AUSTIN, Texas – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded more than $81 million to the Harris County Flood Control District for the acquisition of 502 flood-prone homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey. Once the structures are removed, the land will be dedicated and maintained as open space to conserve natural floodplain functions.  Previously, the Harris County Flood Control District was awarded more than $77 million to acquire and remove 463 residential structures. These awards are part of a larger project to acquire and remove 985 flood-prone properties in Harris County....

AUSTIN, Texas — When 20 members of the Corpus Christi Hooks front office staff showed up to help restore Doug Fitzgerald’s home two weeks after Hurricane Harvey, it reminded him of him of a different baseball team he used to watch growing up.  “I’m from Pittsburgh. … The Pirates’ slogan is ‘We are family,’ and that’s what it felt like,” said Fitzgerald, who works as an usher for the Houston Astros’ minor league affiliate in south Texas. “My wife cried when she saw all those people coming up to help us.” The...

AUSTIN, Texas — The United States’ largest children’s hospital was fully prepared when record-breaking rainfall stemming from Hurricane Harvey caused historic, catastrophic flooding across southeast Texas last year. Texas Children’s Hospital kept its doors open and kept saving lives as Houston flooded during the five-day storm. The hospital’s main facility canceled elective and most outpatient services, but it never turned away any patients. The hospital was able to deliver uninterrupted inpatient care because of mitigation measures such as floodgates that prevented its main facility from flooding, even as 3-foot-high water rushed through streets...

AUSTIN, TX – If disaster strikes once, it can strike again. Make sure you remain eligible for assistance from the federal government by buying and maintaining flood insurance. Some residents in high-risk areas must maintain flood coverage or risk missing out on future federal aid. If your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and your property is in a high-risk zone known as a Special Flood Hazard area (SFHA), you are required by law to purchase and maintain flood insurance if you have received federal disaster assistance for flood damage....

AUSTIN, TX– The deadline for registering for federal disaster assistance is one week away, and disaster recovery centers will be closing. But the assistance doesn’t stop when FEMA leaves. After the centers close, survivors whose homes or businesses were affected by the severe storms and flooding can still get updates about applications, learn about the appeals process or check the status of their claim the following ways: Or, visit fema.gov/mobile-app to download the app.Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-FEMA (3362). Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and...