Amid storm destruction, Abbott expands disaster declaration

Left to right, Dustin McClintock, 19, of Wimberley,, Brandon Bankston, 18, of Blanco, Hesston Krause, 22, of Smithson Valley, look at the Fischer Store Road bridge over the Blanco River near Wimberley, Texas, which was destroyed in a flood on Sunday May 24, 2015. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP) AUSTIN CHRONICLE OUT, COMMUNITY IMPACT OUT, INTERNET AND TV MUST CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND STATESMAN.COM, MAGS OUT less Left to right, Dustin McClintock, 19, of Wimberley,, Brandon Bankston, 18, of Blanco, Hesston Krause, 22, of Smithson Valley, look at the Fischer Store Road bridge over the Blanco River near Wimberley, Texas, ... more Photo: Jay Janner, AP Photo: Jay Janner, AP Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Amid storm destruction, Abbott expands disaster declaration 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

After a stormy weekend sacked neighborhoods across the state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expanded a state disaster declaration to 24 more counties.

That's in addition to 13 other counties put under weather-related disaster declarations this month.

Speaking at a press conference in Wimberly, Texas, where a swollen Blanco River washed about 70 houses from their foundations and damaged more than a thousand others Sunday night, Abbott made the announcement.

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A disaster declaration means state funds may be used in the recovery effort. It also means that officials can tally damage incurred and apply for assistance from the federal government. On May 4, as severe weather advanced and several tornados appeared across the state, Abbott ordered the activation of the State Operations Center to prepare state resources for rapid deployment in disaster areas.

In addition to the devastation in Wimberly, tornadoes touched down in several parts of Texas (including one that collapsed part of an apartment complex in Southwest Houston). Neighborhoods flooded in Wichita Falls and Corpus Christi. Fears of a dam breach prompted mandatory evacuations in Montgomery County.

At the Monday press conference, Abbott encouraged Texans to persevere through the damaging storms.

"I want to say thank you to the hospitality the friendship and the support that is showed by fellow Texans to those that are in need — those whose homes have been completely wiped off the map because of the rising relentless waters, because of the floods," he said.

Counties added to the disaster declaration today are: Archer, Bastrop, Bosque, Caldwell, Cass, Clay, Collin, Cooke, Denton, Dewitt, Eastland, Fannin, Gaines, Grayson, Grimes, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Hood, Houston, Jasper, Johnson, Kendall, Montague, Navarro, Newton, Nueces, Parker, San Jacinto, Smith, Van Zandt, Walker, Wichita, Wilson and Wise counties.

They join 13 others added on May 11 and 15: Bosque, Clay, Denton, Eastland, Gaines, Montague, Van Zandt, Cooke, Grimes, Hood, Navarro, Smith and Wise counties.

Forecasters have blamed this spring's spate of heavy rainfall on El Niño, a global weather pattern born in the Pacific that brings heavier-than-average rainfall to the Lone Star State.