AUSTIN, Texas – Recovery centers will be opening in Cameron, Willacy and Hidalgo County to provide assistance for survivors affected by severe storms and flooding that started June 24-25, 2019. Joint state/federal Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) are opening Wednesday, July 24 in Willacy County and Thursday, July 25 in Hidalgo County, and a Business Recovery Center in Harlingen Tuesday, July 23.
A DRC offers in-person support to individuals and businesses in counties included in the Texas federal disaster declaration for severe storms and flooding that began on June 24, 2019.
Recovery specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) will be at the center to talk about assistance and to help anyone who needs guidance in filing an application. The DRC locations are open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The centers will be at the following locations:
Willacy County
Community County Safe Room
10804 Business 77
Raymondville, Texas 78580
Opens Wednesday, July 24
Hidalgo County
La Villa Youth Center
302 West 2nd Street
La Villa, Texas 78562
Opens Thursday, July 25
For survivors requiring language assistance, FEMA has interpreters who speak many languages. These are available through the FEMA Helpline by calling 800-621-3362, and in any DRC to help in the registration process.
Disaster survivors who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585 to register. ASL interpreters are also available for assistance. DRCs also have low-to-no vision tools such as magnifying glasses, and assisted listening devices as well as informational publications in Braille.
Residents may apply if they are a non-citizen national with a Social Security number or a qualified alien who holds permanent residency, refugee, or asylum status. Parents of U.S. citizens with the child living in their household may apply for federal disaster assistance on behalf of their child.
Business Recovery Centers are one-stop locations for businesses to access customer service representatives who will answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help each business owner complete their electronic loan application. The centers are designed to help small business owners re-establish their operations, overcome the effects of the disaster and plan for their future. The center will be at the following location:
Business Recovery Center
SBA Lower Rio Grande Valley District Office
2422 East Tyler Ave., Suite E
Harlingen, TX 78550
Opens Tuesday, July 23
Hours: Mondays- Friday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Businesses of any size and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. These loans cover losses that are not fully covered by insurance or other recoveries.
For business owners who are unable to visit the business recovery center, they may apply online using SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
If possible, homeowners, renters and businesses should have contacted their insurance company and registered with FEMA before visiting a recovery center. Registration is available in the following ways:
Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.Phone (800) 621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS-Video Relay Service) (TTY: (800)462-7585). Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).Via the FEMA app, available for Apple and Android mobile devices. To download visit: fema.gov/mobile-app.
The following information is helpful when registering:
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