Mayor Declares Austin Disaster Area After Historic Flooding

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Mayor Steve Adler signed a disaster declaration for Austin on Thursday, adding another avenue through which state and county financial aid can be facilitated for affected residents.

The declaration follows previous similar ones proclaimed by Gov. Greg Abbott covering a wide swath of Central Texas and one by Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt covering the whole of Travis County. Williamson County Judge Dan Gattis also previously issued a disaster declaration covering the area he oversees.

In Austin, residents since Monday have been forced to boil their tap water before drinking it or using it for meal preparation over fears of bacteria. The historic floods from last week bombarded water treatment plants with a higher-than-normal volume of debris, mud and silt, overtaxing the plants' ability to treat the water adequately.

All over the city, water distribution points have been set up to distribute bottled water to those unable to secure any (stores have been selling out of the precious commodity) or not able to boil the water at home. At an earlier press conference, city officials were unable to provide a specific timeline as to when the boil-water notice would be lifted, and residents might need to follow the directive for two weeks.

Related stories:

Austin Sets Up 5 Distribution Points For Free Bottled Water

Williamson County Provides Safe Water To Austin Residents

Travis County Opens Additional Water Distribution Site

Restaurants, bars and coffee shops throughout the city also have been forced to either alter their menus or temporarily close altogether given the boil-water notice.

The latest emergency declaration in Austin facilitates the ability to request reimbursement for expenses related to the weather emergency, officials explained.

Related stories:

No Clear Timeline Set For Lifting Austin Boil-Water Mandate

Nature's Fury: Central Texas Rain Leaves Destruction In Its Wake

36 More Texas Counties Declared Disaster Areas Amid Flooding

Judge Declares Williamson County Disaster Area After Flooding

Travis County Judge Declares Region Disaster Area

Austin: 5 Things To Know About Filters, Boil-Water Alerts

Austin Starbucks Stores Halt Coffee Sales Amid Boil-Water Notice

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