Governor Greg Abbot declared 30 counties state disaster areas ahead of Hurricane Harvey’s 130 mph landfall Friday night. Within twenty-four hours, he added 20 counties to the growing list of devastation left in the wake of the historical storm. Of those 50 counties, only 18 have been declared federal disaster areas.
Under FEMAs new “disaster deductible” rule, Texas will be responsible for contributing about $73.72 million before a dime is seen from Washington. This amount is in addition to the costs of rebuilding areas affected but not declared Federal disaster areas. The increasing pile of bills begs the question – could Texas pay for its own natural disasters?
According to the Tax Foundation, Texas receives $.94 back from the federal government for every $1 it sends to Washington. The loss of $.06 seems trivial until you consider that for every $100 million we send, we lose $6 million.
That hurts a bit more, but would the recovered loss be enough? Unfortunately, Texas receives a significant portion of nature’s wrath. From 2010 to 2012 Texas took $5.2 billion of federal aid, the most of any state.
Harvey’s catastrophic arrival should make Texans think about what it would take for the Texas Division of Emergency Management to fill the role of FEMA in future calamities. Texans have big hearts, deep pockets and strong backs for those in need, but it takes money to rebuild homes and businesses. How would an independent Texas recover from inevitable catastrophes?
For now we must focus on surviving the storm. When the waters finally recede and the recovery begins, we must prepare for another disaster and a stronger Texas.
