FEMA Disaster Recovery Center to remain open through Jan. 15 due to increase in registrations

Federal flood assistance now available for Hays County

FEMA Disaster Recovery Center to remain open in Hays County through mid-January

With the declaration of Hays County as a federal disaster area due to the Oct. 30-31 floods, federal assistance is now available to anyone with uninsured losses. All Hays County residents who suffered uninsured flood damages are eligible to apply, regardless of immigration status. Some of the available programs include grants, low-interest loans to qualifying residents and business owners, temporary housing assistance and unemployment aid.

The three ways of applying for flood assistance are:

Assistance is available in English and Spanish. 

The Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) is located at the Hays County Government Center, located at 712 S. Stagecoach Trail in San Marcos.

The center will be closed Dec. 31-Jan. 1. It will remain open until Jan. 15, 2016. FEMA was going to close the DRC at the end of December but a sudden uptick in registrations prompted the agency to keep the center open.

The DRC will be open during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Applicants who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800.462.7585 directly; those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS) should call 800.621.3362. All toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) daily. 

Hays County Emergency Management Coordinator Kharley Smith said anyone in the county with uninsured flood losses can apply. She noted that each applicant's situation may be different.

“It is important to remember that each application is reviewed separately, so don’t rely on what a neighbor or friend was told about what they qualified for as applying to your situation,” she said.

In addition, it's important for residents to register for the October flood event even if they registered back in May during that flood event.

“Even if you registered for assistance for losses from the May storms and floods, you must register again for any losses from the October 30-31 event,” Smith said. “And, whether or not you received assistance for the May event does not affect your application for the October event – the two are entirely separate disaster incidents.”

Smith also noted that registering for assistance with another agency is not the same as registering with FEMA, which requires a separate registration.  

Assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs. Low-interest disaster loans from SBA may be available to cover residential and business losses. Eligible survivors should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but under-insured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.

Note, the centers are for flood assistance applications only, not for donations or volunteer assistance.

 

 

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