President Joe Biden declared the brutal winter storms sweeping across Texas a major disaster on Saturday, increasing the availability of federal assistance to residents in the state hit by the extreme cold temperatures.
Biden had previously approved of states of emergency in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, The Washington Post reported.
The latest declaration allows residents and business owners in Texas to apply for emergency aid. The grants can be used for temporary housing and home repairs. Low-cost loans will also be available to help cover uninsured property loss.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already provided generators, drinking water, food and other supplies, the Post reported.
The state is grappling with severely cold temperatures, which have wrought havoc on infrastructure. Houston is under a boil-water advisory. Many residents in Austin have no running water, and officials there are not sure when service will resume. Other cities throughout the state were also without water. Although power is being restored to many, millions were without electricity for several days.
“This has just been one thing after another,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler told CNN. “This is a community of people that are scared, and upset, and angry. We’re eventually going to need some better answers to why we’re here.”