President Joe Biden on Friday amended the federal disaster declaration for Texas authorizing additional financial help for individuals recovering from Hurricane Beryl.
The storm came ashore at about 4:30 a.m. Monday, July 8, near Matagorda. It was a Category 1 hurricane with winds of about 80 mph that lashed the coast, damaged property, and knocked out power to millions.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Beryl survivors "who are uninsured or underinsured can register for assistance that may include funding to repair or replace their homes, temporary housing, access to low-interest loans or other programs to help them jumpstart their recovery."
The assistance provides grants for people living in Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker, and Wharton counties. FEMA’s Individual Assistance program funding assists with expenses such as temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, disaster legal services, disaster unemployment assistance, and medical, dental, and funeral expenses caused by the disaster.
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Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online at DisasterAssistance.gov, calling 1-800-621-3362, or using the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service, or others, give FEMA the number for that service.
The office of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said for the request to be approved by the federal government, Texas and FEMA had to assess homes damaged by the storm before requesting federal assistance for individuals. Patrick said that on Thursday, teams of officials from the state and FEMA assessed the damage done by the storm so that the request could be filed with the federal government.
Patrick, who is acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is out of the country, said on Friday he asked the Texas Division of Emergency Management to request Fort Bend and Nacogdoches counties be included in FEMA’s Individual Assistance programs.
Additional counties may be requested for federal assistance after completing damage assessments required by federal law and regulations. Texans are encouraged to report damage caused by Hurricane Beryl using the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) online survey by visiting damage.tdem.texas.gov. Reports can be voluntarily submitted in English and Spanish and are not a substitution for contacting your insurance company.
