Two Months In, Texans Receive More Than $37 Million In Federal Disaster Aid
Release Date: August 31, 2007
Release Number: 1709-075
» More Information on Texas Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
WACO, Texas -- Two months after the Presidential disaster declaration, the Governor's Division of Emergency Management (GDEM), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) continue to demonstrate its commitment to Texas residents and businesses affected by June 16-August 3 severe storms, tornadoes and flooding. As of August 30, FEMA and the SBA have approved more than $37,656,796 million in disaster aid.
- 11,989 individuals and families have registered for FEMA assistance through FEMA's toll-free registration line, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or by going online at www.fema.gov. Individuals with speech or hearing impairment may call 1-800-462-7585 (TTY). The registration deadline is October 29, 2007. Individuals must register with FEMA directly, even if they have called 2-1-1, the American Red Cross or their local emergency officials to report damage. FEMA recovery specialists are available to assist Texans with the registration process, provide counsel on assistance programs and to help residents check the status of their applications. Registrations and approved funds by designated counties are:
County Registrants Approved funds
(Housing and ONA)Archer
40
$162,299
Atascosa
17
$39,167
Bee
125
$34,831
Bell
314
$361,838
Brown
34
$33,051
Burnet
531
$1,040,153
Cherokee
255
$441,865
Comanche
42
$62,937
Cooke
761
$3,004,985
Coryell
388
$283,118
Denton
314
$639,263
Eastland
278
$1,669,298
Grayson
984
$1,908,206
Guadalupe
63
$139,077
Hamilton
14
$50,228
Henderson
67
$33,790
Hood
213
$715,135
Lampasas
187
$112,351
Liberty
28
$21,775
Llano
141
$168,969
Medina
171
$840,604
Nueces
1769
$928,798
Parker
109
$552,755
Refugio
19
$1,491
Runnels
7
$18,486
San Patricio
123
$70,187
Smith
552
$395,915
Starr
1011
$1,464,680
Tarrant
670
$1,844,545
Taylor
21
$20,051
Travis
66
$66,376
Upshur
18
$7,131
Van Zandt
27
$6,863
Victoria
125
$347,860
Walker
72
$255,434
Webb
631
$840,112
Wichita
468
$1,558,053
Williamson
166
$189,646
Zavala
703
$408,564
- To date, FEMA has approved $16,867,315 in Housing Assistance funds to residents in 39 counties. These funds include temporary rental assistance for safe shelter to individuals whose homes were severely damaged. Additionally, these funds can be used for repairs to restore damaged homes to safe and habitable conditions.
- Supplementing the housing assistance, FEMA has approved $3,872,575 in Other Needs Assistance (ONA) to help residents replace damaged or destroyed personal property, transportation expenses, medical and dental bills, and funeral expenses resulting from the disaster.
- FEMA housing inspectors have completed 9,503 inspections of damaged properties.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved $15,823,700 in disaster loan assistance to 369 home owners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private non-profit organizations. The SBA is the primary source of federal funds for long-term disaster recovery for owners of private property, including homeowners, renters, non-farm businesses of all sizes and private non-profit organizations. These low-interest loans cover costs of repair or replacement of damaged real estate, personal property and business assets not fully covered by insurance or other aid.
- FEMA operates one fixed and three mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) throughout the state. Thus far, 5,603 individuals have visited these centers, where Texans can meet one-on-one with disaster recovery specialists to check on the status of their application, learn about other types of aid that may be available, and receive information about how to avoid future disaster losses when repairing or rebuilding. Customer Service Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration are on hand to answer questions and help renters, homeowners, businesses of any size, and private non-profit organizations fill out loan applications. The fixed DRC at 5517 Denton Hwy (UW-377), Haltom City is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- FEMA has approved more than $1,093,206 through its Public Assistance program, which is available to state agencies, tribal and local governments, and certain Private Non-Profits in 63 counties, nearly one-quarter of all Texas counties. Public Assistance funds are used to reimburse expenses for emergency protective measures, to remove debris and restore damaged infrastructure. FEMA staff is working with officials in affected areas to assess needs and guide them through the application process.
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: Friday, 31-Aug-2007 13:54:54