FEMA authorizes federal disaster assistance for Kerr County, 27 other Texas counties

FEMA announced today that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Texas to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from flooding beginning on July 12, 2026, and continuing. [Hill Country Community Journal]

President Trump on Saturday authorized federal relief efforts for Texas communities ravaged by heavy rain and flooding that began July 12 and persisted across the state. The presidential action unlocked FEMA resources to supplement ongoing work by state, tribal and local agencies responding to the weather emergency.

The declaration covers 28 counties across a wide swath of Texas: 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. The action came one day after Gov. Greg Abbott sought the federal declaration on Friday.

Under the authorization, FEMA has discretion to identify, mobilize and deploy equipment and resources needed to address ongoing emergency conditions and mitigate the disaster's effects. Direct emergency protective measures will be funded at a 75-75 federal cost-share, meaning the federal government will cover three-quarters of eligible expenses. Roland W. Jackson was tapped as the Federal Coordinating Officer to lead federal response operations in the affected region.

The emergency declaration represents an initial step in the federal disaster response process but does not yet include broader recovery assistance. Individual homeowners and business owners cannot yet access FEMA grants or Small Business Administration disaster loans under this designation.

Such extended aid programs depend on a separate major disaster declaration, which typically follows comprehensive damage assessments conducted jointly by state and federal evaluators. Abbott had formally requested that broader designation Friday, but additional approvals remain pending based on findings from continued damage surveys. Residents and business owners are encouraged to continue reporting losses through damage.tdem.texas.gov and DisasterAssistance.gov, as that documentation will be essential in determining whether and when full recovery programs become available.