FEMA Awards $1.2M to Central Texas Governments for 2013 Halloween Floods

DENTON, Texas – Federal funding totaling more than $1.2 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been approved for eligible city, county and state government agencies in central Texas following last year’s Halloween floods.

The grant money reimburses eligible entities for costs incurred during the Oct. 30-31, 2013 flooding in Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Freestone counties for their response activities and repairs to flood-damaged infrastructure.

More than $303,000 was approved for administrative costs associated with disaster response and recovery efforts; another $369,671 reimburses for debris removal and emergency protective measures; and $619,930 pays for eligible repairs to road systems, bridges, water control facilities and public buildings, contents and utilities, and parks and recreational facilities.

Additional funding is expected in the coming weeks, as FEMA continues to work with its local and state partners to review and approve eligible projects. The funding is authorized under a Dec. 20, 2013 federal disaster declaration, which designated the four counties eligible for Public Assistance. The agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program was approved statewide.

The mission of FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant Program is to provide assistance to state, tribal and local governments, and certain types of nonprofit organizations so that communities can quickly respond and recover from major disasters or emergencies declared by the president.

Through the program, FEMA provides supplemental federal disaster grant assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities of certain nonprofit (PNP) organizations.

For more information on FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant Program, visit http://go.usa.gov/kq55.

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