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President Biden to visit Texas following winter storm

Winter weather Texas water crisis
Posted at 4:14 PM, Feb 23, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-23 16:14:47-05

President Joe Biden will travel to Houston on Friday following last week’s deadly winter storm and extreme cold that prompted millions of power outages and water shortages, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.

Psaki told reporters that Biden will meet with local officials to discuss recovery and relief efforts in the state.

“While in Texas, the President will also visit a COVID health center where vaccines are being distributed,” Psaki said. “Clearly, there are still more details of the trip coming together, and as we have those, we will make those available to all of you."

Biden declared a federal major disaster for Texas, allowing residents to claim non-insured damages. As of Tuesday afternoon, 110 Texas counties have had their major disaster declaration requests approved. Gov. Greg Abbott requested all 254 counties be considered as major disasters.

While power is back on nearly everywhere in Texas, the economic damage is expected to be in the billions.

FEMA said that as of Sunday, it has provided 60 generators, 10,000 gallons of winterized diesel and 10,000 gallons of gasoline to support critical infrastructure. FEMA said it coordinated flights of water throughout Texas and provided over 4 million liters of water, more than 126,900 blankets and more than 1 million meals.