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Cornyn, Hutchison Urge Disaster Declaration For Flood Recovery In Additional Texas Counties

WASHINGTON—In a letter sent to the White House on Thursday, U.S. Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, urged President George W. Bush to expedite Governor Rick Perry’s request for a federal disaster declaration for additional Texas counties that have suffered damage recently from severe weather and flooding. On Thursday, Gov. Perry requested federal assistance for the following counties: Burnet, Eastland, Parker, Starr, Webb, and Wichita.  

The text of the letter is included below:

Dear Mr. President:

As you know, the Federal Emergency Management Agency recently approved a Presidential Disaster Declaration for the six Texas counties of Cooke, Coryell, Denton, Grayson, Lampasas, and Tarrant, as a result of recent severe storms and flooding that began on May 23, 2007. 

However, this damage was part of a larger weather system that has dumped record rainfalls and created severe floods over a large swath of our state.  We strongly support Governor Perry’s request to amend the declaration to include the additional Texas counties of Burnet, Eastland, Parker, Starr, Webb, and Wichita that have been impacted by this in this storm system.

We urge you to expedite the consideration of this request, as we believe that such declaration is critical to ensuring that important mitigation and recovery assistance is made available to the residents of these counties as soon as possible.

Flooding from already full creeks, lakes and reservoirs is being exacerbated by the immense level of rainfall that has fallen on these areas of Texas in recent days.  The City of Marble Falls in Burnet County alone received 19 inches of rain during one 10 hour period.  Families have been forced into shelters, numerous homes have been damaged or destroyed, and the delivery of basic public infrastructure, such as electricity and water, has been severely impeded in many communities. 

We appreciate the efforts underway by the Federal Government to review the State’s request in a timely manner, and we respectfully ask that you give this request due consideration.  You may be certain that we will work with the Administration to aid the victims of this disaster.

Sincerely,

KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON
United States Senator

JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

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