Washington, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) is proud to announce that the City of Jersey Village has been awarded a $1.5 million grant by the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Pre-Disaster Mitigation Competitive Grant Program.

"I applaud the City of Jersey Village and Houston for their hard work in securing this grant to protect the homes and property of area residents from floods. These federal funds were awarded to our region based on genuine merit. It is obvious to those in Houston and Washington that preventing floods in the City of Jersey Village and around Houston is better than repairing the damage after floods," said Brady.

The City will use the $1.5 million to elevate 17 homes above the 100-year flood level.

The announcement of the PDM-C grant awards also includes nearly $2.6 million to the Harris County Flood Control District to acquire homes in the City of Houston and Harris County that are within the 100-year floodplain. In the past decade, FEMA has awarded $131 million in mitigation funds to purchase more than 2,400 flood-prone properties in the greater Houston area. Since Tropical Storm Allison struck Houston in June 2001, FEMA has also invested more than $200 million in flood protection efforts at the Texas Medical Center and other Houston hospitals.

FEMA received a total of 459 competitive planning and project applications by the October 6, 2003 deadline. Applications were submitted from 52 out of 55 states and territories, 13 tribal governments and the District of Columbia.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Pre-Disaster Mitigation Competitive (PDM-C) Grant Program provides funds to states, territories, and federally recognized tribes for pre-disaster mitigation planning and preparedness activities. The grant program is one of President Bush’s initiatives, administered by FEMA for pre-disaster mitigation planning and projects primarily addressing natural hazards. Funding these plans and projects reduces overall risks to the population and structures, while also reducing reliance on funding from actual disaster declarations.