Southeast Texas has received nearly $26 million in additional funding for disaster recovery-related improvements and upgrades necessitated by Tropical Depression Imelda, nearly four years after the storm.
Disaster Recovery Funds can now be claimed in selected counties. (Photo: DW)
$227 Million Federal Disaster Recovery Funds
The money was just a portion of more than $227 million in federal disaster recovery funds, which are being administered by the Texas General Land Office, from 2019 flooding in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Imelda in Southeast Texas.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham Friday announced just over $43 million in disaster recovery funds for 44 federally-eligible infrastructure projects to help communities recover from the floods and Imelda, according to a report published in BEAUMONT ENTERPRISE.
The Texas General Land Office disaster recovery team and Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham presented the award checks to several cities in Southeast Texas on Friday at the Sunlight Manor Apartments in Beaumont and the Orange County Convention and Expo Center in Orange.
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Awards and Grants Given to the Community
The city of Beaumont was awarded $1 million for drainage improvements in the Laura Addition. “This project will increase the capacity of roadside ditches by channel regarding, expanding culverts with new pipes of increased size and excavating a new outfall channel connecting directly to Jefferson County Drainage District No. 6 ditch,” according to a project description from the General Land office.
The city of Port Arthur received $990,000 for replacing brick manholes. “The project will demolish and dispose of brick manholes and replace them with concrete manholes in various parts of the city,” according to the project description. The city was also rewarded $990,000 for a Ninth Avenue emergency access route. “With these funds, the city of Port Arthur will create an emergency access route for evacuation and transportation during emergency situations,” according to the project description.
Southeast Texas cities will receive a total of $16 million from Friday’s grants. Two ITEX Management group apartment complexes received $5 million each for Imelda-related apartment rehabilitation. Sunlight Manor Apartments in Beaumont received nearly $5 million. Stonegate Manor Apartments in Port Arthur was awarded $5 million.
