Commissioner Miller Announces $350,000 Grant to Assist City of Fritch Recover From Damage Caused by Wildfire (5/5/2015)

AUSTIN - Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today announced the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has awarded $350,000 to the city of Fritch for debris removal and water system repairs through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). The city of Fritch suffered extensive wildfire damage in May 2014. These funds will aid in the efforts to repair damage caused by the wildfire.  

“We are here to support communities that have been adversely impacted by natural disasters,” Commissioner Miller said. “We can’t control Mother Nature, but we can control how we respond. This grant is an opportunity for us to help out our neighbors in need and make a difference in Texas.”

Federally funded through the Texas Community Development Block Grant program, DRF provides grant assistance to eligible communities to help alleviate the effects of natural disasters through debris removal, infrastructure repairs and other improvements.

DRF is administered by TDA’s Office of Rural Affairs. More than $2.4 million has been allocated for DRF in 2015. Communities must be named in a state or presidential disaster declaration in order to be eligible for funding.

To qualify for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), counties must have populations of fewer than 200,000 residents and cities must have populations under 50,000. The CDBG program in Texas serves approximately 1,017 eligible rural communities and 244 eligible rural counties, and provides services to more than 375,000 low- to moderate-income beneficiaries each year.

For more information about DRF, contact TDA’s Rick Rhodes at Rick.Rhodes@TexasAgriculture.gov.