TYLER, Texas — The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the deadline to apply for storm recovery assistance has been extended.
Those who live in three East Texas counties, including Smith, Van Zandt and Henderson, are able to apply for help regarding uninsured losses from the storms and flooding that happened April 26 through June 5. The new deadline is now Aug. 15.
The extension applies to homeowners and renters in 35 counties across the Lone Star State.
FEMA said people seeking to apply are encouraged to seek out the assistance sooner rather than later. The process for ask for help through FEMA can be done at disasterassistance.gov or using the FEMA App for mobile devices. People can also call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Visiting a disaster recovery center is not necessary to apply for FEMA's help. However, a center is open at The Hub, located at 304 E Ferguson St. in Tyler, for people to ask questions about the process. The center is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
"Right down to where our teams go out in to the communities, we take direction from where we should send our crews because again they know the area much better than we do," Nikki Gaskins Campbell, media relations specialist for FEMA, said. "And also when it comes to our disaster recovery centers, they give us guidance on where to set up, because again they know the need of their own community. And so we’re just here to help and assist the state any way possible."
FEMA is continuing to work with counties throughout Texas to assess damage and determine whether federal assistance is still required. To date, FEMA has helped about 68,000 households in Texas affected by storms, offering more than $150 million in disaster assistance throughout the state.
According to FEMA, people who have homeowners’ or renter’s insurance should file a claim as soon as possible. The federal agency cannot duplicate benefits for losses that insurance covers. But if an insurance policy does not cover all damage expenses, the renter or homeowner may be eligible for federal assistance.
FEMA encourages people to keep receipts from all their purchases related to storm cleanup and repair.
The following resources are also available:
- Disaster Unemployment Assistance: Apply online at Unemployment Benefit Services or call Texas Workforce Commission at 800-939-6631 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Deadline is July 16.
- Disaster Legal Assistance: Call the Texas State Bar Legal Hotline at 800-504-7030 Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phones are answered in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
- Crisis Counseling: Call the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at 800-985-5990; for Spanish, press "2").