Texas Disaster Recovery Centers to Close for Holiday; Phone Lines Remain Open

AUSTIN, Texas – State/FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in seven Texas counties will be closed Dec. 23 to Dec. 27 for the holiday. Disaster survivors who have questions may call the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Helpline (800-621-3362), which will remain open throughout the holiday.

Visiting a DRC is not required to register for FEMA assistance. Survivors can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone (voice, 711 or relay service) at 800-621-3362. (TTY users should call 800-462-7585.) The toll-free lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. 

These eight DRCs are affected by the holiday closure:

Travis County

Elroy Community Library

13512 FM812

Del Valle, TX 78617

Dove Spring Recreation Center

5801 Ainez Drive

Austin, TX 78744

Bastrop County

Church of Christ

287 FM 20

Bastrop, TX 78602

Harris County

Denver Harbor

Multi-Service Center

6402 Market St.

Houston, TX 77020

Hays County

Hays County Government Center

712 S. Stagecoach Trail

San Marcos, TX 78666

Hidalgo County

Porter P. Doss Memorial Library

515 South Kansas Ave.

Weslaco, TX 78596

Navarro County

Navarro Center Mall

800 N. Main St.

Corsicana, TX 75110

Willacy County

Willacy County EMS

693 South 7th Street

Raymondville, TX 78580

Specialists from the State of Texas, FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), nongovernmental organizations and the local community are available at DRCs to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to homeowners, renters and business owners who sustained damage as a result of the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding from Oct. 22 to Oct. 31.

Local, state and federal officials monitor visits to the DRCs as a measure of recovery. A decrease in visitors to a center is one indicator that disaster survivors are making significant progress and the DRC is no longer needed. Officials will use the break to determine any need for changes in hours and locations. 

For more information on Texas recovery, visit the disaster web page at www.fema.gov/disaster/4245, Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the Texas Division of Emergency Management website, https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

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All FEMA disaster assistance will be provided without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment), religion, national origin, age, disability, limited English proficiency, economic status, or retaliation. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, call 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585(TTY/TDD).

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. 

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.