President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in Texas as the state degenerates into a severe winter storm that initially left millions of people without power amid icy temperatures.
Biden’s actions make federal funding available to communities in 77 counties, including the hard-hit Harris County, where Houston is located. Additional disaster directions could be made after further damage assessments, the White House said in a statement Saturday morning.
“I thank President Biden for his help in responding to the effects of the winter weather in our state,” said Greg Abbott, governor of Texas. said in a statement. “While this partial approval is an important first step, Texas will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure that all eligible Texans have access to the relief they need.”
According to the website poweroutage.us, as of Saturday, approximately 74,000 power outages have been reported across the state.
The latest on the storm:
- Boiling water notices remain in effect in 189 counties after more than 1,300 public water systems reported service outages due to the weather, which affected more than 15.1 million people, the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality said in a statement Saturday morning. .
- At least 22 people in Texas have died in the wake of the winter storm, 11 of them in weather-related car accidents and at least five others have died from cold exposure.
- The Texas National Guard has been deployed across the state to conduct wellness checks and assist local authorities in helping the needy find a local heating station, according to Abbott. On Friday night, guards deliver 28,000 water bottles to Austin for Texans still without access to drinking water
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., helped raise $ 3.2 million in aid from Friday night for Texans in need, she said at a news conference Saturday morning with Rep. Sylvia Garcia and rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Democrat, said. representing Houston.
More than 15 million people were ordered to boil tap water on Saturday in the wake of the harsh winter weather that began a week ago and paralyzed the state, causing frozen and burst water pipes and residential pipes, and creating chaos for water treatment facilities. according to a spokesman for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Frozen pipes hampered the Killeen Fire Department’s efforts to get a fire in the Hilton Garden Inn under control overnight, officials said. All of the hotel’s 102 rooms were occupied when the hotel’s automatic sprinkler system failed. Seven agencies helped bring the fire under control just after midnight, and authorities reported only minor injuries.
Biden said Friday he plans to visit the state next week if it does not cause a nuisance.
The White House said in Saturday’s statement that the major disaster statement unlocks grants for temporary repairs to homes, home costs, cheap loans to cover unsecured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
It also provides federal assistance to eligible local government offices and certain non-profit private organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protection measures and mitigation measures across the country.
“The funds provided under the Great Disaster Declaration could provide Texans with crucial assistance if they begin repairing their homes and addressing property damage,” Abbott said.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., helped raise $ 3.2 million for relief work from Friday night for Texans in need, she said at a news conference Saturday morning with representatives Sylvia Garcia and Sheila Jackson Lee, Democrats who represents Houston.
Lawmakers have scattered supplies to help the millions of Texans in basic need in the wake of the record-breaking winter storm that killed at least 46 people in ten states, the majority in Texas.
“I think it shows that New York stands by you, but the whole country stands by you,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Acting FEMA Administrator Robert Fenton has appointed Jerry Thomas as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal Recovery Operations in the areas concerned.
“Texans do not want to go through this again. They want accountability. They want to know why the system failed and frankly, almost broke,” Garcia said Saturday morning.
