FEMA Individual Assistance Approved for 20 Counties After July Floods

AUSTIN, TX -- Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the federal government has approved Texas' appeal for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance program funding following severe storms and flooding that impacted communities across the state in July.

The approval comes after an announcement from President Donald J. Trump this week, noting that the Trump Administration would make additional FEMA relief available following the July storms. This follows an appeal submitted by the State of Texas through the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM).

“President Trump has approved Texas’ appeal for FEMA Individual Assistance after the July storms and flooding,” said Governor Abbott. "This brings essential financial assistance and services to eligible Texans in the 20 approved counties. I thank President Trump for his leadership and for this additional support for Texas families.”

The following 20 counties are now approved for FEMA Individual Assistance: Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Crockett, Dimmit, Frio, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, La Salle, Maverick, Medina, Real, Schleicher, Sutton, Uvalde, Val Verde, and Zavala. Texans can apply for FEMA disaster assistance online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362.

FEMA's Individual Assistance program provides eligible Texans with financial assistance and services for disaster-related expenses, including temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, disaster legal services, disaster unemployment assistance, and medical, dental, and funeral expenses caused by the disaster.

Additionally, an appeal to FEMA for Hazard Mitigation grant program funding remains pending.

Governor Abbott continues to take action to provide all available resources to support communities impacted by the July severe storms and flooding, including:

• Obtaining a suspension on federal tax deadlines for affected Texans and businesses
• Calling for suspension of federal tax deadlines for impacted Texans and businesses
• Acquiring federal disaster assistance for four additional counties that sustained storm impacts
• Requesting federal disaster assistance for additional affected counties
• Securing approval of a Major Disaster Declaration following storm impacts
• Communicating the further extension of SNAP replacement benefits for Texans affected by flooding
• Amending the state’s disaster declaration to include additional impacted counties and providing an update in Cotulla on the state’s emergency response in affected areas
• Surveying flood-damaged communities and communicating updates on the state’s response posture.
• Announcing the extension of SNAP replacement benefits for Texans affected by flooding
• Providing an update in Uvalde on the state’s flood response and requesting federal disaster assistance
• Sharing additional updates on Texas’ flood response operations
• Updating Texans on the statewide flood response
• Issuing a state disaster declaration, increasing the readiness level of the Texas State Emergency Operations (SOC) to 24-hour operations at Level II (Escalated Response) and activating additional state emergency response resources as heavy rainfall and flash flooding threats continued
• Deploying state emergency response resources ahead of the severe weather and flash flooding threat