Texas to receive nearly $58 million in federal housing funds after Harvey
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the Texas Army National Guard arrive in Houston to aid citizens in areas heavily flooded by the storms of Hurricane Harvey Aug. 27, 2017. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by 1st Lt. Zachary West)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is allocating to Texas $57.8 million in additional funds for clearing housing from areas flooded by Hurricane Harvey.
Neal Rackleff is HUD's assistant secretary for community planning and development. He said in a conference call Friday that the funds could be used to help buy out homeowners living in 100-year flood zones and help others rebuild.
HUD hopes Texas can begin meeting unmet housing needs in 13 Harvey-affected counties by mid-December. The state's plans must pass a citizen review before being submitted to HUD for approval.
Rackleff says the federal agency is still trying to decide where to spend an additional $7.4 billion allocated by Congress in September for storm recovery efforts in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.