DISASTER ASSISTANCE RECOVERY CENTER

 
Hurricane Ike
 

A Service of the Harris County Community Services Department
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FEMA EXTENDS DEADLINE TO JANUARY 10, 2009

 

FEMA:  http://www.fema.gov/

Apply for FEMA Assistance at Houston Public Libraries

Check for the library nearest you at http://www.hcpl.net/index.htm

 FEMA Helpline at (800) 621-3362

 

SBA Loan

 

After you register with FEMA at (800) 621-3362:

Apply in person at any Disaster Recovery Center and receive personal, one-on-one help from any SBA representative.  To find a location near you, call SBA at  (800) 659-2955 or visit our web site at SBA Loan

or

You may apply online using SBA's Electronic Loan Application at:

https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela

or

You may complete a paper application and mail it to SBA at:

U.S. Small Business Administration
14925 Kingsport Road
Ft. Worth, TX 76155-2243

Texas Renters May Be Eligible for Disaster Assistance

Texas renters who suffered damage to their residences from Hurricane Ike may be eligible for disaster assistance.

Federal grants to rent a place to live may be available for renters whose primary residence requires repairs to make it habitable.  Eligible renters may be provided one or two months of assistance depending on circumstances, and may be extended if needed.

In addition, renters may apply for a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low interest disaster loan up to $40,000 for personal property losses.  If they do not quality for an SBA loan, other needs assistance may be available for such disaster-related-costs as medical-dental expenses, clothing, a damaged vehicle or moving and storage expenses.  Disaster-affected renters may register 24 hours a day, seven days of week online at www.fema.gov or by calling FEMA at (800) 621-3362. 

 
Disaster Relief Centers

 

Hours of operation: Daily from 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information go to the FEMA web site listing of sites at Disaster Mobile Assistance Centers

 
Electric Providers Offering Payment Plans

 

The state's three largest energy providers are offering special payment plans for customers affected by Hurricane Ike.

Reliant Energy is asking its customers to call 713-207-7777 to discuss their circumstances.   These programs include:

Assistance with bill payments, including extensions, payment plans and average billing, depending on the customer's specific needs.

Temporary suspension of late fees and disconnections for nonpayment for all customers in areas impacted by the hurricane.

A voluntary moratorium on disconnection of electric service through the end of September for low-income seniors, critical-care, and other low-income residential customers who contact Reliant Energy and agree to a payment plan.

TXU Energy announced this plan:

Extending payment due dates;

Allowing customers to pay 25 percent on the total amount due and defer the balance over five installments;

Extending special summer customer protections for low-income, the ill and disabled and those age 62 or above in affected areas. The special summer customer protections - which declared a moratorium on disconnections and provided more flexible payment plans - were scheduled to end September 30;

Waiving late fees;

Allowing new customers to pay deposits in two installments;

Also, Direct Energy is offering payment assistance through its Neighbor-to-Neighbor program, which provides bill-payment assistance of up to $300 as often as twice a year. For information, call at 888-305-3828.

Please see the official news release for additional information: 

http://blogs.chron.com/consumerwatch/2008/09/three_electric_providers_offer_1.html

 
Disaster Unemployment Insurance

 

Because the President declared 29 counties a disaster area, displaced workers in those counties could be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance. To claim this protection, a worker must file by December 12, 2008. Please bring this deadline to people’s attention. To file for disaster-related unemployment assistance, log on to www.texasworkforce.org or call TWC from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to  5 p.m. Central Time, at (800) 939-6631.

Emergency Money for Utilities, Rent, and Other Assistance

A list of organizations providing assistance for utilities, rent, and other assistance is available.  Most of these organizations will only provide assistance once a year.  For large bills, you usually have to ask for help from multiple agencies. 

Please click here for additional information:  http://www.hrc.hctx.net/emergencyfinancial.htm or call 713-578-2055.

Financial Assistance to Eligible Veterans

Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
(713) 383-2715 (Houston)
http://www.dav.org

DAV Disaster relief grants may be issued for the purposes of providing food, clothing, and temporary shelter or to obtain relief from injury, illness, or personal loss resulting from natural/national disasters that are not covered by insurance or other disaster relief agencies.

To be eligible for a DAV disaster relief grant, the following criteria must be met:

  • The applicant must be a service-connected disabled veteran or the spouse thereof (same household)

  • The applicant must be the victim of a natural/national disaster

  • The applicant's claimed loss must not be covered by insurance

  • The applicant's claimed loss must not be covered by other emergency relief agencies.

Texas VFW
Financial assistance for VFW & Auxiliary Members only
Apply only at http://www.texasvfw.org

The American Legion
Eligibility open to Legionnaires and Sons of the American Legion members (up to $1,500)

  • Not meant to replace or repair items, only to meet most immediate needs (i.e. temporary housing, food, water, clothing, diapers, etc.)

  • Does not cover insurance compensation or monetary losses from a business, structures on your property (barns, tool sheds, etc.), equipment or vehicles.

  • Membership must be active at time of disaster and the time of application

Member must complete a National Emergency Fund Grant Application.  Applications may be obtained by contacting your Department Headquarters (713) 383-2755/Houston or by calling The American Legion National Headquarters at (317) 630-1321.  You can download a grant application at http://www.legion.org/veterans/assistance/nef.