Aransas County Eligible For Disaster Assistance  

Release Date: August 5, 2003
Release Number: 1479-18

» More Information on Texas Hurricane Claudette

Corpus Christi, TX -- State and federal officials announced today that based on a review of damage data, Aransas County joined 17 other counties eligible for disaster assistance in the wake of Hurricane Claudette.

Atascosa, Bee, Brazoria, Calhoun, DeWitt, Frio, Galveston, Goliad, Jackson, Karnes, Live Oak, Matagorda, McMullen, Refugio, Victoria, San Patricio and Zavala counties were previously declared eligible for both Individual Assistance and Public Assistance.

Aransas County was added for Individual Assistance only. This means that individuals and business owners there may apply for a wide range of state and federal disaster assistance programs, including 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 who suffered 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. Each application is handled on a case-by-case basis. 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, 05-Aug-2003 16:42:28