ONLY SOME AREA COUNTIES APPROVED FOR FEMA DISASTER ASSISTANCE
Several area counties have been approved for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but several also have not been included on the list, such as Washington County.
On Saturday, Governor Greg Abbott announced that President Joe Biden partially approved Abbott’s Major Disaster Declaration request for individual and public assistance. The request for individual assistance was approved for 77 counties, including Brazos, Burleson, Grimes and Waller counties.
Washington, Austin, Fayette, and Lee counties are not among the 77 approved, despite weather damages and utility and water outages being reported in those areas.
FEMA says the 77 counties included in the individual assistance portion of the declaration are a start, and that additional designations may be made at a later date if they are requested by the state and warranted through further assessments. Homeowners and renters who live outside the designated counties are encouraged to file a claim with their insurance provider, document damages to their home from the storm, and keep receipts for all repair expenses.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to aid disaster recovery for individuals and business owners. Those who are located in counties included in the President’s declaration and sustained losses can register for assistance online at www.disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585.
Federal funding is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofits on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures and hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Abbott said while this partial approval is an important first step, Texas will continue to work with the federal government to “ensure all eligible Texans have access to the relief they need.”
The full list of counties that have been approved for individual assistance:
Angelina, Aransas, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Denton, DeWitt, Ellis, Falls, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gillespie, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hood, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Lavaca, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Maverick, McLennan, Montague, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Nueces, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Polk, Rockwall, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Scurry, Shelby, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Travis, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Wharton, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson, and Wise Counties.