Governor Abbott Adds Six Counties To State Disaster Declaration For Severe Weather
Governor Greg Abbott today announced that he added six counties to the state’s disaster declaration for Texas communities impacted by recent severe weather that began on April 26 and remains ongoing. The counties added include Bailey, Bowie, Cass, Midland, Red River, and Terrell counties. Additional counties may be added at a later date as damage assessments are completed.
“As Texans across the state continue to recover from severe weather, I am adding six counties to the state’s disaster declaration to ensure impacted communities have the resources they need to rebuild,” said Governor Abbott. “Texans who have sustained damage to their home or business are encouraged to report it using the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s iSTAT damage survey. This tool will help determine if more counties are eligible for financial assistance. I thank all the emergency response personnel and first responders who continue to work tirelessly to help their fellow Texans move forward from these devastating storms.”
State emergency response and recovery resources remain engaged in support of local officials in areas that have been affected by severe storms and flooding.
Texans who experienced property damage are urged to report their damages utilizing the online Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) damage survey by visiting damage.tdem.texas.gov. The information provided in the iSTAT surveys helps officials connect impacted Texans with resources and services. Additionally, as those damages are reported to the state, officials can make determinations on whether they meet the federally-set thresholds for federal disaster assistance.
While 27 counties have been approved for Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Individual Assistance program, the Governor’s request for Individual Assistance remains under FEMA’s review for Coryell, Ellis, Falls, Leon, Navarro, Smith, Terrell, and Van Zandt counties. A number of these counties under FEMA review for Individual Assistance were requested to be added to the Presidential Disaster Declaration more than 2 weeks ago. Additional counties may be added to the Governor’s request as additional damage assessments are validated in affected communities. While the FEMA Public Assistance program for public infrastructure repairs and emergency work has been approved for Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity, and Walker counties, the Governor’s request for 47 additional Texas counties is still pending review by FEMA. 20 of those counties pending FEMA review for Public Assistance were requested more than 3 weeks ago.
Governor Abbott continues to take action to provide all available resources to help support local communities from the impacts of severe weather, including:
- Readying state emergency response resources on April 25 ahead of wildfire and severe weather threats.
- Issuing a disaster declaration on April 30 for counties affected by recent storms and deploying additional state emergency response resources in anticipation of severe weather and flooding. The Governor first amended his disaster declaration on May 2, updated it further on May 7, amended it again on May 15, added additional counties on May 20, made additional updates on May 26, added five counties on May 30, and amended the declaration on June 5.
- Increasing the readiness level of the State Emergency Operations Center to help support local officials with requests for state assistance.
- Holding a briefing on May 6 with local and state officials from impacted areas and providing an update on the state’s robust response efforts in support of local communities.
- Requesting a Presidential Disaster Declaration on May 15 for Texas communities impacted by severe storms.
- Securing partial approval of a Presidential Disaster Declaration on May 17 for areas of the state affected by severe weather.
- Requesting additional counties be added to the Presidential Disaster Declaration on May 19 for Texas communities impacted by severe storms.
- Providing an update on the state’s response and recovery efforts in impacted communities.
- Securing additional approvals for Texas counties in the Presidential Disaster Declaration.
- Ensuring additional impacted Texas counties were included in the Presidential Disaster Declaration.