Texans who have disaster-related needs due to Hurricane Beryl may be eligible for disaster assistance under FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program. Currently, residents living in Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker, and Wharton counties may be eligible for disaster assistance. Several residents in Fort Bend County, which was hit hard, are upset that the county isn’t eligible for disaster assistance. FEMA officials say additional counties may be added in the future if requested by the state and warranted by further damage assessments. No word yet on why Fort Bend has been excluded but Fort Bend County Democratic Party Chairman Fred G. Taylor is asking residents to go report their damage.
“It has come to my attention that FEMA is not getting an accurate picture of the
extensive damage we are experiencing in Ft Bend Co. I’m asking everyone who received damages as a result of Hurricane Beryl to please go online and complete the survey at TDEM.texas.gov. Go to “report damage, July 7th” This will allow FEMA to accurately assess the damage in our area,” Taylor said.
Immediate assistance available
Individuals and families in these counties may be eligible to receive Serious Needs Assistance, which is a one-time $750 payment per household for essential items like food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication, and other emergency supplies.
Eligible survivors may also receive Displacement Assistance, which is money to help with housing needs if they cannot return to their homes because of the disaster. The money can be used to stay in a hotel, with family and friends, or other options while you look for a more permanent housing solution.
In addition to Serious Needs and Displacement Assistance, eligible survivors may receive money for rental assistance, basic home repairs, personal property losses, and other eligible expenses related to Hurricane Beryl.
People who applied for and received FEMA assistance for the severe storms that occurred in April can still apply and receive assistance for damage as a result of Hurricane Beryl if their primary home is located in one of the 15 declared counties.
Residents in any Texas county who experienced property damage are encouraged to report their damage using the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s online Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) by visiting damage.tdem.texas.gov.
How to Apply for FEMA Assistance
The first step residents can take to jumpstart their recovery is to apply for FEMA assistance. Here’s how to apply:
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov. If you have access to Wi-Fi and your electronic devices have power, applying online is the easiest, fastest, and most convenient way to apply.
- On the FEMA App for mobile devices. You can also use the app’s Disaster Recovery Center locator feature to find an open center nearby.
- Visiting any Disaster Recovery Center, for locations and hours, go online to fema.gov/drc.
- Calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT. Wait times may be unusually high and applying online at disasterassistance.gov is the quickest way to complete an application at this time.
