Governor Greg Abbott is calling on Texans impacted by this week’s heavy winter weather to report their property and agricultural damages caused by the freezing temperatures, snow, and ice that recently swept across the state.
Abbott noted in a press release that the information gathered will help the state assess the storm’s overall impact and help determine eligibility for federal disaster assistance.
“The State of Texas continues to deploy all necessary resources to help Texans respond to and recover from ice, snow, and freezing temperatures this week. As communities begin the recovery process, I urge Texans to report damages to their homes or businesses or any agricultural losses through the iSTAT (Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool) damage survey,” Abbott said.
The online tool, available in English and Spanish, allows people to submit details on property damage caused by the winter storm to their homes, businesses, and farms. The iSTAT survey can be accessed at damage.tdem.texas.gov under the “January 20th Winter Weather” section.
Abbott’s office clarified that the survey tool is voluntary. Completing the survey does not guarantee disaster relief funding or replace the need to report damages to insurance providers.
According to Abbott’s office, state officials are working closely with utility companies to ensure that power is quickly restored to areas affected by outages. The Texas State Operations Center remains listed at an “Escalated Response” level to assist local authorities in support and recovery efforts throughout the state.
Hazardous road conditions continue to pose a threat due to snow refreezing on roadways in some cities as of Thursday morning. Abbott’s office has further cautioned Texans to avoid unnecessary travel and follow any warnings from local authorities.
“Texans should continue to monitor local weather forecasts and road conditions to keep yourself and your family safe. I thank Texas emergency management officials as they work around-the-clock to help Texans across the state recover from this winter storm,” Abbott added.
Additional winter weather resources, such as a map of licensed plumbers and warming center details, are available on the Texas Disaster Portal’s website.