Brazoria County Granted $8.9M to Elevate Homes

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded Brazoria County more than $8.9 million to elevate 70 flood-prone homes in the area. The funds are managed through the Texas Division of Emergency Management as part of FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

The homes will be lifted to at least two feet above the base flood elevation, which is the depth of water during a 1 percent chance flood (structures in these areas have a 1 percent or greater chance of flooding in a given year). Communities that participate in the NFIP must adopt the program’s minimum standards into its building codes, though Brazoria County adopted elevation standards higher than those set by the NFIP.

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program allocates funds to implementing hazard mitigation efforts following presidentially declared disasters. The program’s goal is to reduce the risk of potential flooding events and reduce reliance on federal funding in the event of a future disaster.