Bridge City awarded $3.6 million for new school

FEMA --

TEXAS CITY, Texas - A new $3.6 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will help build a new elementary school in the southern Orange County town of Bridge City. The school, Sims Elementary, was severely damaged by floodwaters during Hurricane Ike.

Because costs to repair the K-2 school would have been more than 50 percent of the replacement value, the school qualified for replacement funding from FEMA. The final amount of the grant may increase due to legislation last month that raised the federal cost-share from 75 percent to 90 percent for these types of projects.

"A new school for these young students is one of the best signs of recovery from Hurricane Ike," said Federal Coordinating Office Brad Harris. "We're happy to be a part of Bridge City's rebuilding efforts." 

Once FEMA reimburses the state of Texas, further management of the funds, including disbursement to organizations performing the services, is the responsibility of the state. The obligated funds are a portion of more than $1.1 billion in total Public Assistance disaster funds sent to the state since September 2008. In all, federal assistance to Texas for the Hurricane Ike recovery effort totals $2.3 billion. 
"Sims Elementary took a hard hit from the hurricane," said State Coordinating Officer Joan Haun. "This federal grant will provide important financial assistance to the Bridge City ISD."
FEMA responds to all eligible requests for assistance through the Public Assistance program.  For more Public Assistance information by county, go to www.fema.gov/ike and click on the Disaster Statistics button.