SAN ANTONIO, Texas — San Antonio and the rest of Bexar County will not get federal public assistance money for damage from this summer’s storms, after the Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected a request from Gov. Greg Abbott covering the county and seven others.
In a letter to Abbott dated Sept. 28, FEMA said its damage assessments did not show infrastructure losses severe enough to qualify. The request covered severe weather from July 12 through Aug. 4 in Bexar plus Atascosa, Blanco, Brewster, Comal, Medina, Terrell and Wilson. Public assistance is the federal program that helps local governments pay to repair roads, bridges and other public property.
The agency also said no to the state’s bids for statewide individual assistance, which goes to households, and for hazard mitigation money meant to reduce damage in future storms.
A spokesman for Abbott said the governor’s office and the Texas Division of Emergency Management are reviewing the decision and the appeal process. He noted that the president had already approved public assistance for 23 other counties under the earlier major disaster declaration, and that the governor issued a state disaster declaration, extended replacement SNAP benefits and asked for federal tax relief for hard-hit counties.
Northwest of San Antonio, the City of Kerrville said it was disappointed that families in Kerrville and Kerr County will not get individual help for now. City leaders said many residents are still rebuilding homes damaged in the July flooding and that they hope an appeal will lead FEMA to change course. Kerrville did not give a timeline for that appeal.
Filed under: San Antonio TX Weather News