Houston (WBAP/KLIF News) – The US House of Representatives has scheduled a vote Wednesday on aid for the recovery from Hurricane Harvey. Governor Greg Abbott says he has spoken with Texas’ Congressional delegation and the leaders of the House and Senate.
“I feel confident Texans are going to get the resources they need from the federal government,” Abbott says.
Flooding continues in several counties southwest of Houston, but Abbott says water should start receding this week. The US Army Corps of Engineers is scaling back releases from two reservoirs near Houston.
Ninety five percent of hospitals around Houston are now operating normally. Four hospitals remain closed; two are operating on limited status.
Abbott is urging homeowners to get a tetanus shot before they start cleaning up.
“Bacterial infections are a byproduct of people who’ve been in the flood waters or people who’ve been working in the homes that have been flooded,” he says.
The Environmental Protection Agency is working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on 17 “Superfund” sites impacted by the hurricane. Abbott says none of those sites pose danger to the public.
Abbott has said Harvey could become the costliest natural disaster in American history, with damage topping $190 billion.
“As a result, it needs a Texas-sized response from Washington DC,” Abbott says.
(Copyright 2017 WBAP/KLIF News)