INDIVIDUAL AND PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY BROADENED

AUSTIN, Texas –Homeowners, renters and business owners in Gregg, Harrison, Rusk, Shelby and Smith counties who suffered damage or loss as a result of Hurricane Ike now can register for federal and state disaster assistance.

Individual Assistance is being made available to these counties after a review of damage assessments was done by officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Texas Governor's Division of Emergency Management (GDEM).

Disaster assistance for eligible individuals may include:

• Grants to help pay for temporary housing and home repairs to make a home habitable
• Grants for serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance
• Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private non-profit organizations to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance.

Residents of these counties may register anytime online at www.fema.gov or by calling toll-free 800-621-FEMA (3362). Applicants with speech or hearing impairments may call TTY 1-800-462-7585.

Today’s amendment to the presidential disaster declaration of Sept.13 also authorized all categories of Public Assistance for Angelina, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Hardin, Newton, Polk, Shelby and Tyler counties. State agencies, local jurisdictions and eligible nonprofit organizations in these counties are eligible for reimbursement for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, restoration, reconstruction or replacement of public facilities, roads and bridges, water facilities and other infrastructure damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ike. FEMA's Public Assistance program will reimburse a minimum of 75 percent of eligible costs.

Under the presidential declaration, Individual Assistance and all categories of Public Assistance is available in 10 counties: Angelina, Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Fort Bend, Hardin, Newton, Polk, Shelby and Tyler.

Twenty other Texas counties are designated for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures. These counties are: Austin, Cherokee, Grimes, Harris, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Orange, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Trinity, Walker, Waller, and Washington.

More information is available online at www.fema.gov or www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

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FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants may call 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339). Homeowners, renters and business owners with questions for the SBA should call the Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955.)