The Harris County Flood Control District intends to work with the Texas General Land Office to extend funding deadlines for disaster recovery projects related to Hurricane Harvey, as about half are not on track to meet the timeline, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen told Commissioners Court May 14.
What you need to know
According to a May 1 report from the flood control district, six of the 11 Hurricane Harvey recovery projects have an estimated completion date beyond the GLO’s Feb. 28, 2027, deadline.
Harris County received approximately $322 million as part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s CDBG-DR Program for disaster aid after the 2017 hurricane. HUD granted about $5.67 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds to the state of Texas, which the GLO then funneled to local entities.
Petersen said it quickly became clear that extensions would be necessary, as Harris County formalized its contract with the GLO for the $322 million in 2023—six years after Harvey. While the GLO administers the funds to Texas entities and monitors the progress of projects, HUD ultimately controls the deadlines.
“It is important to note that while these dollars were being repurposed and repackaged, there were no new deadlines that were assigned to these dollars for the GLO or for the flood control district,” Petersen told Commissioners Court.
More details
Petersen said HCFCD will seek a nine-month extension and discuss contingency planning with the GLO. This will not be the first time the flood control district asks for more flexibility, she said.
“Looking at the schedules, we believe that puts us in a very good place, and there may be one, possibly two, projects that go beyond,” she said. “I believe, and in conversations with the GLO, it is clear to me, that we should be focused on only the areas where we need extensions.”
In 2023, Harris County and Texas officials advocated in Washington for a three-year extension from HUD, which ultimately resulted in a two-year extension for the GLO with the possibility of an additional year.
The GLO then gave HCFCD a nine-month extension in March 2025, according to the presentation. Petersen said as part of the agreement, Harris County must demonstrate progress on the disaster recovery projects before asking for additional time.
The May 1 update shows that of the 11 CDBG-DR projects across Harris County:
- Five are under construction
- Four have been awarded contracts or are in the process of finalizing contracts
- Two are still awaiting environmental clearance
Petersen told commissioners one of the biggest challenges with delivering the flood recovery projects on time was changing environmental regulations at the federal level, which forced HCFCD to rethink several projects that had already gone through design.
“This is not something unique to the flood control district—this is something that was happening across the nation,” she said.
The discussion
Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia asked if there is any cause for concern based on HCFCD’s conversations with the GLO, to which Petersen affirmed the flood control district has a “strong problem-solving relationship” with the office.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, who requested the May 1 report during an April 16 Commissioners Court meeting, said HCFCD should have been sharing that level of detail with the GLO from the start.
“I shouldn’t have had to come to Commissioners Court to get support from this court to ask you to provide information to the GLO,” he told Petersen. “That should have been something that would be fairly appropriate, fairly obvious.”
He said while Harris County started with a “not perfect” timeline, there have been internal delays on the county’s part with project bidding and construction. Ramsey also called the construction phase the “real challenge” and said he is “extremely concerned” with HCFCD’s ability to oversee all of the projects on a tight schedule.
Similarly, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said that while she appreciated the updated report, she still has concerns about project delivery.
In response, Petersen said HCFCD provides weekly updates to the GLO, and her team had not received feedback to indicate they were lacking information.
“I desperately want to make sure that they get the right information they are looking for,” she said.
A quick note
HCFCD is also in the process of delivering 17 flood mitigation projects, which received approximately $546 million in federal funding through the CDBG Mitigation Funds Program, according to the flood control district. Harris County has until March 31, 2028, to finish the mitigation projects.
While disaster recovery projects specifically restore areas impacted by Harvey, mitigation projects aim to reduce the risk of flooding countywide during future extreme weather events.
At least 12 projects are scheduled to run past the March 2028 deadline, according to the May 1 report, some of which extend well into 2029.
Petersen said work is underway across several flood mitigation projects, but HCFCD is staying focused on getting CDBG-DR projects across the finish line.
What’s next?
HCFCD’s next report is due to commissioners May 18, and the flood control district will continue to submit updates by the third Monday of each month per Ramsey’s request.
Staff also said HCFCD will post updated project summary sheets each month with milestones related to engineering, construction, spending to date and expected risks, among other information so the public can keep up with the county’s progress.
To learn more about the various recovery and mitigation projects, visit www.hcfcd.org/cdbg.
