Renters with Storm Damage May Apply for Disaster Assistance
WASHINGTON D.C. – December 11, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Renters displaced from their homes or apartments by the October storms may be eligible for federal disaster assistance, which may include grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
FEMA grants for eligible renters may include funds to cover the cost of renting another place to live.
Renters may also be eligible for Other Needs Assistance (ONA). ONA grants help survivors with uninsured or underinsured expenses and serious needs caused by the disaster, including:
• Child care
• Heating fuels
• Moving and storage expenses
• Disaster-related funeral and burial expenses
• Disaster-related dental and medical expenses, such as wheelchairs, canes and prescriptions
• Repair or replacement of personal property lost or damaged in the storm, including furniture and appliances, as well as job-related tools and equipment required by the self-employed
• Primary vehicles, approved second vehicles and modified vehicles damaged by the disaster
SBA offers low-interest disaster loans to help renters repair or replace disaster-damaged personal property, including automobiles. Survivors may be eligible to borrow up to $40,000, depending on their losses.
Texans in the following counties may register for disaster assistance for damage or losses sustained during the period Oct. 22 to Oct. 31: Bastrop, Brazoria, Caldwell, Comal, Galveston, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Hidalgo, Liberty, Navarro, Travis, Willacy and Wilson.
Survivors can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone (voice, 711 or relay service) at 800-621-3362. TTY users should call 800-462-7585. The toll-free lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
All FEMA disaster assistance will be provided without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment), religion, national origin, age, disability, limited English proficiency, economic status, or retaliation. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, call 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585(TTY/TDD).
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice (at) sba (dot) gov, or visiting SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call 800-877-8339.
Visit www.fema.gov/texas-disaster-mitigation for publications and reference material on rebuilding and repairing safer and stronger.
