Texas Gov. Greg Abbott distributed $25,000 checks to more than 60 families devastated by Hill Country floods during a Saturday event in Ingram.
The funds came from country music legend George Strait’s benefit concert held last month, which raised more than $6 million from donors who purchased tickets starting at $1,000. The “Strait to the Heart” concert was hosted by Strait and his business partner, Tom Cusik, with special guests Gov. Abbott and country music singer Garth Brooks.
“This is a down payment to help you begin to put your lives back together,” Abbott told recipients at the Vaqueros del Mar Texas Flood Relief Fund gathering. “Our goal is to put you on a strong, immediate beginning to make sure you can get back to having a permanent roof over your head.”
The relief effort marks a significant private-sector response to catastrophic flooding that destroyed homes across the Texas Hill Country on July 4. The checks provide immediate assistance to families facing extensive rebuilding costs.
The check recipients were drawn from a list of people who had already filed flood relief claims through FEMA. Cusik said the checks handed out on Saturday were just the first installment, and more funds would be handed out soon.
“We don’t want that money sitting in a bank,” Cusick said, per The Kerrville Daily Times. “We’re going to get the money to people who need it, so they can start rebuilding and healing.”
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