PrintTEXAS REBOUNDS
The 2008 hurricane season is finally winding down, but its impact upon Texas will be felt for some time to come. Even before Ike pounded the Galveston and Port Arthur areas, Hurricanes Dolly and Gustav and Tropical Storm Edouard took turns hitting Texas – all within 52 days of each other.
Hurricane Ike will likely go down in history as the most costly and destructive storm ever to hit Texas. Search and rescue operations from this storm have subsided and most shelters have closed their doors, but Texas must now address the extensive damage to our coastal infrastructure, businesses and neighborhoods.
Just as Texans prepared extensively to weather Ike and diminish its overall impact on life and property, we must work together to rebuild what was lost. Gov. Perry is working closely with both local and federal partners to secure the relief needed so that affected Texans can continue the process of rebuilding.
To accelerate the process, Gov. Perry recently charged former Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and his former chief of staff, Brian Newby, to lead Texas’ Hurricane Recovery and Coordination Effort. Their work will be essential to securing the federal dollars needed to rebuild devastated homes, return children to their schools, restart businesses, and restore the quality of life interrupted by the 2008 storms.
Working together, Texans can ensure that communities damaged in the wake of this year’s storms achieve a renewed vision for a promising future.
2008 Hurricane Season - Recent News
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Nov 20, 2008 - Gov. Perry Announces Commission for Disaster Recovery and Renewal
"...I have established this new Commission for Disaster Recovery and Renewal, and charged them to recommend approaches that will help Texas recover from future storms, like strengthening our critical infrastructure. However, my immediate concerns center on the Texans who have been displaced by this storm." -
Nov 07, 2008 - Gov. Perry Thanks Hurricane Ike Emergency Operations Workers
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today reiterated the state’s thanks to emergency operations workers who assisted with response and recovery efforts during Hurricane Ike. Workers at the Galveston County Emergency Operations Center today received a steak dinner, courtesy of Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, as part of a friendly wager between Gov. Perry and Gov. Henry over the outcome of the Red River Rivalry game between the University of Texas Longhorns and the University of Oklahoma Sooners. -
Oct 21, 2008 - Gov. Perry Requests Extension for Federal Assistance for Ike Recovery
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry has requested that FEMA extend for 18 months its agreement to pay 100 percent of emergency protective measures and debris removal for Hurricane Ike. He also asked federal officials to adjust the federal cost share to 100 percent for all categories of public assistance and expand direct federal assistance and hazard mitigation for all counties included in the governor’s original emergency declaration. -
Oct 15, 2008 - Gov. Perry Extends Suspension of the Collection of All State and Local Hotel Occupancy Tax
Governor Perry suspends the collection of all state and local hotel occupancy taxes for the victims of Hurricane Ike, for a period beginning on September 17, 2008, and ending on October 27, 2008.
