Two Weeks Left to Apply for Disaster Assistance
Release Date: December 27, 2008
Release Number: 1791-351
» More Information on Texas Hurricane Ike
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AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas homeowners, renters, and business owners who suffered damages from Hurricane Ike have just two more weeks to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster assistance.
FEMA's registration deadline is Jan. 12. State and federal officials urge Texans who had damage from Hurricane Ike to register with FEMA as soon as possible at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 1-800-462-7585, or on the FEMA Web site,
www.fema.gov
.
Before applying for FEMA assistance, officials recommend to have the following in hand:
-
Social Security number
-
Pre-disaster address
-
Current mailing address
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Telephone number, plus a back-up, for contact
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Insurance information, including policy numbers
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A description of storm-related losses
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A routing and bank account number for direct deposit, if desired
Disaster assistance may include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repair and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance or other sources.
The deadline to apply for U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans is also Jan. 12. SBA low-interest disaster loans are the federal government's primary source of money for the long-term repair or rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property that is not fully covered by insurance. More information about the Hurricane Ike disaster is available online at
www.fema.gov
or
www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem
.
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.
