Federal officials today announced $973 million in disaster recovery funding for Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Texas. The emergency funds are provided through the Housing and Urban Development Department‘s Community Development Block Grant program and are intended to support rebuilding efforts.
Through this program Alabama will receive $21.2 million, Florida will receive $100.1 million, Mississippi will receive $423 million, and Texas will receive $428.7 million.
“These four states can now develop plans on how they will restore needed affordable housing, rebuild critical infrastructure and stimulate the economies of areas that all of us are determined to see recover,” said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson
HUD announced that it placed special priority on the unmet needs of evacuees forced from their own homes and who are now living in other states.
Last month, HUD awarded $4.2 billion in block grant disaster assistance to Louisiana in addition to the $6.2 billion the department allocated to that state earlier this year. The combined $10.4 billion is intended to support the rebuilding of homes and the return of displaced residents.
Since January the department has allocated $16.7 billion in block grant money to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to promote the states’ long-term recovery in the aftermath of last year’s hurricanes.
