FEMA approves Federal Emergency Declaration following Hurricane Hanna landfall in Texas, Abbott says

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Sunday that the Federal Emergency Declaration in response to Hurricane Hanna has been approved.

The authorization from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Trump administration provides emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance and reimbursement mass care, including evacuation and shelter support at 75 percent federal funding. Abbott submitted the request Saturday as the storm approached the southern Texas coast.

Hanna intensified to a Category 1 hurricane early Saturday morning, becoming the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Hanna made landfall twice south of Corpus Christi before being downgraded to a tropical depression.

Serious flood risk remains throughout the Coastal Bend and the Rio Grande Valley.

“I thank President Trump and our partners at FEMA for their quick response in granting this Federal Emergency Declaration,” said Abbott. “We will continue to work with our federal and local partners as we assess the damage from Hurricane Hanna and may seek additional federal assistance as we continue to respond, recover, and rebuild our communities. I continue to urge Texans to heed the guidance from their local leaders and follow best practices to keep themselves and their loved ones safe as severe weather continues to move through our communities.”

Abbott also issued a disaster declaration for 32 counties on Saturday. He outlined how that state planned to designate resources to Hanna while combating the spread of coronavirus if residents are forced to evacuate and seek temporary shelter. Nueces County, where Corpus Christi is located, is a hard hit area for COVID-19, with nearly 10,000 confirmed cases and more than 100 deaths.

The response includes activating the Texas National Guard, securing COVID-19 testing within shelters, sanitizing shelters, providing medical response personnel, prepping units to transport at-risk populations and coordinating debris clean-up.

Here is the full press conference from Gov. Greg Abbott: