Blog Post

Disaster Aid Available to 126 Counties Affected by Winter Storm

Office of Governor Abbott • February 25, 2021
Governor Greg Abbott announced that the White House has issued a Federal Emergency Declaration for Texas in response to the severe winter storm that began on Feb. 11.

This Federal Emergency Declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide emergency protective measures for mass care and sheltering and Direct Federal Assistance for Texas counties. The Governor originally requested Individual Assistance for all 254 Texas counties on February 18th. On February 20th, the White House partially approved Texas' request for a Major Disaster Declaration. The partial approval included Individual Assistance in 77 counties and for Public Assistance (Emergency Protective Measures Only) in all 254 counties. 

  • February 22 - 31 counties approved
  • February 25 - 18 counties approved
Counties originally approved:

Angelina, Aransas, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Denton, DeWitt, Ellis, Falls, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gillespie, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hood, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Lavaca, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Maverick, McLennan, Montague, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Nueces, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Polk, Rockwall, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Scurry, Shelby, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Travis, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Wharton, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson, and Wise Counties.

31 additional counties approved:

Anderson, Austin, Bosque, Bowie, Burnet, Cherokee, Colorado, Erath, Fannin, Freestone, Gonzales, Grayson, Gregg, Harrison, Hill, Houston, Hunt, Jackson, Jim Wells, Jones, Limestone, Lubbock, Medina, Milam, Navarro, Rusk, Taylor, Tom Green, Val Verde, Washington, Wood.

18 additional counties approved:

Atascosa, Bandera, Brooks, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Goliad, Howard, Jim Hogg, Karnes, Kleberg, Leon, Llano, Newton, Robertson, Trinity, Webb, and Willacy. 

As of Thursday, March 4, three East Texas Counties have not been approved for disaster assistance. The counties are Camp, Marion, and Rains Counties. On Tuesday, March 2, Gov. Abbott requested that an additional 32 counties be added to the Disaster Declaration, including the three remaining East Texas Counties that ETCOG covers.

Additional counties will continue to be re-requested as the State of Texas continues to receive information reported from individuals who have suffered damage from the winter storm. Texans are urged to fill out the Texas Division of Emergency Management's Texas Individual Assistance Reporting Tool (TIART) to help the state identify damages across Texas and help emergency management officials gain an understanding of damages that occurred during the recent winter weather. FEMA has asked the state of Texas for additional information regarding the amount of damage in the counties that have yet to be declared, and TDEM will continue to present that information until all Texas counties that qualify for federal assistance receive the assistance they need.
A police officer is holding a microphone in his pocket.

Homeland Security, Criminal Justice Grant Funding Available for East Texas Public Safety Projects

By East Texas Council of Governments • December 19, 2024
State agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations, universities or colleges, and federally recognized Native American tribes can soon apply for FY 2026 grant funds from the Office of the Governor, Public Safety Office , State Homeland Security Grant Program and Criminal Justice division. New and continuing applicants in ETCOG’s fourteen (14) county region are invited to attend FREE grant application workshops hosted by the ETCOG Public Safety division . Workshops for each grant category to be held virtually from December 18, 2024, through February 13, 2025. Grant funding will be available for the following programs: Homeland Security State Homeland Security Program – Regular Projects (SHSP-R) Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities (LETPA) Criminal Justice General Victim Assistance Direct Services Program (VOCA) Violence Against Women Justice and Training Program (VAWA) Juvenile Justice & Truancy Prevention Grant Program (SF-JJTP) Criminal Justice Program (DJ-JAG) “The goal is to improve public safety, support victims of crime, and assist jurisdictions by filling gaps in the region via funding that promotes innovative solutions to regional problems,” said ETCOG’s Public Safety Director, Stephanie Heffner. “We help applicants understand what needs to go into their grant applications and what they have to track once they receive funding from the state so we can successfully bring public safety projects to East Texas.” Workshops for Homeland Security will be held on the following dates: Wednesday, December 18, 2024 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 1, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 15, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 22, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 10:00 AM Workshops for Criminal Justice will be held on the following dates: Monday, January 7, 2025 - 2:00 PM Wednesday, January 15, 2025 - 10:00 AM Thursday, January 23, 2025 - 2:30 PM Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - 2:00 PM Workshops are mandatory if you plan to apply for funding. To participate in a virtual workshop for Homeland Security, visit www.pineywoods911.com/homeland-security . To participate in a virtual workshop for Criminal Justice, visit www.pineywoods911.com/criminal-justice .
A woman in a police uniform is standing in a park.

$3.4M in Public Safety Grants Approved for East Texas Region

By ETCOG Public Safety • December 17, 2024
The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) announces $3.4 million in grants from the Governor's Public Safety Office awarded to East Texas jurisdictions and nonprofits.
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