Houston is slated to get about $30 million in disaster recovery money to help address lasting needs from the February 2021 winter storm — the largest such grant in Texas, federal officials announced Tuesday.
“Today's HUD announcement ensures that Houston and our vulnerable communities have not been forgotten following the historic 2021 winter freeze,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “After the devastating freeze, we estimated 50,000 homes and 400 apartment complexes had busted water pipes. Several people died from hypothermia or carbon monoxide poisoning. Local governments are on the frontlines of disaster response and recovery.”Texas water systems failed during February cold storm.
“Communities have been waiting a long time, and we’re getting these funds out as quickly as we can,” Fudge said. Recipients will work to develop an action plan for their funds, open it for public comment, and then submit it for HUD’s approval. That process can take around a year. It is not yet clear how the city plans to spend the money.
In allocating the grants directly to the city, the feds are allowing Houston officials to bypass the approval of state leaders, with whom they often have clashed about recovery money. HUD has done direct allocations in the past with smaller disasters. Typically, the money flows through the state General Land Office.
“Houston is getting, out of this announcement today, the city itself is getting more than $30 million,” Fudge said.Tuesday’s allocation is small compared to the windfall of disaster recovery money Houston saw after Harvey, which included $1.3 billion in grants. The GLO, which administered those funds, and the city for years have argued about the pace and design of the city’s housing programs in that portfolio. In 2020, the state, a $450 million effort to build multifamily developments.
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