Val Verde County issues disaster declaration, seeks flood damage reports

Val Verde County has posted a Declaration of Disaster 2026 and is directing residents to report flood damage through the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s iSTAT survey. The filing gives county leaders a formal record of the flood impacts and a path to seek state and federal help for repairs, reimbursement and technical support.

The county’s News Flash item links to an official declaration document and a separate notice for TDEM Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool, or iSTAT, damage surveys. That survey process is how local and state officials collect structured information about damaged homes, businesses, roads and public facilities, which can shape what assistance is available and how quickly losses are documented for recovery requests.

For flood-affected households and property owners, the practical next step is to submit damage information through the iSTAT survey so the county and state can measure the scale of the event. In a county where flooding can hit low-water crossings, rural roads, drainage channels and properties near creeks and river corridors, those reports can affect whether repairs are prioritized and whether outside help is justified. The declaration also tells residents that county officials are treating the flood as more than a routine weather event and are building the paperwork needed for a longer recovery process.

Val Verde County’s action sits inside a broader Texas emergency picture. Greg Abbott issued a severe weather disaster proclamation on June 15, 2026, for a storm event that began June 14 and brought heavy rainfall, flash flooding and hazardous wind. Abbott issued another disaster proclamation on July 14 for severe storms that began July 13 and brought heavy rainfall and flash flooding. In May 2025, Abbott announced a federal disaster declaration for South Texas flooding, and in July 2025 he surveyed flood damage in Cotulla and requested additional counties for a major disaster declaration.

That broader record matters in Val Verde County because disaster declarations often move in stages: damage gets documented, state officials assess the losses, and then decisions follow on aid, reimbursement and recovery support. The county’s declaration and linked iSTAT notice show those steps are already underway, with local officials trying to capture flood damage while the cleanup and recovery timeline is still taking shape.