Six months since Hurricane Harvey battered the Lone Star State, Texans in coastal towns, urban areas, and rural counties continue to move forward with their unprecedented recovery.
Hundreds of thousands of homeowners are already repairing or rebuilding their hurricane damaged houses or have found new rental apartments or homes. Their recovery activity was fueled by billions of dollars in federal grants, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest disaster loans, and flood insurance payments currently in their pockets.
Funding from other federal agencies, nonprofit agencies and private sector donations also contributed to the recovery efforts, in addition to federal funds for immediate social needs to include crisis counseling, disaster legal aid, reimbursement to food banks, and disaster unemployment.
Expectedly, there is still much to do, and many Texans are still navigating their way through disaster recovery steps, especially survivors still living temporarily in hotels, short-term apartment rentals, with friends and family, or in temporary housing in the form of mobile homes, travel trailers or leased apartments.
Some survivors with unmet needs, not covered by available financial resources will continue to require the support of local, state, federal, nonprofit, and private sector partners in the form of regular social services and innovative long-term recovery collaboration at the local level.
While survivors continue to recover from Harvey, it is important for everyone to keep in mind that Hurricane Season is only four months away, and Spring flooding in March is quickly approaching. There is no time like the present for survivors to know their risks and take preventative actions to protect their homes. For information on ways to prepare visit: https://www.ready.gov/.
For more information on Hurricane Harvey and Texas recovery, visit the Hurricane Harvey disaster web page at www.fema.gov/disaster/4332, or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FEMAharvey, the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at twitter.com/FEMARegion6, or the Texas Division of Emergency Management website at www.dps.texas.gov/dem/.
BY THE NUMBERS
1: It takes ONE team of partners at the local, state, federal level, and from nonprofit agencies, the private sector and the survivors themselves to recover from Hurricane Harvey.
17: Disaster Recovery Centers that remain open to support survivors.
41: Counties designated for Individual Assistance.
53: Counties designated for Public Assistance.
103: Public Assistance obligated projects to repair critical infrastructure.
306: Communities in Harvey impacted area participating in the National Flood Insurance Program.
1,923: Survivors in temporary disaster housing.
8,661: Households temporarily in FEMA-funded hotels.
91,000: Flood insurance claims.
11,903,736: Cubic yards of debris cleaned in Harvey impacted areas.
$19,976,306: Funds dedicated to Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
$625,000,000: Dollars obligated for Public Assistance projects.
$1,183,209,235: Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Funds available for projects that lessen the impact of future disasters
$1,557,571,583: Grants for Housing and Other Disaster-related expenses paid to survivors.
$3,100,000,000: Approved U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest loans
$8,300,000,000: National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) payments.
$13,000,000,000: Money in survivors’ pockets from Federal and State grants, SBA low-interest disaster loans, and National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) payments.