President Donald Trump has approved federal disaster assistance for 19 Texas counties following severe storms and flooding in July, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday.
The approval comes nearly seven weeks after Abbott requested a presidential disaster declaration on July 17.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved public assistance for the counties, which can help local governments pay for emergency work and repair or replace disaster-damaged public facilities. A separate request for individual assistance for 30 counties remains pending.
The delay had practical consequences for local recovery efforts. In Uvalde County, commissioners postponed a countywide debris removal plan in July while waiting for state and federal guidance to ensure the county remained eligible for FEMA reimbursement. Officials said failing to properly document debris removal and other expenses could leave local taxpayers responsible for the costs.
The Guadalupe, Nueces and Frio rivers all reached flood stage. Some areas, including Cotulla, were under water for days.
The counties covered by the declaration are west, northwest and south of San Antonio and stretch to the border with Mexico. They include Bandera, Crockett, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, La Salle, Mason, Maverick, Menard, Real, Sutton, Uvalde, Val Verde and Zavala counties.
Abbott said requests for public assistance remain pending for nine counties: Atascosa, Bexar, Blanco, Brewster, Comal, Medina, Schleicher, Terrell and Wilson.
Abbott said the state has also extended SNAP replacement benefits for Texans affected by the flooding.
Separately, Abbott has ordered a preliminary damage assessment for Bexar County following the Aug. 28 windstorm that caused widespread damage and power outages across San Antonio.
The U.S. Small Business Administration will join state and local officials in conducting the assessment, which will help determine whether the county qualifies for additional federal disaster assistance.
"Texas will deliver every necessary resource to Bexar County after the August storms," Abbott said. "I directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to request the SBA join state and local officials for preliminary damage assessments."
Texans who sustained damage to a home or business are encouraged to report it through TDEM's iSTAT survey. The survey can be found at TDEM Damage Surveys.
Officials are investigating three suspected storm drownings.
A woman was swept into rushing water near downtown San Antonio on Friday night and later found dead. A man believed to be in his 50s was found dead at Woodlawn Lake on Sunday. On Tuesday, a 69-year-old man was found under an Interstate 10 East bridge near Probandt Street, and police said floodwaters may have carried his body there.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner is determining the cause and manner of death in each case.
The National Weather Service said measured wind speeds reached 55 to 65 mph, with pockets of stronger winds indicated by radar and storm damage.
Wind damage was reported across San Antonio and Bexar County, and more than 110,000 CPS Energy customers lost power at the peak of the storm.
