Texas declares disasters for 101 counties as severe floods hit Surat and China's Guangxi

Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster in 101 Texas counties on July 8 as heavy rain, flash flooding and renewed flood threats hit parts of the state. The same day, officials in Surat, India, said record rainfall had killed nine people and forced more than 3,500 evacuations, while China raised its national emergency response for flooding in Guangxi to Level III. The three responses were separate, but each showed governments scaling up flood management as storms hit populated areas. Public agencies in all three places moved from warning to rescue or formal emergency action within hours or days. ### Which parts of Texas were covered by Abbott’s declaration? Abbott’s July 8 declaration covered 101 counties, according to the governor’s office and local Texas reporting. The order said severe weather and flooding posed an imminent threat of widespread and severe damage, and it directed state resources to support local response efforts. (theeagle.com) Texas officials are also working on longer-term planning. The Texas General Land Office is seeking public input on an updated state disaster mitigation plan, according to a notice reported by Fox RGV. That process runs alongside recovery and preparedness work after the deadly July 2025 flooding in Kerr County. (theeagle.com) ### What happened in Surat? Surat officials said nine people died after intense rainfall flooded parts of the Gujarat city, according to Hindustan Times. The report said more than 3,500 residents were evacuated in one of the area’s largest rescue operations and that the city received about 13 inches of rain in 12 hours. (foxrgv.tv) Gujarat authorities deployed rescue teams as water entered residential neighborhoods and disrupted daily movement. The deaths and evacuations made Surat the deadliest of the three flood episodes described in the reporting tied to this story. ### Why did China raise the response level in Guangxi? (hindustantimes.com) China on July 9 raised its national disaster response for flood-hit Guangxi to Level III, state news agency Xinhua reported. The move covered severe flooding affecting places including Nanning and Guigang, and it signaled a higher level of national coordination for relief and emergency management. (hindustantimes.com) Guangxi’s flooding added a third major response in less than two days across three countries. Xinhua said the raised response level came as authorities dealt with heavy rain and flood impacts in the southern region. ### How is Texas handling recovery from last year’s floods? Community Impact reported that local fundraising efforts generated $9.4 million for victims of the July 2025 floods in Texas. (english.news.cn) The figure shows how much of the recovery burden has also been carried by civic groups, donors and local campaigns after the immediate emergency phase ended. Houston Public Media reported on July 8 that Kerr County residents said they were better prepared one year after the July 4, 2025 floods, helped in part by a Texas law requiring emergency plans in flood-prone counties. That reporting tied current preparedness efforts to lessons from last year’s disaster. (communityimpact.com) ### What comes next? The Texas mitigation-plan update is one of the clearest next steps in the U.S. response, with state officials soliciting public feedback as flood threats continue. In India and China, the immediate focus remained on evacuation, rescue and emergency management on July 9, according to the cited reports. (foxrgv.tv) (houstonpublicmedia.org)