FEMA announced Saturday that federal disaster assistance is now available to Texas to supplement state, tribal and local response to the flooding that began July 12 and has continued since, marking a significant step forward from Gov. Greg Abbott's request just one day earlier.

President Trump signed the declaration on Saturday.

The declaration authorizes FEMA to coordinate all federal disaster relief efforts "to alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance to save lives, to protect property, public health and safety and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe." The assistance covers 28 counties, including Kerr County: Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Brewster, Comal, Crockett, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, La Salle, Mason, Maverick, Medina, Menard, Real, Schleicher, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, Wilson and Zavala.