Governor Abbott Expands Disaster Proclamation

EAST TEXAS (AP) – Four more counties have been added to the Texas disaster declaration area following last week’s storms that have led to thousands of evacuations and possibly two deaths. Gov. Greg Abbott says people in Henderson, Shelby, Smith and Walker counties join 21 other counties in being eligible for government disaster help. The amended disaster proclamation was signed Wednesday after Abbott toured communities in the flood-ravaged region. The declaration for the other 21 counties was announced March 14, after East Texas was slammed by as much as 20 inches of rain over four days last week. Steadily rising waters along rivers prompted evacuations beginning last weekend. The flooding has led to intermittent closures of stretches of Interstate 10, one of the country’s major transportation arteries.