AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Gov. Rick Perry has renewed a proclamation declaring Texas a disaster due to the drought.
Perry renewed the proclamation on Dec. 27, a year after he initially declared the drought a disaster. The proclamation allows municipalities to apply for state assistance in dealing with the drought’s impacts, including fighting and recovering from wildfires.
Perry’s proclamation says all counties in the state are plagued by extreme drought conditions and are vulnerable to wildfires.
Also Thursday, the Texas Farm Bureau said its members granted more than $1.4 million to help Texas volunteer fire departments in the wildfire fight.
One of the worst droughts on record has parched Texas in the past year, leading to some of the worst wildfires ever seen in Texas, destroying hundreds of homes and scorching thousands of acres.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)