Federal Funding For Hurricane Harvey Relief Halted After Texas Allegedly Fails To Detail How It Will Spend It

HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The US Department of Housing and Urban Development is halting the distribution of $1.95 billion for flood mitigation projects to Texas following Hurricane Harvey.

A Friday, Jan 7 news release from HUD said the Texas General Land Office has failed to provide paperwork detailing how the money would be spent to help people and communities at risk of natural disasters and climate change.

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Harvey hit Texas and Louisiana on August 17 as a powerful category 4 storm. It left over 336,000 Texans without power, 30,000 displaced, and 103 dead. The Texas Department of Public Safety said that 185,000 homes were damaged and 9,000 destroyed.

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The oil industry was also heavily affected due to decreased production, causing a fuel shortage that led to incidents of price gouging on gasoline.

The HUD statement says the state has 45 days to provide the paperwork. Land commissioner spokesperson Brittany Eck told the Houston Chronicle that a 628 page document provided to HUD satisfied the requirement and called the move “political.”

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