We will not be deterred, recovery continues.
By: Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush
A little more than two years after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) is helping thousands of families return home and begin to rebuild their lives, but our commitment to a full recovery doesn’t stop there.
From the day Harvey struck the coast, the GLO was ready to assist. Within days of the storm, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work mucking out homes, cleaning up debris and removing sunken vessels. Three weeks after the storm, the GLO was tapped by Governor Abbott to partner with FEMA on a historic new partnership of short-term housing — the first time a state agency has ever held this role. We helped thousands of families with temporary housing and basic repairs, helping them return to their communities and be able to work towards full recovery from home.
We ultimately estimated $60 billion in unmet recovery housing needs — and were awarded only $5.676 billion to provide long-term assistance. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) attached hundreds of cumbersome and lengthy rules to these funds, creating a painstaking and time-consuming process — all while families waited on desperately needed assistance.
Our hands have been tied from the beginning, but we have made every effort to work quickly to overcome the federal bureaucratic obstacles we’ve been dealt. We’ve advocated for a streamlined process and urged federal lawmakers to take specific action, like removing the word “temporary” from the Stafford Act. We’ve encouraged our state partners to work together on public awareness campaigns, pre-position contracts before disasters, and work quickly after a disaster to suspend local rules and regulations that impede recovery efforts. And we’ve attached no rules to our programs other than those required by HUD.
Every day our staff is helping families recover from natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey and Tropical Storm Imelda, and that means building back stronger and better than before the storm. The GLO is administering the single largest disaster housing program designed to help rebuild the lives of thousands of Texas families. We are also offering a first-of-its-kind reimbursement program to help folks recover some of their out of pocket expenses from repairing their Harvey-damaged homes.
Right now, nearly 1,300 Harvey-damaged homes are either completed, under construction or approved for construction. In Southeast Texas alone, 243 families have homes undergoing construction or have keys to those fully reconstructed homes in hand. Altogether, in Southeast Texas, the GLO is working to repair or reconstruct 1,200–1,500. In the Coastal Bend region, 459 homes have been completed or are in the construction process. In total, we anticipate rebuilding more than 6,000 homes. These homes are stronger and more resilient against future storms. Following Imelda I visited Camaro Hervey, a recipient of a Homeowner Assistance Program home in Beaumont. Carmaro invited friends and family to stay with her during the recent storms because her home was elevated, and she no longer has to fear if it will flood.
Working through red tape is not easy and building sturdy, resilient homes doesn’t happen overnight. It requires perseverance. It also requires dedication to serving our neighbors. At the GLO, our goal is to help every applicant get the assistance they are eligible for, but unfortunately, the funds we were given are limited. We will continue to advocate for additional funding and, if more becomes available, we will work daily to help to those who need it most.
However, in the eyes of the federal government, federal disaster funds are a means of last resort. It is imperative that families determine their current and future risk, review their flood insurance policy or sign up for one, protect their home, safeguard documents and prepare emergency supplies and an evacuation route. It’s critical for folks to remember that disaster preparedness begins in the home. The speed of recovery can be greatly accelerated before the rain and winds begin.
Recovery is moving full speed ahead. We will not be deterred. Our focus remains on helping families regain a sense of normalcy while preparing for inevitable future storms.
George P. Bush is Commissioner for the Texas General Land Office (GLO), the state agency tasked with leading the disaster recovery process after Hurricane Harvey, the second most destructive storm in American history.
