Homeowners, renters and business owners in three Texas counties who suffered damage or loss as a result of Hurricane Dolly now can register for federal and state disaster assistance.
Individual Assistance was added for Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties after a review of damage assessments, according to officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Texas Governor's Division of Emergency Management.
Residents of those counties can register on line at www.fema.gov or by calling toll-free 800-621-FEMA (3362).
Disaster assistance for eligible individuals may include:
* Grants to help pay for temporary housing and 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 non-profit organizations to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance.
Watch the tutorial on how to get SBA assistance
President Bush declared a major disaster for Texas on Thursday, July 24, designating Public Assistance Category B, including direct federal assistance, for emergency protective measures taken by the state and local jurisdictions before, during and after Hurricane Dolly hit.
FEMA's Public Assistance program will reimburse 75 percent of eligible costs for debris removal and emergency protective measures, with the remaining 25 percent to come from state and local sources.
See the FEMA Dolly Page
This assistance comes in response to Gov. Perry's Second Appeal to FEMA for Assistance for Texans Affected by Hurricane Dolly
In a letter to President George W. Bush, Gov. Rick Perry today requested FEMA expedite the state’s request for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance to Texans affected by Hurricane Dolly. The governor’s initial July 23rd request for individual aid was not immediately granted. Rather, the agency directed the state to conduct preliminary damage assessments before Individual or Public Assistance would be granted.
"Thorough preparations by state and local leaders minimized Hurricane Dolly’s impact, but did not completely dispel the severe damage left in its wake," said Gov. Perry." Texas is utilizing all available resources to meet storm victims’ needs, but the long range effects of this disaster without Individual Assistance and Public Assistance will have devastating and lasting consequences for the entire region.
"I urge FEMA to immediately grant the assistance that these Texans need to begin rebuilding their homes and their lives."
Individual Assistance provides aid to people whose homes were damaged but are not covered by insurance. Public Assistance provides funding for the repair, restoration, reconstruction or replacement of a public facility or infrastructure, which is damaged or destroyed by a disaster.
The state continues to provide food, water and ice in South Texas, and is operating 13 fixed and mobile feeding sites to assist impacted residents. The state currently has 11 shelters and a medical special needs shelter open in three counties. Six hundred people are currently staying in these shelters, though the population is increasing as residents return to the impacted areas and find their homes unlivable. While crews are working diligently to restore electricity, more than 10,000 residents remain without power.
On July 24th, Texas was granted a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration, which included public assistance for emergency protective measures taken before, during and after the disaster. On July 31st, Individual and Small Business Assistance was approved.
Way to go Governor Perry!Under Governor Perry's leadership, Texas has become one of the greatest states in the country and the 11th largest economy in the world.