Fuentes: Unused flood repair monies should be used for flood mitigation

MONTE ALTO, Texas - Hidalgo County Commissioner David Fuentes says if federal money sent to the Rio Grande Valley to repair homes after a flooding event is not claimed, it should be made available for flood mitigation work.“We're not going to minimize that people need assistance when they encounter or endure catastrophic flooding. That's not what we're saying. But what we found was, 70% of that mitigation money (that was supposed to be spent) on rebuilding wasn't used. It was returned back to HUD, it was given back to the federal government as unused grant monies,” Fuentes said."And what we were arguing was, don't send it back, repurpose it and award mitigation projects that would help in preventing loss. So we weren’t trying to take money away from people. What we were trying to do is minimize the amount of money that was being sent back to the federal government as unused grant monies and saying, instead of sending it back, allow us to apply for programs that we think will help the affected area so that we don't go through flooding.”Fuentes made his comments in an interview with Ron Whitlock Reports. He gave the interview at the end of a ribbon cutting ceremony held in Monte Alto to celebrate the Main Floodwater Channel Expansion Project.The Main Floodwater Channel Expansion Project involves 7.5 miles of improvements costing $20 million. The infrastructure serves 70% of the county and provides a vital foundation for future water management projects as development continues. These improvements ensure the community is better prepared and protected when future rain events occur, Fuentes explained.Editor's Note: To read the full story, go to the Rio Grande Guardian website. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.