President Biden spoke with Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday about the continuing winter storm that left millions of people without power for days.
Abbott, at a previous news conference, said he would ask Biden to declare a major disaster to help residents whose homes were damaged by the Arctic storm that left dozens dead in the state, according to KSAT-TV in San Antonio.
The governor asked state lawmakers to determine the preparation for winter of power generators and the modernization of the grid, KSAT said.
“We all agree on the need for action,” Abbott told reporters. “Not just the action taken to restore your power, but action to ensure that you never have to endure something like this again.”
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On Sunday, the president passed a federal emergency declaration in Texas, moving resources and supplies to Texas as the storm hit the state.
A power outage this week forced the state’s operator, the Texas Electric Reliability Council, to enact full-day blackouts in the state and nearly 13 million Texans were also advised to boil their drinking water.
During the call, the president reiterated that the federal government will continue to work with Texas officials “to bring relief and meet the critical needs of affected families,” said a White House reading of the call.
Biden “also shared his intentions to instruct additional federal agencies to examine any immediate measures that could be taken to support Texans at this time,” said the White House, adding that the government is ready to provide further assistance to Texas and other states affected by the winter storm.
Biden wrote in a tweet after the call that told Abbott he would “work tirelessly” to get any assistance Texans needed.
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In a previous tweet on Thursday, he wrote: “Jill and I are keeping Texas, Oklahoma and other states affected in our prayers. I have declared states of emergency, authorized FEMA to supply generators and supplies and am ready to respond to additional requests. . Please follow the instructions of the local authorities and be safe. “