Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham on Thursday toured the newly rebuilt Levelland home of Joanna Moore, marking the first home completed by the Texas General Land Office (GLO) disaster recovery project in Hockley County.
Levelland Mayor Breann Buxkemper and Hockley County Judge Sharla Baldridge and other city and county joined Buckingham as she toured Moore’s newly reconstructed home, as well as meeting other other residents whose homes were impacted by the May 2024 storm.
Kelle Ellison’s home is now in the process of being rebuilt, and a third is scheduled to start soon.
Severe damage occurred from the storm with straight-line wind of 100 to 120 mph sweeping through Levelland, leaving behind extensive destruction to homes and businesses and injuring eight people. Many parts of the city were without power for several days.
According to the National Weather Service, the storm first appeared in the form of a longlived supercell thunderstorm near Tucumcari, New Mexico that Tuesday, before proceeding south and southeast overnight. Developing into a bow echo accompanied by destructive winds, wind-driven hail the size of softballs, and torrential rain, the storm struck the city at 1:30 a.m.
Since that time, the GLO headed up by Buckingham allocated $244.1 million for the Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP) to repair and reconstruct owner-occupied single- family homes and $43.1 million for the Homeowner Reimbursement Program to reimburse eligible applicants for out-of-pocket home repairs.
Eligible reimbursement ranges from $3,000 to $75,000 for stick-built homes and $3,000 to $50,000 for manufactured housing units.
Buckingham stated her office is continuing to accept HAP applications which are available only for a homeowner’s primary residence, and applicants may apply for either reimbursement or repair and reconstruction assistance, but not both.
Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, and applicants must submit all required documents for an application to be considered complete.
The GLO does take income and proof of damage into account when considering applications, and accepts alternative proof of ownership.
To visit one-on-one with a GLO representative, go to the Levelland Fire Station on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. , Wednesday or Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.