FEMA Works with Land Lords to Establish Rental Properties for Hurricane Victims

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas landlords can call a special hotline to list rental properties to help families displaced by Hurricane Ike.

The hotline is 1-866-766-6086. Housing specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) answer the lines daily from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. CDT. Note that this line is only for landlords with properties to list. Recovery specialists at FEMA-State Disaster Recovery Centers can also accept information from landlords, and FEMA staff will call the landlords to follow up.

“This hotline allows us to get up-to-date information about rental properties straight from the source,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Sandy Coachman. “That way, disaster victims seeking housing can have as many resources as possible available to them while they plan and go about their recovery.”

 “Helping every Texan affected by Hurricane Ike secure a safe place to live is a primary goal for the state and its partners,” said State Coordinating Officer Joan Haun. “This hotline and the Housing Portal it feeds are critical tools FEMA and the state are using to provide information that will empower Texans working to get their lives back on track.”

Information provided by landlords over the hotline will be added to FEMA’s Housing Portal, where disaster victims seeking rental housing can find lists of available properties. Residents looking for rental housing should go online to https://asd.fema.gov/inter/hportal/home.htm

So far, more than 7,000 rental units have been identified and added to the portal. FEMA staff and Americorps volunteers are currently locating additional properties by contacting landlords directly; this information is added regularly to the properties listed online. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development also provided properties that are listed in the portal.

Users can search the database by city, county, Zip code, number of bedrooms and cost. A variety of property sizes and prices are available. Users do not have to be eligible for FEMA housing assistance to use the portal, although officials urge those who have received rental assistance and are seeking a place to live to consult it.

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FEMA, PARTNERS WORK TO CATALOG RENTAL RESOURCES – Page 2

Homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and nonprofit organizations can register for disaster assistance online at www.fema.gov, or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 1-800-462-7585. These toll-free telephone numbers will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week until further notice.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, economic status or retaliation. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at (800) 621-FEMA (3362) or contact your State Office of Equal Rights.    If suspicious of any abuse of FEMA programs, please contact the fraud hotline at (800) 323-8603.

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.

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).

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