Washington, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) today heralded a decision by the U. S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to award nearly $4.5 million in grants to support ongoing flood reduction activities in Harris County.  The grants will fund the purchase of 64 repetitively flooded homes in Crosby, unincorporated Harris County, Houston, Humble and Kingwood.  The Harris County Flood Control District will receive the funds and management grants as part of the district’s ongoing comprehensive flood management activities.

“I applaud the Harris County Flood Control District for their hard work in securing this federal grant to meet the flood prevention needs of our area.  These precious dollars were awarded based on genuine merit and will help families relocate out of harms way," said Brady.

The FEMA mitigation grants, available through the Pre-Disaster Mitigation-Competitive (PDM-C) program, provide 75 percent of project costs. The remaining funds come from local resources.  Harris County competed with communities around the country for these funds.  FEMA previously awarded two other grants to Harris County worth $2.5 million.  With today’s announcement, the County has received $7 million from the program.  

 

On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.