Governor honors Orange County Disaster Rebuild

The OneStar Foundation, the official non-profit for the state, has announced that the Orange County Disaster Rebuild is one of the recipients of the Governor's Volunteer Awards.

The group is one of 11 individuals and organizations receiving the award. It was cited under the category of the Rebuild Texas Disaster Impact Award. The awards were announced by Texas First Lady Cecelia Abbott.

Orange County Commissioners created the disaster rebuild group in May 2018, months after Hurricane Harvey flooded most of the county. It continued its work after disastrous tropical storms, Hurricanes Laura and Delta, plus tornadoes.

Michelle Tubbleville led the effort through her office by coordinating local, state, and federal aid, along with non-profit donations and volunteers. The volunteers and donations came from across the country, and included churches, businesses and individuals.

According to the governor's office, Orange County Disaster Rebuild programs helped raise $3.2 million and worked to repair 300 homes. They also built 26 new houses and replaced 11 destroyed mobile homes and RVs. They also allocated $420,000 for new furniture and appliances. In addition, the group coordinated the work of more than 2,500 volunteers from outside of the area and helped arrange housing for the volunteers who had long stays.