Corpus Christi Port To Get FEMA Funds For Harvey Recovery

The Port of Corpus Christi has announced it will receive a $2.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to repair infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The funding derives from the Stafford Act’s Public Assistance Grant Program.

Projects covered by the grant include repairs to the port’s Oil Dock 1 and Oil Dock 2, along with restoration of the Nueces Bay Shoreline, all damaged in the storm. Work will include channel slope stabilization and protection of more than 10,000 linear feet of shoreline. The port anticipates further mitigation funding to fully restore the shoreline to pre-Hurricane Harvey conditions.

“We are grateful to our congressional delegation for their continuous support in our region’s recovery from the impacts of Hurricane Harvey,” said Sean Strawbridge, CEO of the port. “These funds will help the Port of Corpus Christi make the needed repairs to vital infrastructure as we move forward with restoring our nation’s economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Port officials specifically thanked U.S. Reps. Michael Cloud, Filemon Vela, Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, along with staff involved in the continuing effort to recover from the storm.

“I would like to thank the dedicated port staff for all the work they have done over the past three years to keep our recovery moving forward,” said\Kent Britton, the port’s chief financial officer. “The port is a vital economic engine for the Coastal Bend and the state of Texas, generating billions in economic activity and supporting thousands of jobs. This funding will help ensure the Port of Corpus Christi fulfills that purpose for years to come.”

Besides the recently announced grant, the Port of Corpus Christi has already received $784,013.27 in FEMA funding for Hurricane Harvey recovery projects out of a total of more than $1.3 million of obligated projects.

Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane August 25, 2017, at San José Island and Holiday Beach, east of Corpus Christi. It went on to drop record amounts of rain over southeast Texas. Three days later, the storm moved offshore again before making a final landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border on August 29, 2017.

Harvey is one of the costliest storms to ever make landfall in the United States, causing an estimated $125 billion in damage.