AUSTIN — Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the Texas General Land Office (GLO) approved $718,806 in Hurricane Harvey disaster recovery grants to improve flood and drainage facilities in the city of Silsbee.

"Hurricane Harvey devastated communities across the Texas Coast," said Commissioner Bush. "These recovery funds are critical to improving local infrastructure that will protect 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."

With these funds, Silsbee will be able to increase the flow capacity and resiliency of drainage channels by excavating and cleaning, installing concrete linings, and stabilizing the structure with rocks and cement.

Construction will take place in the following locations:

• Rainbow Circle - west of the south end of Rainbow Circle to the outfall ditch
• Lee Miller Road - east side of Lee Miller Road from Easy Street to the outfall ditch
• Sunset Boulevard - North end of Sunset Boulevard to the outfall ditch
• Twilight Boulevard - North end of Twilight Boulevard to the outfall ditch

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.