Rebuilding Lives: Families to split $50,000 grant to repair Hurricane Dolly damage

It has been more than a year that Hurricane Dolly swept across South Texas leaving more than a billion dollars in damages in her path.

In that time, many families had to live with blue tarps on their roofs, mold on walls and other damage because they’ve been unable to afford costly repairs to the damaged homes.

On Tuesday, the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation presented the Community Development Corporation of Brownsville with a $50,000 grant to be used to help some of those families.

CDCB Housing Program Manager Mark Moseley says in order to qualify for the grant, a family of four can make no more than $16,000 a year, or less than 50 percent of the medium income in the area.

"On average each family will receive a maximum of $5,000," Moseley said.

Ten families in Cameron County will benefit from the grant, among them the family of Maria Dolores Medrano.

Thirteen months after Hurricane Dolly made landfall on July 23 of last year, the roof of Medrano’s Brownsville home still leaks.

Moseley says several families applied for a grant. The agency is still taking applications.

The CDCB is a non-profit organization, which assists low-income families with affordable housing.

For more information, call (956) 541-4955.