Governor Abbott Requests Major Disaster Declaration From White House For Hurricane Hanna
Governor Greg Abbott today sent a letter to President Trump requesting a major disaster declaration for five counties in Texas following the impact of Hurricane Hanna. The Governor specifically requested Public Assistance for Debris Removal (Category A), Emergency Protective Measures (Category B), Permanent Work (Categories C-G), and Direct Federal Assistance for the counties of Cameron, Hidalgo, Kleberg, Nueces, and Willacy. The Governor also requested the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program statewide.
"In addition to Hurricane Hanna, the state of Texas is currently engaged in response efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exhausted many of the state’s resources," reads the letter. "These response and recovery efforts are in addition to recovery efforts for Hurricane Laura, which made landfall along the Texas-Louisiana boarder on August 27, 2020, Tropical Storm Beta and five other major disasters over the last three years. The state of Texas has had more federal disaster declarations than any other state, which does not account for the numerous state disasters that did not meet federal thresholds and requirements."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) previously granted Texas' request for a Federal Emergency Declaration following Hurricane Hanna's landfall in Texas.