Pres. Biden, first lady visit Houston after crippling winter storm
HOUSTON - President Joe Biden arrived in Houston on Friday to discuss recovery efforts following the winter storm and to visit the new FEMA COVID-19 vaccination site.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden landed at Ellington Field at noon.
They were greeted at the airport by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and other local lawmakers.
The president then traveled to the Harris County Emergency Operations Center and spoke with state and local leaders about the winter storm.
Gov. Abbott, Mayor Turner, Judge Hidalgo, Harris County Homeland Security & Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Sloan, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd and FEMA Acting Administrator Robert Fenton Jr. participated in a briefing.
They spoke about the challenges residents faced during and after the storm, including power outages and busted pipes, and what resources are being supplied to those still recovering.
While the president was at the Emergency Operations Center, the first lady visited the Houston Food Bank. She packaged food and water alongside volunteers.
President Biden later joined her at the food bank for a tour.
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COVID-19 mass vaccination site opening this week at NRG Park
Both departments will use their waitlists to schedule appointments for the FEMA-supported COVID-19 mass vaccination drive-thru site.
The president then delivered remarks at the FEMA COVID-19 vaccination site, which opened this week.
Officials say the site at NRG Park will fully-vaccinate approximately 126,000 people by administering 6,000 vaccines per day seven days a week for three weeks before transitioning to second doses for three weeks.
After their visit to the vaccination site, President Biden and the first lady departed from Houston back to Washington, D.C.
The president’s visit to Houston comes a week after a historic winter storm left millions across Texas without power or clean drinking water for days.
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FEMA, local relief coming for home repairs after storm
New local and FEMA assistance is coming available to help many Houston area families living without water and in homes that are severely damaged by burst pipes from last week's ice storm.
Power has been restored in the Houston area and most boil water advisories have been lifted, but some residents are still left with repairs to damage caused by burst pipes.
Over the weekend, President Biden signed a major disaster declaration for dozens of Texas counties. He ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the winter weather.
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