City of Houston Announces Plan to Dedicate HUD Disaster Recovery Funds Toward Protecting Critical Infrastructure
Houston’s Power Protection Initiative (PPI) Will Help Ensure Continuity of Essential Services for Houston and the Region
WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner joined City of Houston Mayor John Whitmire to announce the city’s plan to dedicate a significant portion of allocated federal disaster recovery funding toward Houston’s Power Protection Initiative (PPI). According to Mayor Whitmire, Houston will propose using $151 million of the $314 million in federal disaster recovery funds to support its PPI.
“HUD is proud to deliver $314 million in disaster recovery funding to Houston as we continue to prioritize helping Americans recover from natural disasters,” said Secretary Turner. “Mayor Whitmire has identified a great need to invest in infrastructure to support power resilience and help protect the region amid future disasters, and we at HUD understand that local officials know their communities best. A core component of our disaster response effort is providing local leaders flexibility on how to best use disaster recovery funds to maximize their benefit to communities. HUD looks forward to reviewing Houston’s draft action plan and working with Mayor Whitmire and his team to address storm relief, recovery, and mitigation.”
Following today’s announcement, the City of Houston will submit its finalized draft action plan for approval by HUD. Once HUD receives the draft plan, the Department has a 45-day review period in which it can provide comments or feedback. When the draft action plan is agreed to by both HUD and the City of Houston, a grant agreement will be put in place to allow for the city to move forward with implementing its action plan.
“Secretary Turner and I served together in the Texas Legislature, and we both recognize how essential it is for major cities like Houston to work closely with our federal partners. The City of Houston has identified more than 100 key sites across the city that will benefit from HUD funding our Power Protection Initiative. It is a step forward in our effort to ensure backup power is available at critical facilities, including water and sewer plants, public safety sites, shelters, and distribution hubs for emergency supplies,” said Mayor Whitmire. “This initiative is about building resilience, protecting lives, and keeping Houston strong during future emergencies.”
After the devastating impacts of Hurricane Beryl and the May 2024 derecho, HUD allocated $314 million to Houston for unmet disaster-related needs, provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.
CDBG-DR helps cities, counties, and states recover from certain Presidentially-declared disasters. CDBG-DR can help with housing needs, public services, economic development or revitalization needs, and city planning or infrastructure needs. Hardening power resilience systems through permanent generator installations can be an eligible use for rehabilitating public structures with CDBG-DR funds.
Houston’s PPI is not only an investment in infrastructure, but also a promise to Houston residents and the surrounding region that the city will remain operational with the ability to provide essential services in times of crisis.
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