Homeland Security Awards $86.1 Million in Disaster Assistance

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it awarded over $86 million in financial assistance to Tennessee, Texas, and California to support relief and recovery efforts following a series of natural disasters.

“Our job is to get federal disaster management back on track after years of mismanagement. Disaster relief has been so inadequate there are still open applications that were submitted after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Under President Trump’s leadership, Secretary Noem is fixing that. These grants are a direct product of the Secretary's efforts to ensure that states are getting the grants they need in a timely, efficient manner to lead disaster relief efforts from the local level up.” – DHS Spokesperson

The awards are as follows:

• Tennessee: $36.9M for permanent repairs from severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding which resulted in an F-3 tornado that destroyed the Grace Baptist Church and Academy of Hamilton County buildings. The church and academy provide primary and secondary educational services to approximately 600 students in Chattanooga, TN.
• CA: $14.2M to CA Cross Creek Flood Control District for emergency protective measures following severe winter storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides.
• TX: $35M to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for management costs as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

These awards come as the Department is undertaking a thorough review of grant funding to ensure that all taxpayer dollars are properly allocated to focus on disaster relief and recovery efforts.

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