Federal aid for areas of Texas affected by Hurricane Beryl has been expanded to include new counties, Governor Greg Abbott announced.
Category 1 Hurricane Beryl swept through the Lone Star State and neighboring Louisiana in July, causing massive property damage and leaving millions of people without power. The severe storm, which made landfall on July 5, killed 38 people, according to a report by Houston Public Media.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance program provides additional grants to state, tribal, territorial and local governments when “communities need assistance in covering their costs of debris removal, life-saving emergency response efforts and restoring public infrastructure.”
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The following 17 states are now eligible to receive reimbursement for permanent work through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance program:
- Angelina
- Calhoun
- Fort Bend
- Galveston
- Hardin
- Jackson
- Nacogdoches
- Newton
- Polk
- Sabine
- San Augustine
- Shelby
- Trinity
- Tyler
- walker
- Catfish
- Washington
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In total, 67 counties received federal funding to support reconstruction efforts, Abbott’s office confirmed.
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“FEMA’s recognition of the 17 counties affected by Hurricane Beryl is an important step forward in helping our communities rebuild and recover,” Abbott said in a press release Wednesday, Sept. 4.
“Texas continues to work closely with local and federal partners to rebuild state and local infrastructure damaged during this devastating hurricane. I thank the Texas Division of Emergency Management and local emergency response personnel for their continued, tireless efforts to assist their fellow Texans in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.”
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Immediately after the storm, individual relief grants for Texans were announced in some counties. In the following counties, individuals can apply for grants to help with temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured or underinsured personal property losses, disaster legal services, disaster unemployment assistance, and medical, dental, and funeral expenses:
- Brazoria
- Chambers
- Fort Bend
- Galveston
- Harris
- Jackson
- jasper
- Jefferson
- Freedom
- Matagorda
- Montgomery
- Nacogdoches
- Orange
- Polk
- San Jacinto
- walker
- Wharton
Abbott faced criticism after Hurricane Beryl for being out of the state during the storm. In early July, he embarked on a week-long economic development mission to Asia, meeting with business leaders and government officials in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.
President Joe Biden said he had difficulty locating the governor as he tried to authorize the declaration of a major disaster.
“I tried to track down the governor to see – I have no authority to do that without a specific request from the governor,” Biden told the Houston Chronicle at that time.
The president added that he had “continued to follow up with the lieutenant governor,” but did not make contact until Tuesday afternoon and immediately agreed to the disaster declaration.
Abbott’s press secretary Andrew Mahaleris dismissed Biden’s claim, saying: “This is a complete lie by President Biden and frankly makes no sense.”
“The President and his administration know exactly how to engage with the Governor and have done so on numerous occasions in the past.”
