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Harris County, TX, May 18, 2024, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced today that Harris County government should be eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program, based on the cost of the damage from the severe winds this week. 

FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides grants to state and local governments, as well as certain types of private nonprofits, so communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies. Public Assistance funding will reimburse Harris County and other affected governmental entities in our region for up to 75% of the cost of recovery measures like debris removal, as well as other emergency and protective measures. In order to be eligible for Public Assistance, Harris County has to meet a certain threshold for damages that is based on population, equivalent to about $22 million. 

The extent of government damage in unincorporated Harris County includes:

• 1.2 million cubic yards of debris that will cost about $27 million to remove. 
• Harris County Engineering’s Delta building has significant damage that will cost an estimated $1.2 million to fix.
• 178 traffic signals not working. The county is coordinating with TxDOT to get generators to 8 locations that are critical intersections.
• 14 county buildings without power, 3 of which are courthouses.

These are estimates for unincorporated Harris County and do not include any damage within individual cities or ISDs. Cities and ISDs will report damage in the coming days, but this gives us a sense of the cost of the damage. 

“If there is a silver lining within the two recent disasters, it’s that our region is able to receive important federal support. Besides the Individual Assistance and SBA loans, it looks like with all of this damage, we will receive funds from the federal government through Public Assistance to offset 75% of expenditures. This is a big deal. Instead of us having to foot the bill on recovery, we can get reimbursed and use those funds on mitigation for the future and keep a balanced budget,” said Judge Lina Hidalgo.  

Government damage eligible for Public Assistance must result from the declared incident, be located within the designated disaster area, and is the legal responsibility of the applicant. The damage must either fall under FEMA Category A, debris removal, or FEMA Category B, emergency protective measures. The emergency work must be completed within six months of the incident. The cost is the funding tied directly to eligible work, and must be adequately documented, authorized, necessary and reasonable. Eligible costs include labor, equipment, materials, contract work, as well as direct and indirect administrative costs.

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