Must Register to Receive Aid Even if Registered for May Flood October Flood Survivors Reminded to Register with FEMA
Survivors of the October 2015 flood must register with FEMA to receive federal aid even if they previously registered for the Memorial Day flood. Disaster assistance received in the May event does not affect possible eligibility for help for October damage or loss.
Statewide, more than 1,000 people have registered for individual assistance for the October flooding, and more than $8 million has been approved for people through the Individuals and Households Program. In addition, the Small Business Administration has approved more than $370,000 in loans so far.
A Registration Intake Center is open at the San Marcos Activity Center, 501 E. Hopkins, to serve homeowners, renters and business owners who sustained damage in the October flooding. The center is open weekdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. until further notice. Specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are there to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors.
People who had storm damage also can register for FEMA assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call 800.621.3362 toll free from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily until further notice. Multilingual operators are available. Disaster assistance applicants who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800.462.7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800.621.3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) daily.
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 also may be available to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.
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. More flood-related information can be found online at www.sanmarcostx.gov/smtxfloods.
