Background
The 2016 flooding from March to June resulted in three qualifying events for federal disaster recovery funds. The events caused severe damage across half the state, roughly 134,000 square miles - almost double the size of Louisiana and West Virginia combined. The flooding events were a devastating blow to many Texas communities still trying to recover from the impact of the 2015 flooding events. The continuous rainfall on saturated ground created excessive downstream flooding and record-breaking crests that destroyed agricultural areas and residential homes. A major business disruption occurred due to the closure of Interstate 10 along the Texas-Louisiana border, creating lengthy delays and the loss of a major transportation corridor. Thousands of Texans were forced to evacuate their homes as entire cities required mandatory evacuations.
Brazoria, Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, and Newton Counties designated "most impacted" by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), were encouraged to submit applications for $19 million in reallocated Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds. Applications for acquisition and/or demolition of real property along with flood and drainage improvements were considered.