It’s been 10 years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast, and in subsequent years other major hurricanes have devastated Texas’ coastal communities. Our…
Tag: Hurricane Ike
Houston Chronicle: Disaster recovery housing program badly mismanaged
On Saturday, the Houston Chronicle published reporter Harvey Rice’s exploration into the systemic failures in rebuilding disaster housing in the…
Opponents of public housing in Galveston file lawsuit claiming rebuilding public housing would further segregation
This situation is simply so bizarre it speaks for itself. From today’s Houston Chronicle GALVESTON – Opponents of public housing…
City of Houston introduces developers to residents of 3 designated economically, racially integrated communities
Through the CDBG Hurricane Ike Disaster Recovery program the City of Houston is using more than $100 million in federal…
Texas Senate to study disaster rebuilding – trying to get it right next time around
Unfortunately, Texas has a lot of experience administering governmental programs to help Texans rebuild their homes in the wake of…
Galveston agrees to steps to rebuild public housing
It appears that the rebuilding of the 569 public housing in Galveston demolished in the wake of Hurricane Ike may be…
Hurricane Ike survivors testify at House Ways and Means
Shelly Batten and Tina Colunga drove up from Galveston yesterday to testify on HB 835. HB 835, by Representative Eiland, (and…
Will Texas learn a lesson from the tragedy at West?
Everyone is horrified at the loss of life and destruction last night from the explosion of a fertilizer plant in…
Chrishelle Palay helps Houston’s poor and needy plead their cause
Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. – Proverbs 31:9 . Chrishelle Palay…
Austin American-Statesman: State should ask HNTB for a refund
The following editorial is from an editorial in today’s Austin-American Statesman. A state disaster relief contract has itself been declared…
State report: 29% of TX first round HUD disaster funds drawn down, 0% 2nd round
Recent stories in the Austin American-Statesman, the Texas Tribune and the New York Times have chronicled the slow pace of…
Candidate for most outrageous quote of 2012: HNTB says Texas disaster recovery program is “on target and on budget”
Austin American Statesman reporter Brenda Bell has an amazing quote from HNTB in her story today about the HUD audit of…
Federal Audit Questions $8 Million Paid to HNTB — General Land Office | The Texas Tribune
In the second article in as many days, Texas Tribune reporter Becca Aaronson has disclosed a HUD inspector general’s report…
Amid Finger-Pointing, Hurricane Relief for Texans Lags – NYTimes.com
The NYT ran a story written by Texas Tribune reporter Becca Aaronson on the state of disaster recovery in Texas… Nearly…
Hurricane Ike and Dolly home reconstruction drags on at unacceptable rates
According to a State of Texas report covering the period through January 31 2012, only 38 percent of houses destroyed…
Couple lives in tent waiting for Ike-damaged home’s repair | khou.com Houston
Just when you think you have seen the worst government can do to Hurricane Ike victims along comes this story.…
Fewer than 500 Texas homes repaired in three years since Hurricane Ike
Official figures from the State of Texas show that fewer than 500 homes have been repaired or rebuilt under the…
On 3rd anniversary 200 tell Houston City Council reforms are needed in Hurricane Ike recovery program
The following testimony was presented before the Houston City Council on the third anniversary of Hurricane Ike, September 13, 2011.
Protesters say city slow to repair Ike-damaged houses – Houston Chronicle
Bearing photos of homes that still have blue tarps on the roofs, more than 100 protesters held a rally at…
Senior’s city-built home lacked insulation – Houston Chronicle
After months of delay in getting its housing repair program under way, Houston’s housing department was eager last month to…
Three Years After Ike, Many Still Await Assistance | Public News Service
AUSTIN, Texas – Today marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Ike, and many low-income Texans, particularly in the Houston area,…
September 13, 2011 is the three year anniversary of Hurricane Ike
Please take a few moments to consider the plight of the tens of thousands of elderly and disabled Texans who…
Thousands still recovering from Hurricane Ike | abc13.com
The community organization TOP held an information fair for low-income Houston homeowners Saturday to help them find out when they…
It’s finally time to get rid of those post-Ike blue tarps | Houston Chronicle
September 13, 2011, will mark the three-year anniversary of Hurricane Ike making landfall along the upper Texas coast. Residents of…
HUD pointedly directs Galveston to rebuild its public housing
In an unusual joint letter to Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski, three top HUD leaders told Galveston to move forward to rebuild…
A “new sheriff” takes over Texas disaster recovery
(Photo: Texas General Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, from Texas Tribune) Readers will recall Governor Perry passed responsibility for the Hurricane…
Wait gets longer for public housing in Galveston | Houston Chronicle
There is an interesting and sobering story about rebuilding Galveston public housing that ran in today’s Houston Chronicle. The story…
The racism of New Berlin is growing in Galveston
We noted yesterday the United States Department of Justice brought suit alleging the City of New Berlin, Wisconsin had violated the…
Governor Perry switches agencies responsible for disaster recovery funds
Shakeups in the State’s troubled disaster recovery program continue. In the wake of the virtual elimination of the Governor’s designated…
Analysis: Governor Perry’s veto of Texas Department of Housing
On Friday Governor Perry vetoed the “Sunset Bill” for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) that would…