Texas Ike Update: $110 Million In Disaster Assistance Approved
Release Date: October 3, 2008
Release Number: 1791-078
» More Information on Texas Hurricane Ike
AUSTIN, Texas -- Three weeks after Hurricane Ike made landfall, Texans whose lives were interrupted and in many cases uprooted are using a variety of state and federal resources to help them regain control of their lives and carry on with their recovery.
Grants and loans totaling about $110 million have been approved for Hurricane Ike recovery, according to officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Texas Governor's Division of Emergency Management (GDEM).
"Housing is our first priority," said State Coordinating Officer Joan Haun. "The most important thing is helping Texans devastated by Ike have a safe place to live while they plan their recovery and get their lives back on track. Safe housing during this rebuilding period is essential."
As of close of business Thursday, Oct. 2, more than $109.2 million in assistance under the FEMA Individuals and Households Program had been approved for individuals and families affected by the disaster. Of this, nearly $92.3 million was for housing assistance. Housing assistance can include grants for repairs to damaged housing and for rental assistance to help victims find another place to live.
Overall, more than 667,000 registrations had been received from the 29 counties designated as disaster areas in Ike's wake.
In addition, homeowners, renters, business owners and nonprofit organizations can take advantage of low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). So far, the SBA has approved more than $1.25 million in loans. More than 317,000 applications for home loans and nearly 66,000 applications for business loans have been issued. SBA disaster loans cover costs not fully funded by insurance or other sources. Interest rates are as low as 2.875 percent for home loans and 4 percent for business loans. Refinancing and relocation may be available in certain situations.
"Much work remains to be done," said Federal Coordinating Officer Sandy Coachman. "However, we are pleased that Texans are already making use of shorter-term assistance and housing options while longer-term plans are taking shape."
Debris-removal operations are helping Texans gain access to their communities and homes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, local governments and contractors have cleared more than 2.7 million
cubic yards of debris from public and private property. The Corps has collected nearly 21,500 Right-of-Entry forms and installed nearly 4,200 temporary roofs through Operation Blue Roof. The deadline for residents to sign up for a temporary roof is Oct. 13, 2008.
For eligible residents who still cannot return home, FEMA is providing short-term, transitional sheltering by directly paying hotels and motels for evacuees who are lodging there. More than 7,250 eligible individuals and families were checked in under the program as of Oct. 3.
Texans seeking rental housing can search more than 11,750 Texas rental properties in FEMA's Housing Portal, which is available online at https://asd.fema.gov/inter/hportal/home.htm. It also contains information provided by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). FEMA staff and AmeriCorps volunteers continue to reach out to landlords to locate more properties.
Starting this week, landlords with available rental properties can call a special hotline to directly provide that information to FEMA. The hotline is 1-866-766-6086. FEMA housing specialists answer the lines daily from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. CDT. Note that this line is only for landlords with properties to list; staff cannot assist with any other issues or questions.
Disaster-recovery workers are active in affected communities, bringing information and assistance directly to disaster victims. More than 1,750 inspectors are assessing damage to homes impacted by the hurricane. As of Oct. 2, they had conducted more than 124,000 home inspections. More than 225 community relations field specialists including speakers of Spanish, Vietnamese, Thai and Laotian are canvassing areas hit by the hurricane, distributing information about FEMA programs and reaching out to community groups.
There are 36 FEMA-State Disaster Recovery Centers open in affected counties, offering face-to-face assistance to hurricane victims (See the following Web site for up-to-date locations: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/pages/dr1791_drc_list.htm).
More than 28,800 visits have been made to the centers. There visitors can receive information about different types of state and federal disaster assistance; inquire about the status of applications for assistance; get help completing disaster loan applications from the SBA; learn cost-effective measures to reduce the impact of future disaster losses; and receive referrals to the American Red Cross and other voluntary organizations to help with immediate unmet needs.
Even as residents register for and receive disaster assistance and take advantage of housing options, longer-term housing plans are under way.
The state-led Texas Joint Housing Task Force is working with FEMA and other partners to plan and implement a comprehensive housing plan to best serve the needs of displaced Texans. The goal of the plan is for impacted residents to be in acceptable interim housing and have a long-term housing plan by the end of the year. This plan is designed to support individuals and local governments, and leverage the combined resources of the state and other partners including FEMA.
FEMA is partnering with HUD on the Disaster Housing Assistance Program-IKE, a rental assistance program that will provide temporary rental payments and case-management services to help thousands of families displaced by Hurricane Ike. It is slated to run for 18 months, beginning Nov. 1, 2008. FEMA will fund and HUD will administer the program, which draws on the resources and expertise of local public housing agencies. This program will supplement, but not replace, existing FEMA and SBA housing solutions.
FEMA manufactured housing units are a final housing option, used when no others are available. As of Oct. 2, eight affected families were living in FEMA manufactured housing. Recovery staff had conducted 1,813 pre-placement interviews to identify residents who might qualify for the program.
To register for assistance, disaster victims should go online to www.fema.gov or call the toll-free number 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. Applicants should register only once with FEMA.
More information is available online at www.fema.gov or www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Monday, 06-Oct-2008 08:14:19