Rocio Villalobos 
MERCEDES – Cities in Hidalgo and Cameron County are still recovering after being hit hard by the back-to-back floods of June 2018 and 2019. Now help is on the way from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The HUD recently approved $285 million in disaster recovery grants for Texas, with Hidalgo County to receive “no less than $58,330,000” for the 2018 floods and “no less than $170,193,000” going to Cameron, Hidalgo and six other counties divided among one another for the 2019 floods according to a news release from Senator John Cornyn’s office.
In the statement, Senator Cornyn said: “Texans have endured relentless storms in the past two years….I’m thankful to the Trump Administration for providing these federal grants to help Texas families return to normalcy.”
“It was really seen here in this area,” Mario Lugo said.
Mercedes resident and UTRGV student Maria Lugo is one of the thousands who were affected by the storms. She says the flooding was especially concerning because the mail carrier couldn’t reach the home to deliver her son’s medication.
“There was no way anybody could come into this neighborhood,” Lugo said. “When cars drove by, the water would just come in little waves and push against our trailer, the siding.”
Her and her family’s home suffered over $10,000 in damages, and while most of it was covered by insurance, they were later dropped from the plan after their residence was declared a “flooding zone.”
She adds many of her neighbors have or are trying to sell their homes because they fear another heavy storm is imminent. However, Lugo does not have plans to leave.
“It’s a little tough. It’s a little harder,” she said. “Right now my husband is the only one working. I’m going to school. And to top it off this is like our little dream. We like it out here, but just for that to happen.”
Lugo is unsure whether she will apply for any money since her application for FEMA aid was denied, but says if she is able to be reimbursed for the damage, the money she spent repairing her home would instead go to paying off her student loans.
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