FEMA Aid Recipients Cautioned on Using Funds for Intended Purpose

AUSTIN, Texas – Recovery officials are cautioning Texans who have received disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to use the funds for their intended purpose and to keep disaster spending receipts for three years.

Disaster assistance is to help residents meet basic disaster-related needs and funds are distributed via check or direct deposit. A letter explaining what the payment is to be used for arrives within a day or two of the check or direct deposit payment.

If an applicant spends the payment on anything other than the purpose for which it is directed, he/she may be denied assistance the next time the need arises. In some cases, FEMA will ask the funds be returned.

Those receiving aid are urged to keep receipts of their disaster spending for three years to document the money was used to meet disaster-related needs. If a recipient receives an insurance settlement to cover the same expenses, he or she must reimburse FEMA. Random audits confirm funds were spent properly.

Disaster assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners.    

Homeowners, renters and businesses in Erath, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hood, Jasper, Limestone, Marion, Newton, Orange, Parker, Shelby and Tyler counties are eligible for federal disaster assistance as a result of the severe storms in March.

The first step is to register with FEMA at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone (voice, 711 or video relay service) at 800-621-3362, TTY 800-462-7585. Toll-free lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week and multilingual operators are available.

For more information on Texas recovery, visit the disaster webpage at fema.gov/disaster/4266, Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion6 and the Texas Division of Emergency Management website, txdps.state.tx.us/dem. Visit fema.gov/texas-disaster-mitigation for publications and reference material on rebuilding and repairing safer and stronger.

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FEMA Aid Recipients Cautioned on Using Funds for Intended Purpose

Storm Aid to Southern Mississippi Counties Expanded

STORM AID TO SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI COUNTIES EXPANDED

CLINTON, MISS. – More than two dozen southern Mississippi counties will receive additional types of reimbursement for Hurricane Isaac storm recovery.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency can reimburse 75 percent of the eligible cost to repair road systems and bridges, water control facilities, public buildings and contents, public utilities, parks, recreational and other key public facilities in the following counties:

Adams, Amite, Claiborne, Copiah, Covington, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion, Newton, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Smith, Stone, Walthall, Wayne and Wilkinson counties are eligible for repair money.

FEMA previously agreed to reimburse much of the cost of debris removal and emergency protective measures in the following counties in Mississippi:

Adams,  Amite, Attala, Carroll, Claiborne, Clarke, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Grenada, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Holmes, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis,  Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Rankin, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Walthall, Warren, Winston, Wayne, Wilkinson, and Yazoo, plus the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

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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.

 

 

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Storm Aid to Southern Mississippi Counties Expanded