It was 18 years ago that the south Texas coast sustained its last Hurricane. This year, thousands were affected by Hurricane Harvey and its category 4 level winds. Many fled the coast as mandatory evacuations were issued by numerous coastal cities. People lost their homes, businesses, and personal belongings. Luckily, we’re fortunate to live in a country with safety nets in place to allow people to recover from such events.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as “FEMA” is a governmental organization set up to provide relief for those affected by natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey who struck the coast of Texas. For those folks, FEMA has set up Critical Needs Assistance to individuals and households who were displaced from their primary residence.
According to FEMA: Individuals and households may be eligible for Critical Needs Assistance if all of the following have been met:
- A registration is completed with FEMA;
- The applicant passes identity verification;
- At registration, the applicant asserts that they have critical needs and requests financial assistance for those needs and expenses;
- Their pre-disaster primary residence is located in a county that is designated for CNA; an
- The applicant is displaced from their pre-disaster primary residence as a result of the disaster.
The website that individuals are encouraged to use to fill out the application is disasterassistance.gov
For those impacted by the devastating Hurricane Harvey, you may qualify for a one-time $500.00 payment per household. Again, FEMA states that this aid is not limited to just those who do not have insurance. It is not limited to just those who own as opposed to renting. FEMA encourages everyone affected to go fill out the application to see if you may qualify for the aid. Once filled out, payment may still take several weeks to be issued so it is important to fill out the application as soon as possible.
While the Critical Needs Assistance program implemented by FEMA may not be able to replace what we have lost, it is a start. There are several other organizations set up by numerous charities stretching all throughout the great state of Texas. Some parts of the state will take years to repair. Sadly some places may never be the same. However, if there is one thing we have learned throughout this devastating disaster, it is that Texans are a strong force to be reckoned with. When the going gets tough, as long as we stick together, we can overcome anything.
