9/3/2024 – Today, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) posted six state action-plan amendments for public comment. The amendments reallocate remaining money from federal grants for disasters between 2008 and 2019.

Includes Disaster Recovery Reallocation Program

Each of the six amendments includes a new Disaster Recovery Reallocation Program (DRRP). The DRRP will let the GLO utilize de-obligated and un-utilized funds remaining within the action plan for each disaster.

The $135 million being reallocated pales in comparison to the billions of dollars in unmet needs around the state. Better matching remaining dollars with remaining needs will help create a more resilient Texas. And simplifying the application process will help use up available money before federal deadlines expire.

Action-Plan Amendments, Deadlines, Major Changes

The GLO provided this summary of the deadlines for public comment on each amendment:

• Hurricanes Ike and Dolly Amendment 7
  • Federally required public comment period of 7 days will end at 5:00 PM on September 11, 2024.
• 2015 Floods and Storms Amendment 6
  • Federally required public comment period of 14 days will end at 5:00 PM on September 18, 2024.
• 2016 Floods and Storms Amendment 8
  • Federally required public comment period of 14 days will end at 5:00 PM on September 18, 2024.
• Hurricane Harvey $5.6 Billion Amendment 16
  • Federally required public comment period of 30 days will end at 5:00 PM on October 4, 2024.
  • Includes updates to the Harris County Homeowner Assistance, Residential Buyout, Affordable Rental and Single Family New Construction Programs.
  • Includes updates to the City of Houston Single Family Development and Buyout Programs.
• 2018 South Texas Floods Amendment 2
  • Federally required public comment period of 30 days will end at 5:00 PM on October 4, 2024.
  • Includes updates to the Specific Conditions Report in Appendix H.
• 2019 Disasters Amendment 3
  • Federally required public comment period of 30 days will end at 5:00 PM on October 4, 2024.
  • Includes updates to the Specific Conditions Report in Appendix G.

The six action-plan amendments are available for review at https://recovery.texas.gov/public-notices.

Submit all comments to cdr@recovery.texas.gov by 5:00 p.m. on their respective ending dates.  

$135 Million Reallocated

The Hurricane Ike action plan amendment creates the DRRP. It will utilize remaining program funds from current disaster recovery grants from 2008 to 2019, with the exception of the 2011 Wildfires grant.

DRRP will expedite the expenditure of funds to comply with HUD’s timely expenditure requirements through a call for projects across multiple grants.

Ike Action Plan Amendment, page 2.

Each project will undergo eligibility analysis based on the grant that used to fund it.

As funds continue to be identified through the de-obligation process, they will be added to the DRRP
program. All remaining funds will be reallocated to this program for each grant.

The amounts going into the DRRP “pot” total $135 million. That includes:

• $20,500,000 from 2008 Ike and Dolly
• $4,000,000 to DRRP for May 2015 (DR-4223) and October 2015 (DR-4245)
• $5,500,000 for 2016 Flood (DR-4266, DR-4269, DR-4272)
• $84,500,000 for 2017 Harvey Round 1 
• $6,000,000 for 2018 South Texas Floods
• $14,500,000 for 2019 Disasters

Together, they total $135,000,000. 

Consult Individual Plans for More Details

Based on the Dolly/Ike amendment, GLO will do a single call for projects statewide. Each agency that responds can submit up to two applications, and they will score them based on the published criteria.  

Those criteria total more than 800 pages. Criteria for each of the six amendments are hyperlinked with the amounts above.

While that’s a daunting number of pages to read, GLO provides tables that show where money is going from and to, plus rules that will govern grant awards.

The GLO will perform the eligibility analysis to make applications easier. “We want this to be as simple as possible for applicants, so they will only have to submit one application and have all of the difficult analysis of eligibility and funding streams on our end,” said Brittany Eck, a GLO spokesperson.

If nothing else, these amendments dramatize how complex the flood mitigation process is. Today is 2562 days since Hurricane Harvey. But Hurricane Ike struck Houston on September 11, 2008. That’s 5836 days ago!

How to Submit Public Comments

Submit all comments to cdr@recovery.texas.gov by 5:00 p.m. on their respective ending dates to be considered. GLO requests that you please include the name and number of the action-plan amendments that you’re commenting on in the subject line. 

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/3/24

2562 Days since Hurricane Harvey