More than $137 Million Flows to Texas One Month Following Disaster

AUSTIN, Texas – State and federal dollars are flowing into Texas communities recovering from the May 4 through June 19 storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and floods.

To date, more than $137 million in state and federal grants, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest disaster loans, and National Flood Insurance Program claims have been approved and/or paid to Texans.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), partners in the state’s recovery, provide the following summary of disaster assistance efforts as of June 30:

        NUMBER            ACTIVITY

• $75.9 million         NFIP Flood claims paid to Texans since May 4
• $27.7 million        SBA low-interest disaster loans
• $34.1 million        Housing, Other Needs Grants
• 22,158                  Total FEMA Registrations
• 16,544                  Home inspections completed
• 8,380                    National Flood Insurance Program claims to date 
• 1,846                    Visits to Disaster Recovery Centers
• 800                      Number of federal workers in Texas assisting with disaster recovery
• 264                      Billboard and outdoor electronic signs displaying FEMA information
• 58                       Number of counties designated for Public Assistance
• 31                       Number of counties designated for Individual Assistance
• 25                      Fixed and mobile disaster recovery and mobile registration intake centers

The deadline to register with FEMA is July 28. To register for assistance, Texans can apply online at www.disasterassistance.gov. or by calling 800-621-3362, (TTY) 800-462-7585 for the speech- and hearing-impaired. Both numbers are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time daily, until further notice. More information is available online at www.fema.gov or at www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

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Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.  If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY, call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.  Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/femaregion6.

The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call 800-877-8339.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for childcare, medical, dental expenses and/or funeral expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, those who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, transportation, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

Visit www.fema.gov/texas-disaster-mitigation for publications and reference material on rebuilding and repairing safer and stronger.