Greg Abbott Expands Hurricane Beryl Disaster Assistance

Federal assistance for areas impacted by Hurricane Beryl in Texas has been expanded to include new counties, state Governor Greg Abbott has announced.

Category 1 Hurricane Beryl barreled through the Lone Star State and neighboring Louisiana in July, causing extensive damage to properties and leaving millions without power. The major storm, which made landfall on July 5, killed 38 people, according to a report by Houston Public Media.

Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance provides supplemental grants to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments when “communities need help to cover their costs for debris removal, lifesaving emergency protective measures, and restoring public infrastructure.”

The following 17 states are now eligible for reimbursement for permanent work through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance program:

• Angelina
• Calhoun
• Fort Bend
• Galveston
• Hardin
• Jackson
• Nacogdoches
• Newton
• Polk
• Sabine
• San Augustine
• Shelby
• Trinity
• Tyler
• Walker
• Waller
• Washington

In total, 67 counties have been approved for federal aid funding to help with recovery efforts, Abbott’s office has confirmed.

“FEMA’s approval of 17 counties that were impacted by Hurricane Beryl is an important step forward to help our communities rebuild and recover,” Abbott said in a news release issued on Wednesday, September 4.

“Texas continues to work closely with local and federal partners to rebuild any state or local infrastructure that was damaged during this devastating hurricane. I thank the Texas Division of Emergency Management and local emergency management personnel for their ongoing, tireless efforts to help their fellow Texans in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.”

Individual assistance grants were announced for Texans in some counties in the immediate aftermath of the storm. In the following counties, individuals are eligible to apply for grants that aid with temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and 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
• Liberty
• Matagorda
• Montgomery
• Nacogdoches
• Orange
• Polk
• San Jacinto
• Walker
• Wharton

Abbott faced criticism following Hurricane Beryl for being absent from the state while the storm was taking place. In early July, he embarked on a weeklong economic development mission to Asia, meeting business leaders and government officials in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

President Joe Biden said he had trouble tracking down the governor when trying to approve a major disaster declaration.

“I’ve been trying to track down the governor to see—I don’t have any authority to do that without a specific request from the governor,” Biden told the Houston Chronicle at the time.

The president added he “kept tracking the lieutenant governor” but didn’t make contact until Tuesday afternoon, when he immediately approved the disaster declaration.

Abbott’s press secretary Andrew Mahaleris rebutted Biden’s claim, saying: “This is a complete lie from President Biden, and frankly doesn’t make any sense.

“The president and his administration know exactly how to get in contact with the governor and have on numerous occasions in the past.”