Texas declares disaster for 101 counties

Governor Greg Abbott on June 15 issued a disaster declaration covering 101 counties as severe storms and flood risks spread across Texas, according to the governor’s office. The declaration said the weather event began June 14 and included heavy rainfall, flash flooding, hazardous wind gusts, large hail and tornado threats. Abbott said the order was intended to ensure local officials and communities could draw on state support as conditions continued to worsen. The move came as Texas emergency officials expanded rescue, road-monitoring, medical and power-restoration resources, and as another major flood emergency unfolded in India’s Gujarat state. ### Which Texas counties were covered by Abbott’s order? The June 15 proclamation listed 101 counties stretching across South, Central, Southeast and East Texas, including Bexar, Travis, Harris, Hidalgo, Cameron, Galveston, Kerr, Williamson and Nueces. The governor’s office said additional counties could be added if conditions warranted. The proclamation was issued under Section 418.014 of the Texas Government Code. (gov.texas.gov) Abbott said in the release that “ongoing storms and flood risks” had caused enough damage and danger to justify statewide action. The governor’s office said the declaration opened access to “the full range of state resources and support” for affected communities. ### What resources did Texas put in place after the declaration? The Texas Division of Emergency Management said Abbott directed the agency to activate additional state emergency response resources as flood threats continued across large parts of Texas. (gov.texas.gov) State support included rescue personnel, road-condition monitoring, medical assistance capabilities and crews prepared to respond to power outages, according to the state’s emergency management release. (gov.texas.gov) Texas emergency management officials said the state coordinates with local governments to reduce the impact of disasters and to support response operations when conditions exceed local capacity. The state did not, in the materials reviewed, provide a single statewide damage total tied to the June 15 declaration. ### Why is the Texas General Land Office asking for public comment now? The Texas General Land Office on July 7 posted Amendment 5 to the state’s Mitigation State Action Plan for a 30-day public comment period. (tdem.texas.gov) The agency said the amendment creates a new Mitigation Reallocation Program using unutilized and deobligated Community Development Block Grant mitigation funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (tdem.texas.gov) Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said the program is aimed at helping communities pursue projects that reduce future disaster risks. The General Land Office said all mitigation-eligible counties would be able to apply under criteria laid out in the amendment, and that comments must be submitted before 5 p.m. on August 6, after which the agency will respond and send the amendment to HUD for final approval. (glo.texas.gov) ### How does the Texas response compare with what happened in Gujarat? Surat district in Gujarat received 358 mm of rain in 24 hours, and flooding killed at least nine people and forced the evacuation of more than 3,500 others, Hindustan Times reported on July 8. The report said transport was disrupted, schools were shut and rescue teams were deployed in one of Gujarat’s largest flood-response operations. (glo.texas.gov) The Texas and Gujarat emergencies unfolded in different systems, but both responses centered on the same immediate tasks: rescue operations, evacuations, infrastructure monitoring and recovery planning, according to the official Texas releases and the Gujarat reporting. ### What happens next in Texas? August 6 is the next dated milestone in the Texas response process, because that is the deadline for public comments on the General Land Office’s Amendment 5. (hindustantimes.com) After the comment period closes, the agency said it will review and respond to submissions before forwarding the amendment to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for final approval. (glo.texas.gov) (gov.texas.gov)