The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved more than $69.3m in post-disaster funding for recovery and resilience projects across Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
The funding will support projects through FEMA’s Public Assistance program and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, covering work across the agency’s Region 6 states. The package is intended to help communities repair infrastructure, restore public facilities, manage debris, meet emergency response costs and reduce the impact of future disasters.
More than $67.7m has been approved under Public Assistance, which reimburses eligible state, local, Tribal and territorial applicants for disaster-related work. FEMA said the funded activity includes critical infrastructure repairs, road repairs, restoration of public buildings and costs incurred to protect public health and safety following declared disasters.
Among the Public Assistance awards, more than $4.6m will go to the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for debris removal following wildfires, flooding, mudflows and straight-line winds in 2022. The Texas Military Department and Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development will each receive more than $1m for emergency protective measures connected to severe storms and Hurricane Francine respectively.
FEMA has also approved more than $502,000 for Roger Mills County, Oklahoma, to cover firefighting costs linked to the 840 Road Fire in 2025, and more than $421,000 for West Memphis School District in Arkansas for repairs and replacements after severe storms, tornadoes and flooding.
A further $1.6m has been awarded through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for projects designed to prevent, reduce or eliminate future disaster-related damage. The funding includes more than $840,000 for the city of Friendswood, Texas, to develop a comprehensive drainage plan, more than $504,000 for drainage and stormwater management in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and more than $270,000 for hazardous fuels reduction and vegetation management through the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
FEMA said it coordinates directly with states on hazard mitigation projects, with recovery and mitigation intended to be state-led and federally supported. The latest approvals form part of wider federal disaster recovery funding for communities rebuilding after hurricanes, severe storms, tornadoes, wildfires and flooding.
