PORT ARTHUR, Texas — The Port Arthur City Council approved $226,000 for a drainage project in Port Acres, marking progress on flood prevention efforts eight years after Hurricane Harvey devastated Southeast Texas.

The city received $12.6 million in federal funding from FEMA in 2018 and an additional $266,000 federal grant Thursday. Construction is expected to begin by the end of this year and finish in 2027.

Curtis Branch, a Port Acres resident and business owner, experienced flooding that came within three inches of entering his home during Harvey.

"It was 3 inches from coming in my house. Luckily it didn't do that," Branch said.

The floodwaters lingered for weeks after the 2017 hurricane struck the area.

"It's just, you know, the flood, the water stayed here for 2 or 3 weeks befor

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