Storm Damage in Texas Could Reach Up to $180 Billion

Extensive damage left by Hurricane Harvey in Texas is estimated at between $150 billion to $180 billion, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday, which could be more than 20 times bigger than the $7.85 billion initial funding requested by US President Donald Trump from Congress last week.

“The geographic area and the population affected by this horrific hurricane and flooding is far larger than in Katrina, which required more than $120 billion,” the governor said in an interview with Fox News.

The Trump administration on Friday asked Congress for a $7.85 billion appropriation for response and initial recovery efforts. Abbott has said his state may need more than $125 billion. Harvey came on the 12th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which killed about 1,800 people around New Orleans. The president George W. Bush’s administration was roundly criticized for its botched early response to the storm, and the Trump administration appeared intent on avoiding such a misstep.