The federal government will be with Texas "every step of the way" as it rebuilds following Hurricane Harvey, including making money available to help restore airports, railroads, and highways that were damaged in the massive storm, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said Friday.
"The governor [Greg Abbott] and I have been in various discussions," Chao told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program. "Within one hour of Texas' request for $25 million in emergency relief right away, we gave that money."
The government also will provide up to $100 million in airport grants and additional emergency repairs, Chao told the program, "so we stand ready, and there will more money, of course, coming in through other programs as well."
Chao said the federal government and the Trump administration are all working in support of Gov. Greg Abbott and his team, "which is doing a wonderful job in leading Texas to respond to this devastation,"
Chao, who traveled with Vice President Mike Pence to Texas on Thursday, said she'd been through Hurricane Katrina, but Harvey was worse.
"What I saw on the ground in Texas, [they are] full of grit, full of courage, and full of determination," she continued. "I mean it was a very emotional day yesterday, it was 90 degrees. I just can't imagine being in that hot weather all the time, it is so hot."
Chao said it was inspiring to hear from Texans, including teachers who want to bring their students back to school for their senior year.
"We saw a church that had its choir room blown out, and the beautiful glass stained windows had just been destroyed, but we saw all the parishioners, and they were so full of determination and courage and hope for the future," Chao said. "Texans are can-do people, and we, the federal government, want to be with them to help rebuild their community better than it ever was before."
Chao said there also are hundreds of Department of Transportation professionals on the ground, as close as possible to the devastated area, who are ready to inspect the infrastructure and determine the extent of the damages from the storm and flooding as quickly as possible once the waters recede.
"We also have all sorts of other professionals ready to help in any way possible," Chao said. "We have also extended many waivers to allow rebuilding, planning, and to be thinking about how to go ahead, and we want to do away with burdensome regulations that don't need to be there, especially in this emergency crisis time."
There is also a declining supply of gasoline and aviation fuel, Chao noted, so she worked with Abbott and at his request and issued an executive directive to allow emergency shipments to come into the area.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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