Bexar County Homeowners Affected by Winter Storm Can Now Apply for Federal Disaster Relief

Owners and residents of Bexar County in 77 other designated counties that were affected by this week’s devastating winter storm can now apply for federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

This comes after President Joe Biden partially approved Governor Abbott’s request to declare a major disaster. Approval was announced Saturday afternoon.

RELATED: President Biden Partially Approves Governor Abbott’s Request for Major Disaster Declaration

According to officials, if you have insurance and apply for disaster assistance, you should also file a claim with your insurance company as soon as possible.

By law, FEMA cannot duplicate loss-covered insurance benefits. If the insurance does not cover all damages, you may be entitled to federal aid.

Announcements

The 77 counties eligible for assistance include:

Angelina, Aransas, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, White, Brazoria, Arms, Brown, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Denton, DeWitt, Ellis, Falls, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gillespie, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hood, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Lavaca, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Maverick, McLennan, Montague, Montgomery, Nacogdoches , Walnuts, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Polk, Rockwall, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Scurry, Shelby, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Travis, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Wharton , Wichita, Williamson, Wilson and Wise.

When requesting help, make sure you have the following information available:

• A current phone number where you can be contacted

• Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are currently staying

• Your social security number, if available

• A general list of damages and losses

• If you are insured, the number of the insurance policy or the name of the agent and company

If it is safe to do so, officials say they recommend starting cleaning and taking photos to document the damage and starting repairs to prevent further damage.

Announcements

Officials say receipts for all purchases related to cleaning and repair will also be kept.

For more information, contact the SBA at 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 800-877-8339) or visit www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.