts until that goal is achieved. I thank our partners at FEMA and the Texas General Land Office for their work throughout this rebuilding process and for their commitment to ensuring a full recovery."

"This is the first time in disaster response in Texas that repairs are being offered to help homeowners return home," said Commissioner Bush. "PREPS has offered thousands of homeowners a chance to live at home while working on their full recovery. For more than 15,000 Texas families, this program has provided a jump start to the recovery process. While we continue to facilitate long-term recovery grant funding from the federal government for our local communities, the PREPS program is helping thousands of homeowners to bridge the gap. We are committed to helping Texan families get back home and won't stop working until the job is done."

The PREPS program provides basic repairs that allow homeowners to live in their homes and their communities as they make more permanent repairs to their homes. Up to $20,000 in repairs, including restoring electricity, air conditioning/heating, and hot water, debris removal, limited drywall and insulation, and restoring a functional bathroom and kitchen facilities, have been provided to return the homes to a standard of safe, sanitary and secure.

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