“Six years after Hurricane Harvey, the city of Houston still hasn’t allocated $200 million in relief funds” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
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More than six years after Hurricane Harvey flooded thousands of homes and killed more than 80 people on the Texas Coast, the city of Houston has yet to allocate $200 million in federal relief funds to victims, according to the state’s General Land Office.
In a letter to newly inaugurated Houston Mayor John Whitmire, General Land Office Commissioner Dawn Buckingham offered her office’s staff to help Whitmire ensure the remaining hurricane relief dollars are distributed appropriately and quickly. She said her office has historically had a “strained” relationship with the city of Houston and that the city’s housing office has struggled with staffing issues, preventing them from managing the recovery funding.
Buckingham’s offer signals an early opportunity for Whitmire to fulfill his campaign promise to improve relations between the state’s most populous city and the state. Whitmire, a former Democratic state senator, served alongside Buckingham, a Republican, in the state legislature from 2017-2023. Last month, he defeated U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in a landslide victory to gain control of the nation’s fourth most populous city.
Whitmire’s predecessor, Sylvester Turner, had been embroiled in a public feud with former Land Commissioner George P. Bush, accusing his agency of “hogging” federal Harvey relief money and discriminating against people of color when dispersing funds. Whitmire has indicated a willingness to work with the state to move past that feud and ensure Harvey victims receive aid.
