Don’t Wait for Insurance Settlement to Register with FEMA for Disaster-Related Damage

AUSTIN, Texas—Texas residents who filed their homeowner’s insurance claims for disaster-related damage are encouraged to register with FEMA even if they did not receive a final insurance settlement.

Disaster officials say survivors shouldn’t delay filing a FEMA grant application because they’re waiting for a decision from their insurance companies.

“In order to process your grant application, FEMA will ask for the name of your insurance carrier and your claim number,” said Federal Coordinating Officer William J. Doran III, who is in charge of FEMA’s operations in Texas. “We will ask if you received a settlement letter or an eligibility letter because FEMA does not reimburse losses covered by insurance.”

It is best to document disaster-related damage with photos or videos but FEMA doesn’t need that physical evidence to complete an application. The agency understands that some damaged items must be disposed of during cleanup or before a FEMA inspector visits the property.

Uninsured and underinsured homeowners and renters may be eligible for FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance grant program to repair or replace such personal property as furniture and kitchen appliances. The program also helps with uninsured or underinsured expenses and serious needs caused by the disaster.

Disaster survivors who suffered damage or losses between May 26 and June 24 are encouraged to register for assistance by the Aug. 10 deadline.

That deadline is for those living or working in these 24 affected counties: Austin, Bastrop, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Eastland, Fayette, Fort Bend, Grimes, Harris, Hidalgo, Hood, Kleberg, Lee, Liberty, Montgomery, Palo Pinto, Parker, San Jacinto, Stephens, Travis, Tyler, Waller and Washington.

Disaster survivors may register the following ways:

• online at DisasterAssistance.gov
• phone 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call 800-621-3362. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585. The toll-free numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.
• at a disaster recovery center. To find the nearest one, go online to the disaster recovery center locator at asd.fema.gov/inter/locator.

For more information on the Texas recovery, visit the disaster webpage for the May-June storms at fema.gov/disaster/4272; or visit the Texas Division of Emergency Management website at txdps.state.tx.us/dem. Follow FEMA on Twitter @femaregion6.

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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.