The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has determined that Texas officials engaged in discriminatory practices when distributing $1 billion in Hurricane Harvey aid in 2021, prioritizing inland communities with smaller populations of White Texans over urban Black and Hispanic communities at greater risk of natural disasters.
Three deadly fires were reported in Bexar County over a three-day span, prompting a San Antonio fire official to share fire safety tips. Space heaters were involved in two of the fatal fires, highlighting the importance of safe heating practices. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office identified a man shot and killed in northeast Bexar County. Additionally, the office identified an 11-year-old boy who tragically died in a house fire in far south Bexar County on Monday.
On a separate note, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) affirmed that Texas officials discriminated against residents based on race and national origin in distributing $1 billion in Hurricane Harvey aid in 2021. HUD contends that the General Land Office (GLO) demonstrated a “sustained unwillingness” to voluntarily correct the unequal treatment, which violates the Fair Housing Act.HUD investigators found that the GLO focused Mitigation resources in communities that benefited smaller populations of rural White Texans over communities of urban Black and Hispanic Texans, particularly those closer to the coast and more prone to flooding from hurricanes and other natural disasters. The two community groups, Texas Housers and Northeast Action Collective, who originally filed the complaint, praised HUD’s action and stated that the findings “confirmed what communities of color in Texas have long suspected.” They urged the Justice Department to compel Texas to comply with federal discrimination laws.The issue stems from how the federal government alleges Texas misspent some of the $4.3 billion in disaster recovery aid it received from Congress in 2019. The GLO under then-Commissioner George P. Bush distributed a $1 billion tranche via a funding competition it designed for local governments. However, the governments of Houston and Harris County received $0 from the contest, despite the county having the most deaths and property damage from the storm. The Houston Chronicle found that the aid disproportionately went to inland counties with less damage from the storm than coastal ones hit hardest. The land office also steered money away from coastal communities the state measured were at highest risk of natural disasters and toward inland ones with a lower disaster risk.Under pressure from irate Houston politicians of both parties, Bush canceled a planned second funding competition and announced plans to award $750 million directly to Harris County. But this did not satisfy all his critics. The Chronicle’s findings were confirmed by HUD, which stated that the unfair doling out of funds “discriminated on the basis of race and national origin” and “substantially and predictably disadvantaged minority residents, with particularly disparate outcomes for Black residents.”Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Harris County Judge did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday. It remains unclear what action the Justice Department might take, particularly with President Donald Trump, an ally of Abbott, returning to office next week. Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for comment
HUD Hurricane Harvey Texas Discrimination Aid Distribution General Land Office George P. Bush Fair Housing Act
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