Harris County expects to receive about $61 million this fall in federal
community development block grant disaster recovery funding to help cover damage caused by last spring's floods.
The city of Katy could see between $1 million and $2 million for its unmet flood damage needs while unincorporated Harris County can expect $12 million to $17 million, according to Christy Lambright, assistant director of planning in the Harris County Community Services Department.
“This grant is for unmet needs, things you have not already done,” she said. “Katy has a retention pond that needs to be put in, for example. Some lift stations need generators [and] road beds [were] deteriorated by flood waters.”
The damage must have been reported by either the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, or individual assistance firms, Lambright said. Harris County previously received CDBG disaster recovery funds for flooding events after Hurricane Ike and in 2015, but this is the first year the city of Katy is getting a share of the funding, Katy Emergency Management Coordinator Maria Galvez said.
“We recovered very well as a city,” Galvez said.
Community development block grants are given to municipalities to boost economic development and help low- to middle-income individuals. The grants come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development but the Texas General Land Office will deliver the money to Harris County, Lambright said.
Other beneficiaries include Houston, Jersey Village, Tomball, Humble, Pasadena and Baytown. Houston will also receive between $12 million and $17 million, while the other cities can expect $1 million to $2 million, Lambright said.
The county will have two public hearings on its plan for putting the grants to use after all unmet needs are reported. The city of Katy received an extension, giving residents a deadline of July 31 to report their unmet flood damage from the 2016 flooding events to the
Office of Emergency Management at 281-574-8633.