FRED – The date of Wednesday, July 21 is a special day to remember for one Fred resident, and a milestone in Tyler County.
It was on that date that the state’s General Land Office handed off the keys to a new home to Amanda Gray, and it marked the first home in the county completed through the GLO’s 2024 Homeowner Assistance Program.
Gray’s home had sustained substantial storm damage during Hurricane Beryl two years ago, and through the program, she had the opportunity to rebuild and move forward.
Beryl made landfall on the Texas coast on July 8, 2024, and according to the state Office of Risk Management, the storm generated sustained winds of 90 mph, with gusts up to 105 mph, and those strong winds and heavy flooding resulted in 44 deaths and an estimated 2.7 million households and businesses without power.
Along with Beryl, a series of storms that spring also caused flooding and property damage to Tyler County residents and are eligible for assistance under the Homeowner Assistance Program, which provides funding for home repair or complete reconstruction for those eligible.
The funding, which comes from the federal government through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was allocated in the amount of $555,687,000 in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds to Texas in response to the 2024 disasters. Those disasters included severe storms and straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding from April 26 to June 5, and Beryl. Ninety-four Texas counties were affected heavily and eligible, according to the GLO.
The program also covers hazard mitigation and other disaster-related expenses, and funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The criteria and applications can be found on the GLO website .
