AUSTIN, Texas -- Survivors in five more Texas counties -- Gregg, Grimes, Montgomery, Walker and Waller -- whose homes or businesses were damaged or destroyed in the recent wildfires can now register for federal and state disaster assistance.
The five counties were added Friday to the Sept. 9 major disaster declaration that began with Bastrop County; an amendment on Sept. 14 added Colorado, Houston, Leon, Travis and Williamson counties to the declaration. The amendments follow a review of damage assessments by officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM).
"Survivors are always our utmost concern -- and that's why we strongly encourage those in all 11 counties to register for federal and state disaster assistance as soon as possible," said Federal Coordinating Officer Kevin L. Hannes. "There's lots of help available, and we want survivors to get the assistance they are eligible for."
Disaster assistance for eligible individuals may include:
- Grants to help pay for temporary housing and essential home repairs to make a home habitable
- Grants for serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance
- Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance.
Residents in Bastrop, Colorado, Gregg, Grimes, Houston, Leon, Montgomery, Travis, Walker, Waller and Williamson counties can register for assistance online at www.disasterassistance.gov, via smart phone at m.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services should call 1-800-621-3362. Specialists are available by phone from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.