HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Additional federal assistance is being provided for 16 Texas counties in the wake of Beryl.
On Friday, President Biden announced that he amended the Major Disaster Declaration to authorize "additional federal assistance to disaster survivors to help aid in their recovery from Hurricane Beryl."
It comes after a number of Texas politicians wrote a letter to Biden asking him to quickly approve Individual Assistance under the FEMA program. Read the letter here.
"Many residents in and around the Houston area have been without power for several days with heat indexes exceeding 100 degrees daily. They urgently need the resources FEMA can provide," the letter said.
The money is for those who are underinsured or uninsured and they can register here. Officials said the link is active and to make sure you apply for Hurricane Beryl assistance.
It's available to people in these counties:
- Brazoria
- Chambers
- Fort Bend
- Galveston
- Harris
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Jefferson
- Liberty
- Matagorda
- Montgomery
- Orange
- Polk
- San Jacinto
- Walker
- Wharton
Fort Bend County was originally left off the list, but County Judge KP George on Saturday said he received confirmation that residents will be eligible for individual assistance. This comes after acting Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to request the inclusion of Fort Bend and Nacogdoches counties to FEMA’s Individual Assistance programs.
It can include money to help repair or replace their homes, temporary housing, access to low-interest loans or other programs to help them jumpstart their recovery.
"Great news, Harris County!! We just received word that FEMA, at the request of President Biden, has officially granted Harris County and 14 other impacted counties Individual Assistance (financial assistance directly for impacted families). Our state and local government just finished verifying the count and made the submission last night. This is an approval in record time. Soon we will have more news on how to apply for direct financial assistance. Thank you, President Biden and our various partners!" Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said after the announcement was made.
How to apply
Apply Online
- Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov and in Spanish language at DisasterAssistance.gov/es. This is the fastest way to apply if they have access to a smartphone or a computer.
Apply with the FEMA App
- Download the FEMA mobile app and in Spanish language, available on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Apply by Phone at 800-621-3362
- Call FEMA’s toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362.
- The helpline is open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time with language translation available.
- FEMA operators can help in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and any other languages, as needed.
Apply in person at a Disaster Recovery Center
- Visit any Disaster Recovery Center, for locations and hours, go online to fema.gov/drc.
More information on FAQs.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) has a way for residents to report damage to residential, commercial and/or agricultural property through a tool called iSTAT. It stands for Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool. Filling out the form helps to determine the extent of the damage. It also helps identify immediate needs. FEMA guidlines outline that assessments need to be done for the agency to approve individual disaster assistance. Here's how to report.