Each of the orders, signed by Abbott and filed with Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson<\/a>, authorizes the use of “all available resources of state government and of political subdivisions that are reasonably necessary to cope with this disaster.”<\/p>\n Here’s a look at what the proclamations are for and which counties are under them.<\/p>\n Flood disaster from deadly 2025 Hill Country storms holds across 30 countiesPhotos from Camp Mystic show devastation from fatal flooding that claimed 27 lives<\/p>\n 1 of 19<\/p>\n A painted broken heart is seen near Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, on July 8, 2025, after severe flash flooding over the July 4 holiday weekend.<\/p>\n (RONALDO SCHEMIDT, AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n On July 4, 2025, Abbott issued a disaster declaration<\/a> following heavy rainfall and flooding that caused widespread and severe property damage, injury and loss of life in several counties.<\/p>\n The Camp Mystic flooding<\/a>, which killed 27 campers and counselors, also occurred during this time frame. The original declaration included 21 counties located in the Texas Hill Country and the Concho Valley in the central part of the state.The disaster order has been renewed over the past year, expanding to include 30 counties in the June 2026 renewal<\/a> and does the following:<\/p>\n Suspends all laws that prevent the transfer of bodies to families as soon as possible.<\/p>\n Suspends all laws regarding state agencies\u2019 contracting or procurement rules that would impede its emergency response necessary to protect life or property threatened by the declared disaster.<\/p>\n Temporarily suspended \u2014 with written approval from the governor\u2019s office \u2014 laws that would prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action to respond to the disaster.<\/p>\n Drought disaster covers 111 Texas counties as wildfire risk persists<\/p>\n Abbott amended and renewed a drought disaster order originally issued on July 8, 2022<\/a>, and it has been renewed several times over the past four years.<\/p>\n When it was originally signed, the order impacted 158 counties across the entire state, from the Texas Panhandle to the Permian Basin to the Texas Hill Country.<\/p>\n Multiple homes, structures and vehicles were destroyed by the Stinky Fire northwest of Amarillo.<\/p>\n The original order states that the persistent drought conditions in the state have increased the wildfire threat in the region. The June 2026 renewal order states<\/a> that the Texas Division of Emergency Management has confirmed that those same drought conditions persist; however, only 111 counties are listed in the renewed order.<\/p>\n The order does the following:<\/p>\n Suspends all laws regarding state agencies\u2019 contracting or procurement rules that would impede its emergency response necessary to protect life or property threatened by the declared disaster.<\/p>\n Temporarily suspends \u2014 with written approval from the governor\u2019s office \u2014 laws that would prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action to respond to the disaster.<\/p>\n Border security disaster spans 70 counties in fifth-year renewal<\/p>\n The original order was issued in May 2021 in response to a “surge of individuals unlawfully crossing the Texas-Mexico border posed an ongoing and imminent threat of disaster for a number of Texas counties.”<\/p>\n The\u00a0original 2021 order<\/a>\u00a0affected 34 counties along the Texas border from El Paso to Brownsville, with Abbott saying it was in response to former President Joe Biden<\/a>‘s open-border policy.<\/p>\n Machinery and workers operate on the construction of a section of the border wall, replacing the old one, in El Paso, Texas, on the U.S-Mexico border, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, May 11, 2026. REUTERS\/Jose Luis Gonzalez TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY<\/p>\n “President Biden’s open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers, and deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour into our communities,” Abbott said in a June 2021 statement<\/a>. “Meanwhile, landowners along the border are seeing their property damaged and vandalized on a daily basis while the Biden Administration does nothing to protect them.<\/p>\n The order has been renewed and amended several times over the past five years, with the June 2026 order<\/a> impacting 70 counties from El Paso through the Hill Country and the lower Rio Grande Valley.<\/p>\n The renewed order declares a state of disaster for those counties and for all state agencies impacted by the prescribed disaster.<\/p>\n Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.<\/p>\n![\"Multiple](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/d17961383e90f1f87a5e97373b551c2f.jpeg\"\/)
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