DENTON, Texas – If you sustained property damage as a result of Hurricane Harvey and live in one of 32 counties designated for federal aid, register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). You may be eligible for federal and state disaster assistance.
The presidential disaster declaration makes federal Individual Assistance available to eligible families, individuals and business owners in 32 Texas counties. They are:
Aransas, Bee, Brazoria, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, Fayette, Ft. Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Hardin, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Kleberg, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Polk, Refugio, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Tyler, Victoria, Walker, Waller and Wharton counties.
If you had storm damage, register for assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. And after you register, call us if your address or phone number changes. That helps FEMA help you faster and more efficiently.
Assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs. Long-term, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) also may be available to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.
You should register with FEMA even if you have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but if you are under-insured, you may receive help after your insurance claim is settled.
Registering with FEMA is required for federal aid, even if you registered with another disaster-relief organization or a community or church organization. You must use the name that appears on your Social Security card. You will be asked to provide:
Social Security numberAddress of the damaged home or apartmentDescription of the damageInformation about insurance coverageA current contact telephone numberAn address where you can get mailBank account and routing numbers if you want direct deposit of any financial assistance.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. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.
