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Harris County, TX, May 29, 2024, Today Judge Lina Hidalgo issued the following statement about Harris County’s recovery from the severe weather events this month:

“We’re hitting the one month mark from the catastrophic flooding in our region. Since then, we’ve been hit hard twice more. It breaks my heart that these disasters have impacted so many people, but I’m really proud of the fact that various levels of government have worked to provide as much aid as necessary, and we’re seeing people make use of those resources more and more. I also want to thank the constituents who have spoken with me and my staff about how we can improve the aid process. We’ve worked directly with FEMA to make tweaks, for example trying to shorten the time it takes for people to receive aid and ensuring that we have the short-term hotel stay program,” said Judge Lina Hidalgo. 

As part of the disaster recovery efforts, FEMA is offering the Transitional Shelter Assistance (TSA) program in Harris County. This program covers the cost of a hotel stay for disaster survivors until they can find a longer-term housing solution. This program is intended to be a temporary solution and typically helps survivors find alternate housing for a couple of weeks, but it depends on need and the specific disaster situation. As of May 29th, this program has helped 4,845 people in Harris County find temporary housing at 201 hotels in Harris County. To receive this assistance, residents must first register with FEMA for disaster assistance either online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362). If you have already submitted an application, believe you are eligible, and haven’t received outreach from FEMA on hotels, contact FEMA. 

FEMA is also working to provide Individual Assistance (IA) and the Small Business Administration is working to provide low-interest loans to disaster survivors in Harris County. Over 5,000 applicants, which includes businesses, nonprofits and communities of faith, have already applied for SBA loans. FEMA has validated 89,286 applications and approved $21,104,101 in IA funds already. 

The Derecho Fund, created by the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance, has raised close to $2 million, including in-kind donations, to help folks affected by the recent disasters. Mayor Sylvester Turner and Judge Hidalgo, along with the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Houston, formed the Disaster Alliance in 2023 to help distribute relief funds to local nonprofits quickly, so they can start helping folks rebuild as soon as possible and speed up the aid process. To donate, please go to disasteralliance.org/derecho. 

The Harris County Engineering Department is currently ahead of schedule for debris pickup and should be finished picking up debris in unincorporated Harris County by the end of June. 

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