TEXARKANA, Texas - Bowie County is among more than 30 Texas counties added Monday to a list of those whose residents can apply for individual federal disaster relief after last week's winter storms.
Bowie County residents may apply for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and everyone - regardless of whether they are applying for relief - is encouraged to report damages caused by the storms, local officials said during a news conference Tuesday.
"The FEMA program can help residents with rental assistance, temporary lodging expenses, home repair and replacement, and other miscellaneous expenses such as personal property, moving and storage expenses, child care, transportation, cleaning and removal, and more," County Judge Bobby Howell said.
There are three ways to apply, online at disasterassistance.gov, by phone at 800-621-3362 and through FEMA's mobile device app.
Applicants must also file any insurance claims related to the storms. FEMA is prohibited by law from duplicating benefits for losses covered by insurance.
"If it is safe to do so, start cleaning up now. Take photos to document damage and begin cleanup and repairs to prevent further damage. Remember to keep receipts from all purchases related to the cleanup and repair," stated a FEMA news release.
FEMA also advises applicants to have the following information available when applying for assistance:
A current phone number where you can be contacted
Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying
Your Social Security number, if available
A general list of damage and losses
If insured, the insurance policy number, or the agent and company name
Damage Assessments
Regardless of whether residents apply for assistance, reporting damage assessments is all-important to the overall disaster relief process, Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Schlotter said.
The number and type of damage assessments received by the Texas Division of Emergency Management determines what category of federal emergency funding the state, counties and municipalities are eligible for.
"Texas as a whole must prove damage that meets a threshold of $38.9 million, so every report we can identify in our county is important. The survey is easy to use and is accessible at tdem.texas.gov/warm. It will give residents an opportunity to upload photos, describe damage and give details about their property," Mayor Bob Bruggeman said.
Damage assessment reporting is separate from applying for emergency relief, Schlotter said.
"It may not have an impact on the individual assistance side, but it could have an impact on the public assistance side, which is how the cities and governments recover money for expenses, which in turn really is saving taxpayers' money," he said.
Mid-day Monday, only about 36 damage assessments had been completed in Bowie County, though there could be as many as 36,000 cases of damage, Schlotter said.
"It's cumulative across the state, and it gets us to thresholds that open up other categories of funding, where they might fund mitigation projects that help us prevent this in the future or other things we can do to harden and become more resilient as a community," he told the City Council Monday.
Public and Community Entities
Bruggeman asked public organizations and community services such as nonprofits to report storm damage to the city Office of Emergency Management.
"Any nonprofit or governmental, medical, emergency, utility, educational and custodial care facilities should report damages directly" by email to [email protected], he said.
Schlotter asked nonprofits and other community groups to contact the Emergency Operations Center at 903-255-5560 so it may connect residents with services offered.
Drinking Water
"As we transition from the response aspect of the winter storm over to recovery, our biggest need that we currently have in our area is for drinking water," Schlotter said.
An emergency staging area serving six counties has been established in Texarkana, and it is receiving large shipments of drinking water to distribute to residents in need. Six truckloads containing a total of 120 pallets of drinking water, or about 200,000 bottles, arrived Monday. Another five truckloads are expected within the next day or two.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management is providing the water, and it is being transported by military and private trucking.
Water is available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the Emergency Operations Center, 1101 W. 21st St. To learn where water is being distributed near you, call the EOC at 903-255-5560.
Water Infrastructure
Repairing the many leaks and broken pipes caused by record-low temperatures is the best thing residents can do to support the local water system, Schlotter said.
"Our problems with our water system have nothing to do with the water system as a whole. It's fully functional, and there are no major issues being dealt with. Our problems that we're experiencing are more in the form of a bunch of little problems. So kind of like the saying goes, 'death by a million scratches.' So all those little leaks, those leaks in houses, are adding up into a big problem," he said.
Multiple leaks can reduce overall water pressure in the system, leading to service problems and boil orders.
Residential leaks can be hard to detect, and Schlotter suggested shutting off the water supply to the home and looking at the water meter. If the meter is still showing water use, it is likely there is a leak somewhere.
Where to Apply for Emergency Storm Relief
Individuals
Online: disasterassistance.gov
Phone: 800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585), 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week
Mobile: Download the FEMA app
Small Businesses
Online: sba.gov/services/disasterassistance
Phone: 800-659-2955 (TTY: 800-877-8339)
To Submit a Damage Assessment
Online: tdem.texas.gov/warm
Drinking Water Distribution
and Other Help
Water available: 1101 W. 21st St., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays
Emergency Operations Center: 903-255-5560