Government Shutdown Potentially Delays Post-Harvey Recovery

The government shutdown is impacting everything from national parks to homeland security. And, another potential impact area could be Harris County’s Hurricane Harvey recovery and flood mitigation. Though Harris County is moving ahead on projects from a $2.5 billion flood bond package voters approved in 2018, Russ Poppe with the Harris County Flood Control District has recommended a freeze on projects that depend on federal block grants.

At a recent county commissioner’s meeting, Poppe indicated that some of the federal programs don’t have pre-award authority, meaning Harris County could be stuck with the bill if it moves forward on them. “If we choose to go and advance these things locally,” he told the commissioners, “we’re certainly at risk without getting reimbursed on something that would otherwise be eligible for reimbursement.”

Pictured: Harris County Administrative Building, Houston

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