LIVE: Texas Floods: Gov. Abbott to announce funding for ‘long-term relief’

KERRVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Governor Greg Abbott spoke in Kerrville on Thursday and announced funding that would support long-term relief following the July 4 floods.

In Kerr County, 117 people were killed in the flash floods, including 37 children. Two people are still missing.

During the conference, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country announced it would contribute $40 million toward a new housing fund.

The $40 million allocation is for temporary housing assistance, home repairs/rebuilding, RV repairs/replacement and case managers.

In addition to housing, the foundation said other areas of focus included mental health/wellbeing, economic recovery/quality of life and long-term recovery needs.

“This is not only a record amount of money being provided to local residents, I think it’s going to be a record speed at which these homeowners are going to be able to get back into their homes,” Abbott said.

This announcement follows an emotional day at the Capitol on Wednesday, where families of girls who died at Camp Mystic testified to a Senate committee in favor of legislation that would require more safety measures for camps across the state. Those measures include placing emergency and evacuation plans in cabins and prohibiting camps to be built in flood planes. The bill made it through the committee and will now go to the full chamber for a vote.

Regarding relief funding, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country said last month it raised more than $60 million for flood-ravaged communities. Another nonprofit, Center Point Alliance for Progress, distributed $200,000 to flood victims using grant funds.

Editor’s note: This video is from previous coverage related to funding from a Hill Country nonprofit.

Disaster declarations were signed in Kerr County almost immediately following the floods.

KXAN will update this story after the governor speaks this afternoon. Check back for updates.