Texans Are “Ashamed” of Gov. Abbott and His Reaction During Hurricane Beryl

But the state’s worries might be growing, along with rumors of rising insurance costs making things “more difficult”. 

A Rude Awakening

Texans experienced quite a harsh wakeup on Monday morning when Hurricane Beryl slammed into their state, entering via Matagorda as a Category 1 storm after causing chaos in the Caribbean. 

Lives Lost

Bringing along strong winds and rain and stripping millions of Texans of their electricity, the storm also took the lives of at least 6 people – 5 fewer than the death count in the Caribbean. 

AWOL Abbott?

But almost equally upsetting to Texas residents was the absence of their governor Greg Abbott. 

Abbott, who is currently in Asia on an economic development tour, was in South Korea when the storm struck on Monday. 

Who’s in Charge?

As a result, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is currently overseeing matters in the state as acting governor. 

Abbott has come under fire on social media over both his absence and response to the hurricane. 

Houston has a Problem

According to The Houston Chronicle, the impact felt in Houston was particularly bad, as just under 1.7 million CenterPoint customers remained without power as of Tuesday.  

Biden Saved the Day… Right?

The same day, President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state in response to the massive storm damage. 

But when addressing The Houston Chronicle, Biden stated that the disaster declaration was delayed because of difficulties tracking down the Texas governor and lieutenant governor – which both are vehemently denying. 

Permission, Please

According to Biden: “The federal government was there assessing, but we can’t declare a disaster declaration that would free up what we already staged—bottled water, meals, tarps, generators, etc. And so, we’re on the ground, we’re ready to go, we just needed authority to be able to do it.” 

Looking and Looking

Biden said that although he “kept tracking the lieutenant governor”, he failed to make contact until Tuesday afternoon, which is when he “immediately” approved the disaster declaration. 

Not True

Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott’s press secretary, has fired back at Biden’s statement that he struggled to get hold of him. “This is a complete lie from President Biden, and frankly doesn’t make any sense”, Mahaleris said.  

Who’s Lying?

Taking to X to voice his dissatisfaction with Biden, Lieutenant Governor Patrick said: “We had a cordial call today that ended up with him granting my request for a major disaster declaration. But that’s not good enough for him. He is falsely accusing me that I was not reachable”. 

According to Abbott

On Tuesday, Governor Abbott also posted a statement on X, claiming that he remains in contact with Lieutenant Governor Patrick and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

We Care

According to Abbott, he spoke with electricity suppliers about restoring power to the affected areas and voiced his concerns for his state’s people: “Our hearts grieve for all Texans impacted by Hurricane Beryl, including our fellow Texans who tragically lost their lives or were injured…”.  

Texans Are NOT Happy

Social media was also abuzz with many Texans attacking the governor and other prominent officials over their response to the storm. 

A U.S. Air Force veteran Nick James said on X: “As a Texas native, I am ashamed this man is governor. Vote this pathetic man out”. 

X Marks the Spat

Another X account from a Texas resident exclaimed: “Houston is flooded. Millions are without power in 95-degree heat and Greg Abbott is in S. Korea giving away the farm to big corps that are gonna line his pocket. That’s another story. The immediate concern is our Governor abandoned Texas when he was needed most”. 

Now for More Worries

But the state’s worries are far from over – as Texas prepares to face more extreme weather events, insurers have been looking at boosting prices.

And based on the recent damage inflicted by Beryl, affordable insurance could be slipping away one insurance claim at a time. 

Who’s Gonna Pay?

According to insuranceQuotes.com analyst Michael Giusti: “With Texas’ recent homeowners’ insurance renewals coming in hotter than overall inflation, storms like these will likely just make it all the more difficult to find a policy if they are even available outside the state insurer of last resort”.   

Everything’s Bigger in Texas

Currently, the national average annual cost of home insurance in the US is $2,423. 

According to MoneyGeek, that figure in 2024 for Texas will be $5,171. 

Location, Location, Location

Normally, insurers regulate their prices for homeowners based on the level of risk relevant to their home and location.

However, in recent years, many insurance companies have withdrawn from states and terminated new home policies for areas deemed too hazardous. 

Only Just Begun

This has been the case with California and Florida, and if Beryl gets on insurers’ nerves about the state’s weather conditions, Texas could be next. 

And it’s still very early in the hurricane season, which officially started on June 1st and usually stretches until December. 

Raising the Roofs

Giusti predicts that roofs will be of increasing concern regarding Texans’ home insurance costs. 

“It’s already hard to insure a home with a roof older than 15 years old, and I suspect that is going to get even harder following this windstorm and the derecho they experienced earlier this year,” he said.

Calm Down for Now

But some experts aren’t panicked just yet.

Lauren Menuey, the managing director at Goosehead Insurance, spoke to Newsweek and said: “We’re waiting on claims reports from our carriers to understand the impact of Beryl, but initial reports indicate that we dodged a bullet, and it’s not nearly as bad as it could have been”. 

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