Submitted report
The Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) at the Hays County Government Center, 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos, which is staffed by FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration specialists to answer questions and provide assistance information, will close permanently at 6 p.m. Wednesday, December 30.
Survivors of the October 2015 flood and storms are encouraged to register with FEMA to receive federal aid even if they previously registered for the Memorial Day flood. Assistance for the two disasters is not combined and each damage/loss incident is treated separately. Disaster assistance received for the May event does not affect potential eligibility for assistance from damage and loss from the October disaster. Also, survivors who registered for the May event and received assistance, such as temporary housing funds, could find that those funds will end before damage sustained in the October flood has been repaired.
People who had storm damage can register for FEMA assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call 800.621.3362 toll free until further notice. Multilingual operators are available. Applicants who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800.462.7585 directly; those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS) should call 800.621.3362. All toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) daily.
Assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs. Low-interest disaster loans from SBA may be available to cover residential and business losses. Eligible survivors should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but under-insured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.
