The Houston congressional delegation wrote to President Joe Biden with an “urgent plea” that he expedite the process for individual assistance under FEMA.
Houston -area lawmakers are pushing President Joe Biden to approve a new wave of federal disaster relief that would allow residents in 15 counties hit by Beryl to apply directly for financial aid from the government.
The Houston congressional delegation wrote to Biden Friday with an “urgent plea” that he expedite the process that would free up Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance for thousands still stuck without power days after Beryl. 'Many residents in and around the Houston area have been without power for several days with heat indexes exceeding 100 degrees daily,' said the letter, led by U.S. Rep. Randy Weber, R-Friendswood, and signed by 18 Texans, including all Democrats and Republicans from the Houston area. 'They urgently need the resources FEMA can provide.' LIVE UPDATES: Dan Patrick says CenterPoint ‘underestimated’ Beryl, 870K still without power in Houston The letter comes after acting Gov. Dan Patrick on Thursday formally requested Biden approve the individual assistance for residents in 15 counties hit hardest by the storm: Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker, and Wharton. Patrick wrote in his request that damage assessments required by FEMA to free up the funds indicate many homes in those counties suffered major damage or were totally destroyed. The state had validated reports of 85 destroyed homes and 426 with major damage, Patrick wrote. Patrick’s letter also cited other serious issues from Beryl, including hundreds of thousands of households with days-long power outages. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the president planned to approve the request. Biden said earlier this week that he was working to cut “red tape” to get aid to Texas, and “we’re going to be with the people of Texas as long as this takes.” The push for individual assistance comes as Biden and state Republican leaders have been at odds over a major disaster declaration request the president approved earlier this week that freed up federal resources for initial “life- saving and life-sustaining” aid, including debris removal and supplies, such as food and generators. EXCLUSIVE: CenterPoint CEO defends power delays, vows better communication after Hurricane Beryl The president said in an exclusive interview with the Houston Chronicle on Tuesday that he had to “track down” Patrick, who is acting governor while Greg Abbott is on a business trip in Asia, to get the request, which Biden approved that day. The governor has to formally request federal assistance and the president has to approve it before FEMA can take action. The state has submitted such requests much earlier in past storms, including Hurricanes Ike, Harvey and Hanna. Patrick and Abbott have both insisted there was no delay in getting the request to the White House and accused Biden of lying about his attempts to reach them. Patrick on Thursday said the president was trying to “weaponize FEMA as a political tool” in a post on the social media site X. Starting Monday, state leaders and the Texas Division of Emergency Management have asked residents impacted by the storm to submit reports of home destruction and other damage through the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool , an online survey that helps state officials quickly determine the extent of damage across the region. “Many Texans have property damage caused by Beryl. Reporting that information is essential for Texas to qualify for relief from FEMA,” Abbott said Monday on social media. The federal government can only provide individual assistance through FEMA to counties that have enough “unmet need,” including casualties, impact to community infrastructure and households with uninsured losses. After the flood event in May, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management Nim Kidd said as a rule of thumb officials need to prove an event severely damaged or destroyed at least 800 uninsured homes for a county to qualify for direct assistance from FEMA.
White House Centerpoint Republicans Individual State Of Texas Assessment Tool Houston Chronicle Texas Division Of Emergency Management Istat Hurricanes Ike Joe Biden Dan Patrick Hurricane Beryl Texans Randy Weber Greg Abbott R Chambers Harris Jackson Walker Wharton Democrats Nim Kidd Hanna Harvey Houston Texas Beryl Friendswood U.S. Montgomery Orange San Jacinto Matagorda Polk Liberty Jefferson Jasper Galveston Brazoria Asia
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