AUSTIN – Burleson County has been added to the president’s disaster declaration for damage sustained during Hurricane Ike. The declaration means that Burleson County will be entitled to federal reimbursement for certain recovery efforts related to the storm. Specifically, the federal government will help pay for public assistance including food and water expenses and debris removal. It does not apply to individual households.

"This is great news for Burleson County," said Rep. Michael McCaul, who represents Burleson among eight counties in the 10th Congressional District. "This declaration will ensure that the people of Burleson County are reimbursed for recovery expenses and that the local government will not have to absorb the entire cost."

Burleson, which experienced mass power outages for more than a week after Ike moved through, was the county furthest west in the 10th Congressional District to suffer significant hurricane-related damage.

Congressman McCaul was among members of the Houston area delegation who worked directly with the Speaker of the House to piece together a hurricane relief package. On September 24, the House passed $22.8 billion in emergency natural disaster relief. A substantial portion of that will help pay for cleaning up and rebuilding communities that were devastated by Ike. It is the first infusion of federal disaster funding related to that storm.

Congressman McCaul personally brought Burleson County’s request for assistance to FEMA Administrator David Paulison shortly after the storm. Rep. McCaul toured the ravaged Texas coast by air with Homeland Security Michael Chertoff immediately after the storm and took a follow-up aerial tour over Galveston last week with the Civil Air Patrol.