Galveston County homeowners who suffered damage from Hurricane Beryl or other 2024 storms can apply for up to $75,000 in state disaster recovery aid, but the state says funding is limited.
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) is urging eligible residents to apply before funding runs out. Applications are reviewed first-come, first-served, with no set closing date, KPRC 2 reported Sept. 30.
The programs matter locally because Clear Lake Shores and Seabrook sit in Galveston County, one of 27 eligible counties. Webster and Nassau Bay fall in Harris County, which received separate federal funding and is excluded from these GLO programs. Friendswood straddles both counties, so residents there should verify which county their property falls in to determine eligibility.
Two programs, one choice
Homeowners must pick one of two options, according to the GLO's official application page:
- Homeowner Reimbursement Program: Covers $3,000 to $75,000 in out-of-pocket repairs already completed on stick-built homes, or $3,000 to $50,000 for manufactured housing units.
- Homeowner Assistance Program: Helps with repairs, rebuilding and certain related costs for owner-occupied primary residences.
The GLO allocated $43.1 million for the reimbursement program and $244.1 million for the assistance program. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided the funding through $555.7 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery dollars, according to a GLO press release.
Only a homeowner's primary residence qualifies. Applications must include all required documents to be considered complete.
Why Harris County is excluded
HUD granted $67.3 million to Harris County and $314.6 million to the City of Houston directly for 2024 disaster recovery. Because those communities received their own federal allocation, their residents cannot apply through the GLO programs.
That split means a Seabrook homeowner in Galveston County may qualify, while a neighbor across the county line in Webster would not.
Background
Hurricane Beryl made landfall near Matagorda on July 8, 2024, then tore through the Houston-Galveston region with damaging winds, heavy rain and widespread power outages. The GLO opened applications on July 9, 2025.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in August that the agency's housing programs have helped more than 14,000 Texas families rebuild their homes across all disasters, according to the Galveston County Daily News. "We hope homeowners still struggling to recover in the 27 eligible counties will visit recovery.texas.gov/apply to learn more and apply," Buckingham said at an Aug. 19 outreach event in Texas City.
No additional Galveston County outreach events are listed on the GLO's schedule.
How to apply
Homeowners can apply online at recovery.texas.gov/apply, call 1-844-893-8937 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or email [email protected]. Language assistance is available by calling 512-463-5139. Speech or hearing impaired residents can dial 7-1-1.
