Texas rep: Trump needs to declare federal disaster area for Harvey

A Texas lawmaker is calling on President Trump to be proactive and declare a federal disaster area for areas affected by Hurricane Harvey in the hours before the storm makes landfall.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) tweeted Friday afternoon that while Texas citizens have experienced a storm like this before, Trump hasn’t, and he shouldn’t underestimate it.

Texans have been through major storms in the Gulf. Trump has not. He needs to move quickly in declaring federal disaster area in Texas!

— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) August 25, 2017

The White House said Thursday that Trump is monitoring the hurricane with the help of chief of staff John Kelly and said the administration was in “great shape” to respond to the crisis.

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, who took over when Kelly left the department’s top post, were both well-prepared.

“We have acting Secretary Elaine Duke who’s watching this closely and very involved in the process along with the acting director for FEMA and again, I think that we are in great shape, having Gen. Kelly sitting next to the president throughout this process,” Sanders said.

{mosads}

“There’s probably no better chief of staff for the president during the hurricane season, and the president has been briefed and will continue to be updated as the storm progresses,” she added. “And certainly it’s something he’s very aware of and will keep a very watchful eye on. He stands ready to provide resources if needed.”

Trump has been in contact with the governors of both Louisiana and Texas, who have both declared a state of emergency ahead of Harvey’s landfall late Friday. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) office praised Trump for his call in a statement on his website Thursday.

“President Trump called Governor Abbott to offer federal support for the State of Texas as Hurricane Harvey approaches the Gulf Coast. The President pledged all available resources from the federal government to assist in preparation, and rescue and recovery efforts,” the statement read.

“The Governor thanked the President for his pledge of support and assured him that the state is working hand-in-hand with local and federal partners on all issues related to the storm,” it added.

Harvey is expected to be the first Category 3 hurricane to make landfall in the United States since 2005.