FORT WORTH, Texas – In the latest update on the deadly July 4 flooding, Gov. Greg Abbott revealed Thursday afternoon that 135 people have been confirmed dead statewide.
Fort Worth steps up for flood victims
Fort Worth and surrounding communities have stepped up, sending teams of people to assist in the recovery efforts in the Texas Hill Country.
Donated items from North Texans and companies are bound for Central Texas flood victims.
What they’re saying:
“What you’re seeing here today is the drop off is now done, we are not taking any more items. We’re trying to figure out how many items we’ve got and it’s tedious, very labor-intensive.”
Craig Trocjek is working to direct volunteers in their efforts to assist flood victims.
“They are going through the boxes, going through the bags. We’re putting things on pallets. We’ve got it wrapped and if we get a call from a community down in Central Texas and they just need diapers, we’ve got pallets of diapers to ship down,” Trocjek said.
And the need is great. Search and recovery efforts following the devastating floods in Central Texas communities continue.
Of the 135 lives claimed in the floods, 116 were in the Kerrville area. Abbott appeared in San Angelo on Thursday afternoon, where he shared an update, and his hopes for the upcoming special session.
“We’re going to look for strategies and pass laws on and make preparation for these types of events better, make response to these types of events better, that we leave this disaster in a way that puts Texas in a better position going forward than we were before this devastating storm hit our state,” Abbott said.
In Fort Worth, helping hands are city employees who have volunteered their time.
“We’ve got storm water, we’ve got TP, and we’ve got our street team, various other departments within the city. They just wanted to help,” said Trocjek.
How to help Texas flooding victims
What you can do:
Many businesses and organizations are providing resources for those impacted by the flooding. FOX has collected a list of ways those affected can receive help, and what others can do to assist them. Take a look at the resource list here.
Read more:
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 4 coverage in Fort Worth.