The Community Foundation of Texas Hill Country has committed more than $2 million to Uvalde County flood recovery. That total includes more than $620,000 to Catholic Charities and $1.4 million for home repairs through Rebuilding Together Austin-San Antonio. Catholic Charities said it has helped 300 local households and hopes to reach 306 more with one-time financial aid. Households of one can receive at least $500, and families of five can receive up to $1,500. The effort operates from the St. Henry de Osso Family Center at 114 E. Nopal St. FEMA has denied individual assistance for Uvalde County, and charitable aid is a key source of help, according to the report.
Omar Davila, senior director of Essential Support Services for Catholic Charities, said the group expects to help about 306 families it had already identified by the end of October. The foundation gave Catholic Charities a $317,192 grant in August and a later $304,225 grant. The latest grant included a $25,000 contribution from the Texas Bankers Foundation and $24,975 in community donations collected by First State Bank of Uvalde. Chad D. Stary, the bank's president and CEO, thanked donors.
The foundation said Uvalde and Zavala counties were the hardest hit by the floods. A July survey found 425 damaged homes in Uvalde, including 128 uninhabitable and 13 destroyed. Texas Division of Emergency Management data from September identified more than 170 Uvalde households as destroyed or with major damage. As of Oct. 20, Rebuilding Together had begun assessing homes but had not started construction. Cindy Lee of Rebuilding Together said the group aims to help 40 homes. Austin Dickson, the foundation's CEO, said it is considering an unmet-needs fund.