President Donald Trump said he would provide more federal aid to Texas flood victims after the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied the state's initial request for individual assistance for July floods. The floods hit parts of southwest Texas and the Hill Country, which was still recovering from a deadly flash flood a year earlier.
Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, formally appealed the denial on Tuesday. Trump made the promise the same day at a Republican campaign rally in Corpus Christi. He said the decision followed requests from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for the other U.S. Senate seat in Texas.
Kidd asked FEMA to reconsider for 20 of the 30 counties where individuals needed aid, including Kerr and Uvalde. According to Kidd's appeal, the state counts 2,944 damaged residences and small businesses, including 132 destroyed. At least three people were confirmed dead from the flooding.