A FEMA Disaster Recovery Center is located on the second floor of the Livingston Municipal Library located at 707 N. Tyler Ave. in Livingston and is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“We want to continue to bring awareness to local residents about disaster assistance in support of those working to recover from the recent flooding and heavy rains that impacted the livelihoods and dwellings of so many in Polk County,” La-Tanga Hopes, a FEMA media relations specialist, said.
“We are finding lots of people still are just now learning or may still NOT know about the disaster assistance being offered by FEMA as we continue working in partnership with the State of Texas. With a deadline of July 16, homeowners, renters and students impacted can still apply for standard disaster assistance,” Hopes said.
Standard disaster assistance applies to homeowners, renters and students with or without insurance.
FEMA provides money for housing assistance (repair or rebuild), medical/dental, moving and storage expenses, per- personal property (generators, dehumidifiers, chainsaws), transportation and flood insurance if need be.
Although the July 16 deadline is nearing, several additional assistance programs have recently been rolled out, including assistance with privatelyowned roads and bridges.
If you had a privatelyowned road or bridge damaged or destroyed in the storms and flooding, FEMA or the U.S. Small Business Administration may provide financial assistance for replacement or repairs. To qualify, you must be the owner and the home must serve as your primary residence.
Hopes said a FEMA inspection is necessary to determine if repairs are necessary for a vehicle to access the property. In addition, at least one of the following conditions must be met: the road and/or bridge is the only access to your property; no one can access the home due to damaged infrastructure; you are responsible (or share responsibility with other homeowners) for maintaining the privatelyowned access route; or the safety of the home’s occupants could be adversely affected because emergency services vehicles, such as ambulance or fire truck, cannot reach the residence. However, this will only be considered if access was available before the disaster occurred.
“When multiple households share a privatelyowned access route, assistance is shared among applications, requiring additional coordination and documentation between FEMA and each applicant,” Hopes said.
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