More Counties Eligible for Disaster Assistance 

Release Date: July 28, 2003
Release Number: 1479-011

» More Information on Texas Hurricane Claudette

Corpus Christi - More Texas counties have been made eligible for disaster assistance in the wake of Hurricane Claudette, state and federal officials announced Monday.

The following 14 counties are now eligible for both Individual Assistance and all categories of Public Assistance: Bee, Brazoria, Calhoun, DeWitt, Frio, Galveston, Goliad, Jackson, Karnes, Live Oak, Matagorda, Refugio, San Patricio and Victoria.

New counties added for Public Assistance only are: Atascosa and McMullen.

All declared counties are eligible for Public Assistance in all seven categories that include assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair of roads, bridges and public facilities damaged by Hurricane Claudette.

Residents and business owners in the declared counties may apply for a wide range of state and federal disaster assistance programs under the July 17 disaster declaration issued by President George W. Bush. Those who had damages from the hurricane may be eligible for assistance for housing repairs or temporary housing, U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest loans for individuals and businesses to repair or replace damaged property, disaster unemployment assistance, and grants for serious needs and necessary disaster expenses not met by other programs.

Those with Hurricane Claudette-related damages may call the FEMA registration line at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech- or hearing- impaired. The registration line is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. The application process takes 20 to 30 minutes. Callers will need to provide the following information:

On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 29-Jul-2003 08:12:00