The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday announced $63 million in new federal assistance for 47 higher education institutions affected by the 2017 California wildfires, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
Under its Emergency Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education program, the federal government allocated the funds on the basis of damage and recovery cost incurred by the institutions and also prioritized students who are at risk of homelessness due to the disaster-induced displacement.
“This emergency assistance will provide vital resources for those whose lives were impacted by disasters in 2017,” Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said.
“As those on the ground work every day to recover, the Department of Education will continue to be a partner and resource to get institutions, students and faculty back on their feet,” she added.
The $63 million assistance has been allocated through already appropriated $100 million for this program. At the moment, the Department of Education is in process of reviewing the applications of other instructions to release the remaining funds.
Earlier this month, the department announced federal assistance of $359.8 million for 20 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands under the Temporary Emergency Impact Aid for Displaced Students program to cover the cost of providing education to students displaced by the 2017 California wildfires, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.