Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has announced the deployment of additional emergency management personnel from Texas to aid North Carolina’s recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
The move to supply additional support to the area comes in response to a request from North Carolina’s Emergency Management as the state grapples with the storm’s aftermath.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) will send its voluntary personnel from the agency to help various community recovery efforts in North Carolina.
Abbott’s office emphasized the importance of collaboration with emergency management officials after natural disasters, recognizing the shared challenges faced by states like Texas and North Carolina during the hurricane season.
“Texans know how long and burdensome the process to recover and rebuild after a hurricane can be, and we will do everything we can to help our fellow Americans through that. I thank all the emergency response personnel and first responders working to support response and recovery efforts across the southeastern United States during this hurricane season,” Abbott said in a recent press release.
The recent deployment of additional emergency support from Texas was organized under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). This mutual aid agreement allows states to provide essential resources and support personnel to one another during disasters.
Since the onset of Hurricane Helene, Texas has already contributed significantly to the area’s recovery efforts. According to the governor’s office, Texas has deployed more than 400 first responders and support equipment to help North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia.
A final analysis of the storm’s impact, published in a press release from CoreLogic, indicates that total losses from wind and flooding from Hurricane Helene range from $30.5 billion to $47.5 billion. This estimate includes both wind and storm surge damage and inland flooding losses for residential and commercial properties in the 16 affected states, covering both insured and uninsured losses.