Rep. Allred Leads Bipartisan Effort Urging Trump Administration to Approve Disaster Relief Funds in Wake of Oct. 20 Storms

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, issued the following news release:

Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32) led a bipartisan group of Texas members of the U.S. House in writing a letter to President Trump urging swift approval of Governor Abbott's disaster declaration request. If approved, it would make much-needed disaster relief funds available to Texans affected in Dallas, Cameron and Erath counties.

"On behalf of the State of Texas, we are writing in support of Governor Abbott's request to declare a major disaster pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act as a result of severe weather and tornadoes that impacted our state beginning October 20, 2019," the members wrote.

"The severe weather and tornadoes that swept through Cameron, Dallas, and Erath counties left in their wake catastrophic damage to homes, public infrastructure, and commercial property," the members continued. "The Insurance Council of Texas has estimated about $2 billion in insured losses from the tornadoes alone, making this weather event one of the costliest for the affected region."

The letter was signed by Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30), Roger Williams, Van Taylor (R-TX-03), Michael Conaway (R-TX-11) and Filemon Vela (D-TX-34).

The October 20 tornado heavily impacted communities within the 32nd District. Allred has had several briefings with local officials and calls with Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd and FEMA Regional Administrator Tony Robinson to receive updates on the status of disaster assessments and to ensure North Texans are receiving timely communication.

North Texans are encouraged to call (972) 972-7949 if they need help with resources or information regarding the storm recovery.

Read a full copy of the letter here (https://allred.house.gov/sites/allred.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/20200121%20Disaster%20Letter%20POTUS.pdf)