FEMA representatives promote disaster assistance

WESLACO — Rosa Maria Villanueva received the denial letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency the same day its representatives showed up at her house asking her how they could help.

Still clinging to the thought that FEMA could restore a damaged roof that let water flow unimpeded into a bedroom, Villanueva showed them the letter that says she was denied assistance because of insufficient damages.

While FEMA’s community relation specialists made no promises that the initial decision could be reversed, they offered instructions on how to appeal the decision that Villanueva said she would follow.

“It’s not like I’m lying. I really have damages,” she said Thursday afternoon after the FEMA representatives departed her home off Westgate Road with others that were left in standing water after the storm. Elevated after Hurricane Dolly, Villanueva’s home was spared serious flooding. “My roof is ruined, but I hope they can help me fix it.”

More than 2,600 people have applied for FEMA assistance in the eight-county region affected by Hurricane Alex since the presidential disaster declaration was signed Aug. 3.

In Hidalgo County, easily the most active out of the declared counties, the agency has awarded more than 1,400 applicants a total of $2.2 million in housing and other needs assistance.

But FEMA officials are still urging homeowners or small business owners affected by Hurricane Alex or the subsequent tropical depression and Rio Grande flooding to apply for assistance before the Oct. 4 deadline.

Residents can qualify for federal grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and unemployment payments and other programs for individuals or business owners directly affected by Alex.

FEMA opened disaster recovery centers staffed by state and federal workers where people can sit down with experienced professionals to start the recovery process. In addition, it has sent the community relations specialists who visited Villanueva’s house into the field to knock on doors in flood-damaged areas and educate residents about assistance programs.

Many times, residents neglect to apply, thinking the damage to their home was insufficient or figuring that language and other barriers would lead to automatic rejections.

But Brad Craine, a spokesman for FEMA’s recovery efforts in South Texas, said the agency wants people to register for assistance if they suffered any damage from Alex.

“We’re here simply to help. There’s no way we can replace everything that an applicant has lost,” Craine said. “But many times, we can help them get back on the road to recovery with a financial grant.”

Outside Yolanda Ramirez’s house on North San Vicente Road, Community Relations Specialist Esther Herrera explained in Spanish how FEMA could help.

Ramirez’s small house was elevated on cinder blocks like others in the flood-prone neighborhood, but septic-stained water still permeated the lowest bedroom, ruining clothes and mattresses placed on the floor.

Carrying packets filled with FEMA brochures to each home, Herrera said individual assistance is determined on a case by case basis.

But FEMA has encouraged residents not to completely disqualify themselves because of legal status or inadequate damage.

If a homeowner doesn’t have a Social Security number, for example, FEMA representatives tell them they can use one of a child or other resident in the home. Property owners could also receive assistance for cleaning the mold and mildew that creates health hazard under elevated houses long after the water recedes.

“There are a lot of residents who will get help and some who won’t,” Herrera said. “But we try to help in every case.”

For Juan Rodriguez, help came in the form of a grant less than a week after the FEMA inspector arrived.

Rodriguez, 40, a truck driver, could only watch as Alex’s floods soaked his house only two years after Hurricane Dolly had done the same. But even though he had received help after Dolly, he wasn’t completely relieved until his latest aid application was approved.

“When it comes to a situation like this, you can’t help but be worried. Everything in my house was under two feet of water,” Rodriguez said after he thanked Herrera for FEMA’s help. “There’s no way I could have gotten back on my feet on my own.”

Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4424.

Residents and business owners affected by Hurricane Alex and subsequent flooding can apply for federal disaster assistance through Oct. 4.

Register online at www.disasterassistance.gov

Call (800) 621-3362

Speech and hearing impaired can call (800) 462-7585

Hidalgo County’s disaster recovery center will remain open through Sept. 17 at the Hidalgo County Administration Building, 100 E. Cano St., Edinburg

Assistance for Affected Individuals Can Include:

Rental payments for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable

Grants for home repairs and replacement of essential household items not covered by insurance to make dwellings safe, sanitary and functional

Low-interest loans to cover residential losses not covered by insurance

Loans up to $500,000 for farmers and ranchers to cover production and property losses