AUSTIN — Today, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) announced the opening of the application process for more than $81 million in disaster recovery funds for infrastructure projects to help Texas communities recover from the 2018 South Texas Floods, Tropical Storm Imelda and the 2019 Lower Rio Grande Valley Flood. The GLO is administering the funds allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.

Based on the funding allocated by HUD for disasters in each of the two years, $19.69 million is available for the 2018 South Texas Floods Infrastructure Competition and $61.43 million is available for the 2019 Disasters Infrastructure Competition. HUD designated a total of 10 counties eligible, with Hidalgo, Cameron and Jim Wells counties qualifying for 2018 funding and Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Chambers, Harris, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Orange and San Jacinto counties qualifying for 2019 funds. The competitions are open to cities and counties located in the eligible areas.

Each applicant may submit a total of two (2) applications, whether applying as the lone applicant or jointly with another jurisdiction(s). Each application must have a total proposed cost between $250,000 to $1 million. All activities must contribute to the long-term recovery and restoration of housing. The GLO recognizes that as part of a comprehensive long-term recovery program, the repair and enhancements of local infrastructure are crucial components. Infrastructure activities are vital not only for the long-term recovery and restoration of housing but for the long-term recovery and viability of communities.

Applications are due at 5:00 pm on August 1, 2022. All applications must be completed through the GLO online portal for the 2018 South Texas Floods Infrastructure Competition or 2019 Disasters Infrastructure Competition, which are linked. More detail can be found in the 2018 South Texas Floods and 2019 Disasters CDBG-DR Infrastructure Competition Application Guide found on the webpages.