Texas needs more federal fund for hurricane recovery: governor

HOUSTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Governor of the U.S. state of Texas Greg Abbott said Wednesday that Texas still needs more from the federal government to recover from Hurricane Harvey.

On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled a disaster aid package of 81 billion U.S. dollars to help hurricane-ravaged communities and states hit by wildfires.

According to Abbott, Texas is paying for 10 percent of the Hurricane Harvey debris removal costs for some cities and counties in the state, with the federal government paying the other 90 percent.

Abbott said the 90-10 split deal and the 81-billion-dollar relief plan are just a start and Texas still needs more from the federal government.

"It is clear that the House (of Representatives) is doing a good job of increasing the amount of money that would be allocated," Abbott said. "What's important to emphasize is we have dug into the details that the strategies are being used to appropriate that money are not necessarily the strategies that are best for what the state of Texas needs."

Abbott also said he expects to see mitigation efforts, including a third Houston reservoir paid for with federal money.

Hurricane Harvey blew ashore on Aug. 25 as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and damaging nearly 200,000 homes. Enditem