HOUSTON, Texas – Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday the approval of $50 million to help Texans who are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl and the Derecho storm that left debris outside of homes and businesses for weeks or months.
“As Southeast Texas recovers from devastating severe weather this summer, Texas continues working to support local communities as they rebuild and move forward from Hurricane Beryl and the Derecho Storm,” said Gov. Abbott. “As many across the country experience a lack of and delayed funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Texas is providing $50 million in emergency funds to assist impacted communities in their ongoing efforts to remove debris. I thank my legislative and state partners for helping to quickly make these funds available for our fellow Texans. Working together, Texas will ensure that our communities have the necessary resources to prepare, respond, and recover from severe weather.”
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Abbott said the emergency funds are being made available from the General Revenue (GR) Account 549, the Waste Management Account, and will be used for previous and current debris removal costs.
“Hurricane Beryl and the Derecho left several counties with extensive debris removal costs, so as Legislative Budget Board Co-Chair, I fully support making funds available to help pay these costs,” said Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. “In the wake of natural disasters, Texans know best how to help Texans. This money will ease the burden for our neighbors across the affected areas in East and Southeast Texas, and the Houston area.”
In August, KPRC 2 reported Houston residents who were still complaining about debris in their neighborhoods five months after Hurricane Beryl had passed.
The City of Houston released a debris tracker where residents would be able to find out when crews were coming to their area to remove the debris.
Although this offered some relief to Houstonians, many said it wasn’t enough.
KPRC 2 reporter Amy Davis even reached out to the city for answers, and they said they were contracted with three disaster debris companies for storm debris removal. Houston City Council also approved spending $120-million for the project but it’s not clear how much has been spent and if this new fund will repay what was spent.
The funds announced Wednesday for debris removal will be administered by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) with assistance from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
TDEM is accepting documentation from municipalities to receive portions of the additional debris removal funds announced by Abbott. How much a county/city gets depends on how they’ve spent on this effort.
The City of Houston expects to receive $30+ million. The city says its match from FEMA is $40 million for storm-related costs.
Most debris from Derecho and Beryl has been picked up so the money is reimbursement for the costs. Some rural areas do need the money to help clean-up debris that still exists.
If you’re still dealing with debris, Solid Waste said you can report it to 3-1-1.