Federal Assistance Approved in East Texas Counties

AUSTIN – Federal disaster assistance has been extended again as a result of wildfires that burned through drought-stricken Texas on or after Aug. 30, the Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said Tuesday. The latest amendment to the Sept. 9 presidential disaster declaration for the wildfires adds five East Texas counties – Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Houston and Rusk – to the list of four counties in the state already set to receive federal aid under FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program. The other counties are Bastrop, Colorado, Leon and Walker.

The PA program helps reimburse applicants for the cost of removing disaster-related debris from public rights of way, and for measures taken by state and local emergency responders to protect lives and property before, during and after the disaster. The program also helps defray the cost of repairing roads, public buildings, utilities, schools and other public infrastructure damaged or destroyed as a result of the wildfires.

Supplementary funding under the PA program goes to the state, state agencies, local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations. Under the program, FEMA obligates funds to the state for 75 percent of eligible costs, while the state or applicant covers the remaining 25 percent. The state then forwards the funds to the eligible local governments or organizations that incurred costs. Go to http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/index.shtm for more information about the PA program.