FEMA gives archdiocese grant for Harvey relief

The Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston received a $4.6 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for repairs and facility replacements needed after Hurricane Harvey.

The money will reimburse work done at schools, offices and playground.

“The Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston is very appreciative,” according to an emailed statement that explained that it has received $1.9 million in reimbursements for FEMA-eligible expenses so far.

FEMA’s Public Assistance program reimburses eligible applicants — including the Archdiocese, which is a private nonprofit organization — for recovery and relief projects done immediately after a disaster. FEMA fully refunded projects that were completed within 30 days of the disaster declaration, and other projects required a 10 percent nonfederal match.

Following Hurricane Harvey, the Archdiocese established its own relief fund, collecting donations to support community services as well as repairs to facilities.

One of the churches affected by Hurricane Harvey was St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church in Spring.

A Facebook Live video broadcasted the day after the storm engulfed Houston showed the church consumed by floodwater — pews, plants and the church organ were all soaked. It took nine months to reconstruct and repair the church, the Houston Chronicle reported last year, during which time attendance for weekend services dropped from about 1,100 to 400.

Also affected by the storm was St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, in Houston’s Kashmere Gardens neighborhood. The pre-K to eighth-grade Catholic school was closed for repairs in the year following Harvey, and just reopened its doors in September, the Texas Catholic Herald reported.