President Donald J. Trump has approved a Major Disaster Declaration making federal public assistance available to 19 Texas counties damaged by July severe weather and flooding, Governor Greg Abbott announced Sept. 3.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved its Public Assistance program for those counties, covering emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities, according to the governor’s news release. The designation gives local governments a funding path for infrastructure repairs they would otherwise shoulder alone.
“I thank President Trump for his approval of this Major Disaster Declaration,” Abbott said in the release. “Federal public assistance is now available in 19 Texas counties damaged by the July storms and floods. Local officials will now have needed resources to recover and rebuild. Texas will deliver every available resource to affected communities.”
The approved counties are Bandera, Crockett, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, La Salle, Mason, Maverick, Menard, Real, Sutton, Uvalde, Val Verde and Zavala. The governor’s office said requests for Public Assistance in nine additional counties remain pending.
Also pending is the state’s request for FEMA’s Individual Assistance program in 30 affected counties, which would help residents with temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, disaster legal services, disaster unemployment assistance and medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the disaster. A separate Texas request to authorize additional Hazard Mitigation Grant Program resources statewide is pending as well.
Officials continue to review damage information Texans self-report through the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool at damage.tdem.texas.gov, which the governor’s office said is vital to identifying affected areas and connecting residents with resources. The office listed earlier state actions on the July storms, including extended SNAP replacement benefits, amendments to the state disaster declaration adding counties, and raising the State Operations Center to 24-hour Level II operations.