Two weeks after a historic winter storm rolled into Texas leaving as many as 40 people dead at press time, residents shivering in dark dealing with frozen pipes and having to boil water to drink, lawmakers, state energy workers and others are pointing fingers at each other about who is to blame.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden flew to Houston Feb. 26 to join Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. John Cornyn and others to survey the storm damage. Biden promised that the federal government would be there to help Texans through the crisis.
“When a crisis hits our states, like the one that hit Texas, it’s not a Republican or Democrat that’s hurting,” Biden said. “It’s our fellow Americans that are hurting and it’s our job to help everyone in need.”
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were greeted as they walk from Marine One towards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Feb. 26. They are en route to Houston to survey damage caused by severe winter weather and encourage people to get their coronavirus shots.
Biden declared the entire state of Texas eligible for general disaster assistance with 126 of 254 counties eligible for personal disaster assistance to date, to help mitigate damages not covered by insurance, according to The Associated Press. Eighteen additional counties were added Feb. 26. Abbott expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you to our federal partners at FEMA for granting approval for these 18 counties,” Abbott said. “I look forward to working with them to ensure the remaining counties in this request are approved, as well as other counties throughout our state who are in need of assistance,” he said
Texas residents who need assistance can go to fema.gov to fill out the paperwork to receive help for repairs. The site advises filing insurance claims first before contacting FEMA. Residents still without water or other necessities can receive help by contacting their local FEMA office or by calling 211. Cornyn pledged his support to the process.
“I know more will be needed in the days and weeks ahead, and I want to assure the folks back home that I’m listening, I’m working and I’m here to help any way that I can,” Cornyn said.
While Biden was in Houston he, Abbott and Cornyn also surveyed the federally run vaccination site at NRG Stadium. Biden, a Democrat, struck a conciliatory tone with his Republican colleagues.
“We disagree on plenty of things,” Biden said. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but there are plenty of things we can work on together. And one of them is represented right here today, the effort to speed up vaccinations.”
The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was approved for emergency use in the United States on Feb. 27. The newly approved, single-dose vaccine was delivered to the states, including Texas, with inoculations expected to begin March 2.
“The president has made very clear to us that in crisis like this, it is our duty to organize prompt and competent federal support to American citizens, and we have to ensure that bureaucracy and politics do not stand in the way,” said Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall, who accompanied Biden to Houston as reported by AP.
