Tropical Storm Imelda: Disaster Recovery Centers Opening in Montgomery & Liberty Counties

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Joint state/federal Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) will be opening Wednesday, October 16 at New Caney in Montgomery County and Thursday, October 17 at Liberty in Liberty County to help disaster survivors affected by Tropical Storm Imelda.

Recovery specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), local and state agencies will be at the center to answer questions about disaster assistance and low-interest disaster loans. They can also help survivors apply for federal disaster assistance. The centers will be at the following locations:

Texas homeowners, renters and business owners in Chambers, Harris, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery and Orange counties that were included in the major disaster declaration for Individual Assistance may apply for uninsured and underinsured damage and losses incurred from Sept. 17 – 23, 2019.

Individual Assistance for homeowners and renters may be eligible for grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses not met by insurance or other assistance programs.

To register, go online to DisasterAssistance.gov or call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362. Help is available in most languages and phone lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.

Survivors who plan to register with FEMA at a DRC should have the following information:

• Social Security number

• Address of the damaged primary residence

• Description of the damage

• Information about insurance coverage

• A current contact telephone number

• An address where they can receive mail

• Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds

Low-interest disaster loans from SBA are also available to businesses, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters to cover residential and business losses as a result of the disaster. Applicants can visit the DRC for one-on-one assistance, visit www.SBA.gov/disaster, or call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955.

Disaster recovery centers are accessible to people with disabilities. American Sign Language interpreters may be available to assist at a DRC.

FEMA Disaster survivors who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585 to register. Those who use 711 or VRS (Video Relay Service) or require accommodations while visiting a center may call 800-621-3362. All disaster recovery centers are accessible and equipped with tools to accommodate disaster survivors who need disability-related communication aids.

Follow FEMA online at https://twitter.com/FEMARegion6,  www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema,www.twitter.com/FEMAespanol, www.facebook.com/fema, www.facebook.com/FEMAespanol and www.youtube.com/fema

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FEMA’s mission: Helping people before, during and after disasters.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has faced discrimination, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362, voice/VP/711. Multilingual operators are available. TTY users may call 800-462-7585.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955. TTY users may also call 800-877-8339. Applicants may also email disastercustomerservice@sba.govor visit SBA at www.SBA.gov/disaster .