DENTON, Texas — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded more than $2.47 million to the state of Texas for construction of a community safe room in the city of Brownsville in Cameron County, Texas.

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) will pay 75 percent of the $3.3 million total cost for the project, which is being built under the Texas Safe Shelter Initiative.

The concrete dome shaped safe room will serve as multi-purpose community center. It will be 25,000 square feet in size and will provide protection from storms and tornadoes for the people of Cameron County, including those with access and functional needs, as well as medical special needs. 

The federal share of the funds for the project come from the agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). HMGP provides grants to states, and tribal and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures that reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. 

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