Houston relief fund on the way in wake of historic winter storm
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houstonians are in for another long cleanup process in the wake of last week's winter storm that pushed home power usage and water supplies to the limit.
Mayor Sylvester Turner on Monday announced details of a new Winter Storm Relief Fund, the latest Houston and Harris County joint disaster recovery assistance program.
While the inner workings of the program, including how individuals would be granted the funds, weren't expressed in specifics, Turner tried to appeal to those who are able to give generously to neighbors who are suffering.
Donations are being taken at the Winter Storm Relief Fund website.
The fund will help with plumbing, home repair, temporary housing and more. They will administer the fund, as well as identify community organizations and nonprofits to deploy the aid.
Turner was joined by CenterPoint Energy President and CEO Dave Lesar and members of the fund's advisory committee. Representatives from the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Houston also spoke at the city hall event.
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While it will take a while to determine a firm count, hundreds of thousands of Houstonians were impacted in some way, shape or form by the historic winter storm. Community leaders including Turner, Hidalgo and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz have confirmed they lost power during the course of last week's severe weather event.
In addition, the winter storm fund is being established in the midst of an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and several other past disasters that have left scars on the area. Recovery funds for the 2020 Watson Grinding explosion and Tropical Storm Imelda from 2019 still exist, not to mention ongoing flood prevention programs established in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
A complete list and updates of the various disaster programs can be found on the city of Houston recovery page.
