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Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael McCaul (Texas-10) joined Congressman Randy Weber (Texas-14) and a bipartisan Texas delegation in sending a letter to President Biden requesting the expedited approval of Individual Assistance (IA) under the FEMA program for Texans impacted by Hurricane Beryl.
The letter was also signed by Representatives Brian Babin (Texas-36), Troy Nehls (Texas-22), Sylvia Garcia (Texas-29), Michael Cloud (Texas-27), Lizzie Fletcher (Texas-7), Al Green (Texas-9), Wesley Hunt (Texas-38), Morgan Luttrell (Texas-8), Dan Crenshaw (Texas-2), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas-18), Lance Gooden (Texas-5), Kay Granger (Texas-12), Pete Sessions (Texas-17), August Pfluger (Texas-11), John Carter (Texas-31), Roger Williams (Texas-25), and Tony Gonzales (Texas-23).
"As members of the Texas congressional delegation, we write with an urgent plea to expedite approval of Texas’ request for Individual Assistance under the FEMA program," the letter stated. "Specifically, our goal is to amplify the formal application provided to your Administration by acting Governor Patrick yesterday and underscore the speed by which is needed. Many residents in and around the Houston area have been without power for several days with heat indexes exceeding 100 degrees daily. They urgently need the resources FEMA can provide."
The delegation expressed appreciation for President Biden's major disaster declaration earlier this week on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, which approved federal assistance in the form of Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs targeted toward mitigating future disasters and Public Assistance to state and local governments. "In our experience, these programs have been tremendously beneficial for the recovery of our communities in the aftermath of major disasters, such as the recent storm, Hurricane Beryl," they noted.
However, they emphasized that most constituents require Individual Assistance due to their vulnerability at home while communities focus on broader recovery efforts. The letter highlighted that Texans experienced damage from "storm surge, flooding, tropical storm force winds, and tornadoes followed by continued extreme heat and power outages, with over two million power outages at peak." Given these conditions, they underscored the urgency of Texas' request.
"Respectfully, we request the same speed of response that your Administration provided in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Beryl's landfall on Monday, July 8," concluded the letter.
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