Government
BY MELISSA ENAJE, RACHEL LELAND & JESSICA SHORTEN
County officials urge disaster preparedness amid FEMA concerns
Diving in deeper
FEMA funding also provides individual assistance directly to residents affected by local disasters. Individual assistance can vary from lump sum payments to hotel accommodations for families affected by a disaster. Following the derecho event and Hurricane Beryl in 2024, the Houston region received two presidential disaster declarations. According to funding allocation reports from FEMA, 739,519 applications for individual assistance for home- owners were approved from the two events, totaling nearly $1.2 billion in assistance passed on to residents in 2024 alone. Individual assistance requests from Hurricane Harvey, Tropical Storm Imelda, Hurricane Beryl, the Houston derecho and the 2024 severe storms totaled $2.9 billion, according to FEMA. FEMA individual assistance funding for Houston region Housing assistance funding Other assistance funding Hurricane Harvey $1.2B $413M Tropical Storm Imelda $57M $11M 2024 derecho/tornado/severe storm $143M $164M Hurricane Beryl $191M $724M
Abbott was appointed to the special review council in May alongside Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Department of Emergency Management. Abbott said the state has historically led disaster response. The biggest concern voiced by local agencies is natural disasters typically cause several million in debris removal and hazard mitigation costs typically reimbursed by FEMA. “Since 2017, Fort Bend County has received approximately $48 million in FEMA funding,” Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management officials said in an emailed response. “These funds have supported critical effort such as home elevation projects, property buyouts and demolitions, and disaster assistance grants.”
Following the announcement of a new committee May 20 aimed at addressing the reliability and existence of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Houston- area agencies remain uncertain on how the federal FEMA Review Council will affect disaster response in the region. In a July 14 press conference, Gov. Greg Abbott said the main goal of the committee is to streamline processes to provide faster emergency response. “The monetary resources that we are receiving now, they’re much needed for things like … debris removal or search and rescue operations,” Abbott said. “Those will still be funded, but we will have the ability to do it a whole lot faster.”
Immediately following a disaster, local counties seek FEMA funding for public assistance and debris removal. Regional major storm debris removal costs
Galveston County Harris County Fort Bend County
Hurricane Harvey
April/May 2024 severe storms
Hurricane Beryl
$40M
$30M
$20M
$10M
$0
SOURCES: HARRIS COUNTY BUDGET OFFICE, FORT BEND COUNTY, GALVESTON COUNTY BUDGET OFFICE/COMMUNITY IMPACT NOTE: NO FUNDS WERE USED IN FORT BEND OR GALVESTON COUNTIES FOR DEBRIS REMOVAL FROM THE APRIL AND MAY 2024 SEVERE STORMS.
SOURCE: FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
Final takeaways
there is no deadline on when the final report will be issued. “We have full confidence in the continued partnership and support of the Texas Division of Emergency Management,” Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management officials said. “Our collaborative relationship with the state has proven effective in past disaster responses, and we trust their leadership moving forward.”
The possibility of FEMA being dissolved still looms over other community leaders who share concerns over the funding provided to local agencies following a natural disaster. “Eliminating FEMA is reckless and will have devastating and deadly consequences,” Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said. “States already manage disaster response, and rely on FEMA’s partnership, funding, and expertise after major disasters.” The federal review council has met twice in 2025 to discuss how FEMA currently operates, and
With the 2025 hurricane season underway, many agencies are focused on maintaining preparedness for storms and see the potential for streamlining FEMA processes. “Our preparations for the 2025 hurricane reason remain unchanged,” Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management officials said. “As always, we are following our established protocols and will continue to stay alert to any guidance that would require adjustments to our approach.”
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SUGAR LAND - MISSOURI CITY EDITION
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