Texas Border Business
In coordination with the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) staff will open three additional Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) on May 30 to offer face-to-face help to residents of the four South Texas counties affected by the severe storms and flooding that occurred March 26-28. Homeowners and renters in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties may be eligible for FEMA assistance for losses not covered by insurance. FEMA and SBA will support state-led recovery efforts at the recovery centers. Staff can help survivors apply for federal assistance. They can also identify potential needs and connect survivors with local, state and federal agencies, as well as nonprofits and community groups.
| The new DRCs join the four already open in the affected counties. All seven centers will be open Friday, May 30, and will remain open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.: |
| Cameron County |
| NEW: San Benito Parks and Recreation Building 705 N Bowie St. San Benito, TX |
| Harlingen Convention Center 701 Harlingen Heights Harlingen, TX 78552 |
| Hidalgo County |
| NEW: Las Palmas Community Center 1921 N. 25th St. McAllen, TX |
| NEW: Pharr Development & Research Center 850 W. Dicker Rd Pharr, TX |
| Weslaco EDC 275 S. Kansas Ave. Weslaco, TX 78596 |
| Starr County |
| Starr County Courthouse Annex 100 N FM 3167 Rio Grande City, TX 78582 |
| Willacy County |
| Sebastian Community Center 434 West 8th St. Sebastian, TX 78594 |
Residents can visit any open center to meet with representatives of FEMA, the state of Texas and the SBA. No appointment is needed. Additional locations may be added. All centers are accessible to people with disabilities or access and functional needs and are equipped with assistive technology. If you need a reasonable accommodation or sign language interpreter, please call 833-285-7448 (press 2 for Spanish). FEMA staff are easily recognizable by their official photo identification (ID). If you meet people offering assistance, first ask to see their ID before giving them your personal information. They may have FEMA clothing, but that can be easily imitated. FEMA staff can help residents in several ways including:
• Checking the status of an application already in the system and making minor changes to applications.
• Contacting faith-based organizations, community groups, private sector businesses and public libraries that may have the capability to distribute disaster-related information to residents in the impacted counties.
• Identifying organizations providing disaster-related services and/or resources to the public for long-term recovery.
• Gathering information about impacts to communities.
• Providing flyers explaining how to apply for disaster assistance.
Survivors with homeowners or renters insurance should first file a claim with their insurance company as soon as possible. If your policy does not cover all your damage expenses, you may then be eligible for federal assistance. SBA’s Customer Service Representatives are available at the centers to answer questions, assist business owners complete their disaster loan application, accept documents and provide updates on an application’s status. For information and to apply online visit SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance.
For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Survivors can apply to FEMA in several ways including going online to DisasterAssistance.gov, downloading the FEMA App for mobile devices or calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Calls are accepted every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service.
To view an accessible video about how to apply visit: Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube. For more information, visit fema.gov/disaster/4871. Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x.com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/. ### FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters. Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.
If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll[1]free at 833-285-7448). If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).
Information source: City of McAllen
