Abbott assesses Dallas flood damage
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Gov. Greg Abbott visited Dallas yesterday to understand the extent of flooding across North Texas and urge residents to report any damages as soon as possible.
Why it matters: Dallas got 15 inches of rain in a five-hour span on Monday, part of the wettest 24 hours in nearly a century. It flooded homes, roads, cars and businesses.
- During his Dallas visit, Abbott signed a disaster declaration for 23 counties, making way for state resources to be directed toward recovery.
Yes, but: The governor stopped short of acknowledging human-caused climate change.
The big picture: Climate studies show that precipitation extremes like this are becoming more likely and intense in a warming world.
Threat level: At least 100 homes were damaged. One death — the only known fatality — was reported in Mesquite.
- Around two dozen Dallas police vehicles were damaged. The department has had to expedite regular maintenance on other cars and consider putting two officers in each patrol car to make up for the loss, Dallas police chief Eddie Garcia said.
Of note: Officials believe the recent flooding affected a large number of low-income families who may not have flood insurance.
- If this ends up being the case, North Texas may hit the required threshold to get federal funding through a federal disaster declaration, Texas Division of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said.
Be smart: If you experienced any damage in the storms, file a claim with your insurance company as soon as possible and report the damage to the Texas Division of Emergency Management so state officials can capture the extent of the damage.
- Abbott said the goal is to share the data with FEMA later this week so they can start assessing if federal funding can be provided for repairs.