Long-Term Hazard Mitigation

Long-term hazard mitigation actions aim to reduce long-term risks to people and property from future hazards.

City of Houston Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

How does this program work?

In the City of Houston, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (FEMA HMGP) provides funding for four major infrastructure programs to reduce future flooding. The mitigation projects are reimbursable on a cost-share basis (75% federal and 25% non-federal).

What is happening locally with these funds?

The city is drawing up designs for the North Canal Project, which would create a channel in downtown Houston and enable water to flow through White Oak Bayou during storms with the help of several bridge projects. The Inwood Forest Detention Project will provide stormwater detention basins to reduce flooding in the project’s surrounding communities, and the city is currently working with partners to design a recreation plan. The Lake Houston Dam Spillway Improvement Project will help to control water levels in Lake Houston by installing gates in the spillway to prevent upstream flooding. The TIRZ 17 Detention project will provide flood damage reduction to the Memorial City area.
The City of Houston spent-to-date information is not available.

Harris County Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

How does this program work?

FEMA HMGP funding supports major flood risk reduction projects in the Harris County jurisdiction. Some projects, such as the North Canal Project and the Inwood Forest Golf Course Detention, receive FEMA HMGP allocations from both the City of Houston and Harris County.

What is happening locally with these funds?

The North Canal Project will create a channel in downtown Houston and enable water to flow through White Oak Bayou during storms with the help of several bridge projects. The Inwood Forest Detention Project will provide stormwater detention basins to reduce flooding in the project’s surrounding communities, and the county is currently working with partners to design a recreation plan. The San Jacinto River Study will help with flood mitigation as the San Jacinto river flows through a sizable portion of eastern Harris County. The Flood Warning Public Outreach Project will bring Harris County’s Flood Warning System website up-to-date and develop a dashboard for forecasting flooding.

Selected Federal Sources of Funding for Mitigation in Harris County and City of Houston

There are many federal funding sources for flood mitigation projects in the city and county, and shown here are select grant programs. Both jurisdictions have large flood risk reduction projects through the FEMA HMGP to mitigate the loss of life and property in the future. Both units of government also have FMA grants for a variety of mitigation measures, including for planning projects and mitigation of individual properties that are insured by the NFIP. In Harris County, the Flood Control District is using grant money from FEMA’s Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) Program to help identify flood risks and update flood maps. The Flood Control District also has an agreement with the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) for flood control infrastructure improvement projects. To learn more about flood mitigation grants in Harris County, see Harris County Thrives.

Harris County U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Improvement Projects

How does this program work?

In Harris County, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides funding for four federal flood damage reduction projects to reduce the risk of flooding in several watersheds.

What is happening locally with these funds?

The White Oak Bayou Federal Flood Damage Reduction Project will make channel improvements to improve stormwater runoff. The Brays Bayou Federal Flood Damage Reduction Project is working to widen the bayou, excavate stormwater detention basins, and replace bridges to enable channel adjustments. The Hunting Bayou Federal Flood Risk Management Project will widen and deepen channels in the bayou and replace bridges. The Clear Creek Federal Flood Risk Management Project will enhance channels to improve stormwater runoff, build stormwater detention basins, and modify bridges.

Federal Sources of Funding for Home Buyouts in Harris County and City of Houston

Home buyouts help to remove homes from the floodplain and prevent future flooding during storm events. Two federal funding programs involved in home buyouts are the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (FEMA HMGP), which is being implemented in Harris County, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program (HUD CDBG- DR). The county and city are both accessing funds from the CDBG-DR program for home buyouts.

More than 154,000 homes homes flooded in Harris County during Hurricane Harvey. The county has two flood buyout programs: voluntary and mandatory. When single-family or multifamily owners voluntarily sell their property to Harris County, they must follow certain program guidelines established by the county. As of October 2021, more than 4,000 property owners have have applied for voluntary buyouts. When the county tells homeowners to move, residents receive fair market appraised value for their property as well as relocation assistance in an effort to return areas with repetitive flooding back to green space. The mandatory buyout program became operational in Harris County in October 2020 and is intended to make residents and businesses safer by buying out properties that flood severely and repeatedly, which is defined as four or more flood claims.

Terms and Descriptions

Mitigation

Funding for reducing hazard risks in the future such as through public infrastructure projects to reduce flood risk and/or through private residential projects, such as home elevations and demolition-and-rebuild.

Buyout

Acquiring a property and removing it from a flood-prone area.