Deadline Looms for Texans with Storm Damage

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas homeowners and renters with damage from the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding Oct. 22-Oct. 31 have only until Monday, Jan. 25, to register for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Disaster survivors from the October event living in a designated disaster county—Bastrop, Brazoria, Caldwell, Cameron, Comal, Galveston, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Hidalgo, Liberty, Navarro, Travis, Willacy or Wilson—who have delayed registration for any reason must apply by the above date to be considered for potential assistance that could include grants to help pay for:

• Temporary housing

• Essential home repairs

• Uninsured and underinsured personal property losses

• Other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.

There are two ways for homeowners and renters to register for disaster assistance:

• Log on to the FEMA website at DisasterAssistance.gov to upload documents, and
• Call the toll-free FEMA Helpline (voice, 711 or relay service) at 800-621-3362. TTY users should call 800-462-7585. Lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.

FEMA works to ensure that every disaster survivor has equal access to disaster information and assistance. Survivors needing an accommodation or assistance due to a disability may notify FEMA staff at the time of registration or anytime throughout the assistance process. American Sign Language interpreters are provided for community meetings in the disaster area and news releases are available in Spanish on the FEMA website, http://www.fema.gov/es/disaster/4245.

All applicants for disaster assistance will be asked for the following information:

• Social Security number

• Address of the damaged primary residence

• Description of the damage

• Information about insurance coverage

• A current contact telephone number and address where they can receive mail

• Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds

Jan. 25 is also the deadline to return applications for U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest disaster loans. SBA loans for businesses of all sizes (including landlords), private nonprofits,

homeowners and renters comprise the greatest source of funds for a full recovery.

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

Businesses and nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. SBA also offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. EIDL assistance is available to businesses regardless of any property damage, but the combined limit for both is $2 million.

Eligible survivors should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but under-insured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled. FEMA assistance does not affect other benefits such as food stamps, Medicaid or Social Security.

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.