President Declares Major Disaster For Texas
Release Date: January 11, 2006
Release Number: HQ-06-010
» More Information on Texas Extreme Wildfire Threat
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that federal disaster aid has been made available for Texas to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by an extreme wildfire threat beginning on December 1, 2005, and continuing.
Acting FEMA Director David Paulison said federal funding in the form of Individual Assistance is available to affected individuals in the counties of Callahan, Cooke, Eastland, Erath, Hood, Montague, Palo Pinto, Tarrant, and Wise. Individual Assistance is provided for losses incurred on or after December 1, 2005, and 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 recover from the effects of the disaster.
Public Assistance also is available for emergency protective measures implemented on or after December 27, 2005 for all eligible counties in the State. This assistance will be made available on a cost-sharing basis to State and local governments for those counties being threatened with an urgent danger from wildfires. This assistance will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Acting Director Paulison named Sandra Coachman as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area. Coachman said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and additional counties may be designated for assistance after the assessments are completed.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Thursday, 12-Jan-2006 10:30:50