AUSTIN — Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush is reminding those interested that the federally-mandated 30-day public comment period for Amendment 1 to the State Action Plan for Hurricane Harvey recovery, which includes local plans detailing the distribution and eligible uses of $2.3 billion in direct allocations for Harris County and the City of Houston, will close at 5 p.m. on Oct. 6, 2018.

"Torrential rains and historic flood levels left many homes in Harris County and Houston damaged or destroyed in the wake of Hurricane Harvey," Commissioner Bush said. "As a native Houstonian it is my honor to work with my fellow Texans to help residents of the Bayou City and Harris County throughout the recovery process. The Texas General Land Office remains steadfast in our commitment to working together to help all Texans recover and rebuild."

The State Action Plan for the $5.024 total allocation of Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds was approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on June 25, 2018. The amendment includes the two local plans for Harris County ($1.115 billion total) and City of Houston ($1.155 billion total) to repair homes and for affordable rental programs, in accordance with HUD requirements as outlined in the Federal Register posted on Feb. 9, 2018. The amendment also includes administrative funding, in addition to the program funding, in the amount of more than $16.7 million for Harris County and more than $20.8 million for the City of Houston for implementation of the programs.

All public comments received prior to 5:00 pm on Oct. 6, 2018, will be considered. Harris County, the City of Houston and the GLO will coordinate to respond to all comments prior to final submission of Amendment 1 to HUD for authorization and approval. To review the local plans, please visit Amendment 1 of the State Action Plan at http://recovery.texas.gov/public-notices/notice-and-opportunity-to-comment-on-amendment-1-hurricane-harvey-5-024-billion-allocation-action-plan.html.

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. At the time, Hurricane Harvey was still over most of the greater Southeast Texas region and the extent of the storm's damage. On Sept. 8, 2017, 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. To date, the GLO estimates more than $105 billion in unmet need in Texas as a direct result of Hurricane Harvey. HUD recently released guidance for an additional $652 million for remaining unmet housing needs. Guidance for an additional $4.3 billion for mitigation projects is anticipated to be released soon. The GLO 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 Recovery.Texas.Gov.

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