Governor Greg Abbott today announced he has activated the entire Texas National Guard in response to Hurricane Harvey, bringing the total number of deployed guardsman to roughly 12,000. Yesterday, Governor Greg Abbott expanded his State Disaster Declaration to include four additional Texas counties in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey. These counties include: Bastrop, Burleson, San Jacinto and Polk. There are now a total of 54 counties on the Governor's State Disaster Declaration.
Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Texas to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey from August 23, 2017 and continuing.
The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Bee, Goliad, Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio, and Refugio counties. 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.
Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in Bee, Goliad, Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio, and Refugio counties.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Kevin L Hannes has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area. Hannes said additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments.
