Officials from battered towns and counties — including one who said he’s had suicidal thoughts — told lawmakers that too many residents are sleeping in tents and hotels more than two months after Hurricane Harvey.
Brandon Formby
Brandon Formby works with The Texas Tribune’s beat editors and reporters to bring Texans the news, analysis and explanatory journalism they need to put pressing issues into perspective. Previously, as an editor on the news desk, he helped steer coverage of legislative sessions, natural disasters, prolonged power outages, mass shootings and the coronavirus pandemic. As a reporter, he covered urban affairs. Before joining the Tribune in 2016, he reported on transportation, politics and local government for The Dallas Morning News. Brandon grew up in Plano and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas Tech University. He is based in Austin.
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In Harvey's Wake
$500 million in Ike relief is still unspent. Will Texas do better after Harvey?
State officials want as few parameters as possible on federal disaster relief funds, but housing advocates say that could lead to public works projects getting federal funds over Texans who lost everything.
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In Harvey's Wake
Harvey’s next blow: Home values, tax collections expected to drop
Some — but not all — southeast Texans could see property tax breaks after the hurricane damaged their homes. The inequity has reignited intra-GOP tensions from earlier this year over disaster-related property tax re-assessments.
Posted in
In Harvey's Wake
Texans shouldn’t expect enough federal money to fully rebuild after Harvey
State officials estimate that it will take $60 billion in long-term federal funds to repair and replace the houses, buildings and infrastructure Harvey damaged.
Posted in
In Harvey's Wake
Federal Harvey relief funds might take years, officials tell legislators
It could be months, if not years, before southeast Texans receive federal funds to pay for the long-term rebuilding and recovery of homes and communities battered by Hurricane Harvey’s epic rains, officials told legislators Monday.
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In Harvey's Wake
City, state officials spar over funding Harvey recovery efforts at Houston meeting
While several Texas officials have thrown support behind some expensive flood control projects, a Houston City Council meeting Monday highlighted the political and financial hurdles that may await such efforts.
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In Harvey's Wake
Houston mayor: State should tap Rainy Day Fund for Harvey recovery
Sylvester Turner also told The Texas Tribune that fewer houses would have been damaged if federal officials had funded much-needed flood control projects. But he lauded how residents have risen to the challenge of recovering after Hurricane Harvey.
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In Harvey's Wake
Houston housing officials draw ire for evicting elderly residents
Public housing leaders say a high-rise along Buffalo Bayou is unsafe because of flooding from Hurricane Harvey. But folks who live in 2100 Memorial say officials have mishandled the situation.
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In Harvey's Wake
In Houston, low-income residents struggle after losing vehicles in floods
In addition to replacing clothes and finding new places to live, many in southeast Texas must repair vehicles or buy new cars. But not being able to get to work for more than three weeks makes that a challenge.
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In Harvey's Wake
In battered Houston apartments, residents wonder whether to stay
As Collingwood Gardens apartments’ tenants weigh their options, Texas officials admit state funds to help displaced people are woefully inadequate and wait to see what aid package Congress approves.
