Obama Proclaims Halloween Floods Federal Disaster
By Brandon Watson, December 20, 2013, 3:45pm, Newsdesk
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency announced today that the Halloween flooding in Austin is now classified as a federal disaster.
The classification means that funds will soon be available to cover a percentage of costs for building and infrastructure repair, hazard prevention efforts, and emergency protection measures. FEMA has not yet announced whether assistance will be available directly to individual victims of the flooding.
"The City of Austin is very pleased to hear that the President has committed to provide support for public assistance to government facilities and infrastructure that were damaged during the Halloween floods," said City Manager Marc Ott in a press release, "We are anxiously waiting to hear about a much needed declaration for support of Austin’s residents that were devastated by the floods and are thankful for any assistance thus far.”
Further details will be announced after FEMA briefs the city at an as-yet unspecified date.
Copyright © 2024 Austin Chronicle Corporation. All rights reserved.