Given reports of severe flooding in Texas, Obama has signed a disaster declaration where federal aid will be offered as part of recovery efforts for areas that have been worst hit since the beginning of May.
In offering this aid to people of three Texas counties in particular, a White House statement reveals, “Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.”
Apart from this, FEMA has already announced that people who have suffered losses in the aforementioned counties can start applying for aid at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or even call 1-800-621-FEMA. These toll-free numbers will be open seven days a week along from 7 AM to 9 PM local time until further notice.
But that’s not all – other counties where damage surveys are being conducted will also be considered for federal assistance.
This assistance from the White House comes as a result of the Texas Governor requesting a presidential disaster declaration that offers federal help for the badly-hit Harris, Hays and Van Zandt counties.
Apart from this, the Governor has declared a state of disaster in 24 additional counties where almost 70 of them are now under the Texas state disaster declaration.
If one must put things into perspective, almost 35 trillion gallons of water have fallen in Texas in just the month of May which officials say, is enough to cover the entire state in eight inches of standing water.