AUSTIN — Federal disaster assistance has been approved for Bandera County and 18 other Texas counties following severe weather and flooding in July, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday.
President Donald Trump approved a Major Disaster Declaration that makes Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance available in the affected counties.
Officials say the program provides assistance for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged public facilities.
The approval comes as Bandera County continues its recovery from the July flooding.
County officials previously reported about $300,000 in emergency repairs had been completed in the Pipe Creek area, with permanent repair costs expected to be significantly higher.
Texas Division of Emergency Management teams also identified damage to several low-water crossings, including one on Bear Springs Road.
Temporary repairs have been completed, according to Bandera County Emergency Management Coordinator Judy Lefevers.
The counties approved for Public Assistance are Bandera, Crockett, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, La Salle, Mason, Maverick, Menard, Real, Sutton, Uvalde, Val Verde and Zavala.
The governor's request for Public Assistance for nine additional counties remains pending, according to a press release from his office.
Federal assistance for individuals also remains pending. Texas has requested FEMA's Individual Assistance program for 30 affected counties. If approved, the program could provide assistance for temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, disaster legal services, disaster unemployment assistance, and medical, dental and funeral expenses related to the disaster.
In Bandera County, Lefevers previously said relatively few residents had reported individual damage to their homes through the state assessment process. Four residents had indicated their residences were affected, with no significant structural damage reported at that time.
Residents and business owners who experienced damage are encouraged to submit information through the Texas Division of Emergency Management's Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool, or iSTAT.
Damage information can be submitted at https://damage.tdem.texas.gov/. The information helps officials identify affected areas and connect Texans with available resources.
A separate request to authorize additional FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program resources statewide also remains pending.
The governor's office said the state also has taken other actions in response to the July flooding, including extending SNAP replacement benefits, adding counties to the state disaster declaration and deploying additional emergency response resources.
The federal Public Assistance approval is separate from the pending Individual Assistance request. Public Assistance is intended primarily for eligible emergency work and repairs to disaster-damaged public facilities, while Individual Assistance would provide aid directly to eligible individuals and households if approved.
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