President Joe Biden has declared Texas' winter storm to be a major disaster, a designation that will make federal funds available for 77 counties in the state that are still recovering from the aftermath of the historic blizzard. The snowstorm caused millions to lose power as the state's isolated power grid was shut down.
The Biden administration explained the President's action in a statement: "Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster."
Biden also said Friday that Health and Human Services and the departments of Defense and House and Urban Development would "identity other resources that can provide and address the growing needs of the folk in Texas."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott thanked the President in a statement: "I thank President Biden for his assistance as we respond to impacts of winter weather across our state. While this partial approval is an important first step, Texas will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure all eligible Texans have access to the relief they need."
As of Saturday, nearly 80,000 homes are still without electricity and almost half of the state's population were affected by water shortages during the last week.
In addition to the federal funds, New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently announced that she has raised over $3 million for twelve Texas charity organizations.
[Via]