East Texans in need of assistance after damaging storms can stop by a newly established disaster recovery center operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in downtown Tyler.
FEMA opened the center Saturday morning at The Hub, 304 E. Ferguson St.
Nikki Gaskins Campbell, FEMA media relations specialist, said centers are opening in affected areas of Texas after recent severe storms, tornadoes, flooding and straight-line winds that caused damage in the state from April 26 to June 5.
“... (Gov. Greg Abbott) ultimately requested a federal disaster declaration,” said Campbell. “President (Joe) Biden approved that federal disaster declaration and in doing so, that allowed us to come into the state to work closely with the state and the state officials to determine what needs are and to help assist the residents here in any way possible.”
FEMA works closely with its counterparts at the state and local officials to determine where to put these disaster recovery centers.
“Many counties were affected by this recent storm,” she said, noting several DRCs remain open throughout the state.
The Tyler center will be open to the public from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.
“We are here as a guest of the state,” Campbell explained. “Nobody knows the lay of the land better than the state and the local officials. This is a joint operation where we are working closely with the state, and the local officials to determine what the needs are in the counties, and in Smith County in particular.
“We take guidance from them, and we’re trying to cross all our T’s and dot all our I’s. Not only do we have these fixed site locations (DRCs) ... but we also have our boots on the ground. Our crews are taking guidance from local officials as to where to go into the communities to find out what the needs are. We’re also going door to door up to residents’ homes to find out how we might be able to assist them.”
One way FEMA assists disaster survivors is through grant money.
“This is grant money that does not have to be repaid. If you live in one of those eligible counties, and Smith County is certainly one of them that’s included in the federal disaster declaration, and you suffered damage to your primary residence, you may be eligible for disaster assistance through FEMA. We encourage people to reach out to us; some see us at this fixed site location in Smith County,” Campbell said.
There are several “misconceptions” when it comes to applying for financial aid through FEMA, she said.
“I think one of the biggest misconceptions that I often hear is some people think they might not be eligible for disaster assistance through FEMA because they have insurance,” Campbell said. “But the reality is you may not have enough insurance. We encourage people to always — if they have insurance — file with their insurance first because that’s going to be their first line of defense. And if they’re insured or uninsured, please reach out to us. By law, FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments. We will want to know what their disaster survivors insurance will cover because we can’t duplicate what the insurance may pay for.”
Another misconception Campbell hears often is people think they may not be eligible for disaster assistance because they make too much money.
“The reality is any assistance from FEMA is not dependent on your income,” said Campbell.
While the DRC is a place residents can get direct one-on-one help with the application and other resources, Texans do not have to visit a Disaster Recovery Center to apply for FEMA assistance. To apply, homeowners and renters can go online to disasterassistance.gov; download the FEMA App for mobile devices; or call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.
The deadline to apply is July 16. Late applications will be accepted only under “extraordinary circ*mstances,” Campbell said.
“Recovery is never a sprint, it’s always a marathon,” said Campbell. “You want things to go back to normal, but unfortunately it’s a slow process but we want people of Texas to know that FEMA is here and we’re going to be here for quite some time to serve as many people as possible.”
The Tyler center is 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).
Additionally, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, private nonprofit organizations and businesses of any size. The SBA disaster loan program is designed to help survivors with their long-term recovery needs. Texans can apply for an SBA disaster loan online at SBA.gov/disaster or by calling 800-659-2955. SBA representatives are available to provide one-on-one assistance to disaster loan applicants at Disaster Recovery Centers throughout the affected area.
— Sheppard is a freelance writer for the Tyler Morning Telegraph. She has been writing for the newspaper since January 2023.
