AUSTIN, Texas – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides two main types of assistance following natural disasters. After a presidential disaster declaration for a state, counties are designated for either Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both.
Individual Assistance
Individual Assistance is provided by FEMA to individuals who have sustained losses due to disasters.
- Texas homeowners and renters in designated counties who had damage to their homes, vehicles or personal property as a result of the storms may apply for disaster assistance if their damage is in a designated county and occurred during the incident period associated with the disaster declaration.
- Disaster assistance may include grants to help pay for temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, and medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the disaster, along with other serious disaster-related expenses.
- Disaster assistance grants are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, medical waiver programs, welfare assistance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance.
- As a FEMA partner, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers low-interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters. SBA disaster loans are the primary source of federal long-term disaster recovery funds for disaster damages not fully covered by insurance or other compensation. They do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.
Survivors can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone (voice, 711 or relay service) at 800-621-3362. (TTY users should call 800-462-7585.) The toll-free lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Public Assistance
Public Assistance can fund the repair, restoration, reconstruction or replacement of a public facility or infrastructure damaged or destroyed by a disaster. Again, the damage must have occurred during the incident period associated with the disaster.
- FEMA will provide a reimbursement grant of 75 percent of eligible costs, with the local applicant providing the remaining 25 percent. Eligible entities include state governments, local governments and any other political subdivision of the state and federally recognized Native American tribes. Certain private nonprofit organizations, such as educational, utility, irrigation, emergency, medical, rehabilitation, and temporary or permanent custodial care facilities, also may receive assistance.
- Although funds are awarded to government entities and nonprofits, the Public Assistance program is intended to benefit everyone — neighborhoods, cities, counties and states. Public Assistance dollars help clean up communities affected by disaster-related debris, repair the roads and bridges people use every day getting to work and school, put utilities and water systems back in order, repair hospitals and emergency services, rebuild schools and universities, and restore playground equipment in public parks.
For more information on Texas recovery, visit the disaster web page at www.fema.gov/disaster/4223, Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the Texas Division of Emergency Management website, https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.
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All FEMA disaster assistance will be provided without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment), religion, national origin, age, disability, limited English proficiency, economic status, or retaliation. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, call 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585(TTY/TDD).
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.
The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call 800-877-8339.
Visit www.fema.gov/texas-disaster-mitigation for publications and reference material on rebuilding and repairing safer and stronger.