natural disasters

A panel of Texas House and Senate lawmakers are holding a joint meeting today where they're discussing the state's response to the devastating July 4 flash flooding that left more than 130 dead.

The Legislature will look at proposals for emergency preparedness in a special session that was already planned over hemp laws. A bill to help build emergency systems failed in the spring.

Michael Coen, chief of staff of FEMA under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, called on the state to be more proactive in preparing for disasters.

Volunteers from across the country are in southern Appalachia to help with recovery from Hurricane Helene. Among them are a Texas couple who have volunteered at a dozen disaster sites this year.

According to the city, the disaster declaration will help clear the way for officials to continue focusing on storm recovery efforts and allow more federal resources to make their way into the region.

CenterPoint met its goal of restoring power to 1 million customers by end of Wednesday, but the provider isn't even halfway to restoring power to all those affected by Beryl.

CenterPoint published a map late Tuesday that provides a status of energy restoration efforts in Houston. However, the veracity of the map has been questioned by customers on social media. CenterPoint still hasn’t released a timeline on when outages would be restored.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick spoke with Biden on Tuesday about the disaster declaration as he toured parts of Texas damaged by the storm.

More than a week after a deadly tornado tore through Valley View, the Cooke County community of about 800 people is rebuilding their town and lives.

The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation approved the Arlington Disaster Response Fund, which will activate if and when the city experiences a natural or man-made disaster.

At least $102 million dollars. That’s just an initial estimate of the hit Panhandle ranchers took after an outbreak of wildfires in late February — including the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest in state history. Over three days this week, a panel of state lawmakers heard first-hand accounts from affected ranchers and investigators exploring the fire’s origins.

After more than a week of destruction, including thousands of dead livestock and hundreds of lost structures, firefighters now have two of the largest Texas Panhandle wildfires more under control.