In the aftermath of severe storms, strong winds, and flooding across North Texas in recent weeks, Dallas County has been added to president’s federal disaster declaration, Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Wednesday.
Requests for a presidential declaration of disaster are made to the federal government by the governor of each state. The declaration opens the door for affected county residents to seek crucial financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Individual Assistance program.
“The approval of five additional counties for the Presidential Disaster Declaration will help provide critical aid to Texans who have been impacted by recent severe storms,” Gov. Abbott said in a news release. “Texans are urged to continue to self-report any damages to their homes or businesses to help state and local officials determine if more counties meet the requirements for federal assistance. I thank our federal partners for continuing to work with Texas officials to support our recovery efforts as Texans rebuild and move forward.”
Nine counties in North Texas and more than two dozen statewide are currently included in the federal disaster declaration. Abbott has requested the inclusion of eight more counties, but FEMA authorities are still reviewing that request.
The FEMA Individual Assistance program helps uninsured or “underinsured” residents with expenses such as temporary housing, emergency home repairs, legal services, unemployment assistance, moving costs, as well as medical, dental, and funeral expenses incurred due to the storm.
Residents affected by the recent disaster, whether homeowners or renters, are encouraged to apply for aid through FEMA’s designated channels.
Applications can be completed online via disasterassistance.gov or through the FEMA app.
Alternatively, individuals can seek assistance by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362, with multilingual support available during operating hours between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
The deadline to apply for assistance is July 16, per NBC 5 DFW.
Upon application submission, FEMA will conduct thorough reviews, and applicants will receive a notification regarding the approval status and the extent of assistance granted. In cases where disagreements arise, provisions for appealing FEMA’s decisions are available to ensure a fair and transparent process for all.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, approximately 650,000 customers in the region experienced power outages in the DFW area at the storm’s peak.
Stay tuned to The Dallas Express for further updates on relief efforts and developments in Dallas County’s storm recovery.