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FEMA Fact Sheet: How to Save Damaged Family and Personal Treasures

Many valuable and cherished personal items damaged by flood waters often can be rescued. Here are some tips on how to save some of your family treasures:

  • If an object is still wet, rinse it gently with clean water. If dry, remove silt and other foreign material with a soft brush or damp cloth.
  • Air dry wet things indoors. Sunlight might be too intense. Keep humidity as low as possible to prevent mold accumulation.
  • Flood water may be contaminated. Wear protective gloves, clothing and goggles.
  • Do not try to separate photos or negatives that are stuck together. Soak them in water for up to 48 hours until you can safely pull them apart. Hang them with clips or clothespins to dry.
  • Put wet books in a sturdy covered plastic container, spine side down. Place the container in a freezer and keep it there for several weeks, even months. Then remove and let dry.
  • With fabrics or textiles, remove mud and debris with gently flowing clean water or fine spray from a hose. Press out the excess water with your hand. Do not try to wring out the water. Allow to dry.
  • Clean wooden objects, like furniture, with a damp sponge; blot and let dry slowly inside the house, not under the sun.
  • Rinse metal objects with clear water and blot dry immediately with a clean, soft cloth. Fans or low-heat hairdryers will hasten drying rate.
  • For broken pottery or ceramics, put all the pieces in an open container and mark what it is. Don’t try to glue the pieces back together until they are dry, and watch for mold. If mold appears, spray the pieces with Mold-Ex or a similar product.

For more information, log onto preservecollections.org. To find a professional conservator, log onto conservation-us.org/membership/find-a-conservator.

Last Updated:
September 12, 2017 – 11:50

FEMA Fact Sheet: Other Needs Assistance

Other Needs Assistance grants, funded on a cost-share basis by FEMA and the State of Texas to assist Hurricane Harvey survivors, can be used to repair or replace damaged personal property or to pay for disaster‐related necessary expenses and other serious needs.

These are necessities that help survivors prevent or overcome disaster‐related hardship, injury or adverse conditions.

  • The state provides these grants to repair or pay for:
    • Disaster‐related medical or dental costs.
    • Disaster‐related funeral and burial costs.
    • Clothing; household items (room furnishings, appliances); tools (specialized or protective clothing and equipment) required for your job; necessary educational materials (computers, school books, and supplies).
    • Fuels for primary heat source (heating oil, gas, firewood).
    • Disaster‐specified clean‐up items (wet/dry vacuum, air purifier and dehumidifier).
    • A vehicle damaged by the disaster.
    • Moving and storage expenses related to the disaster (moving and storing property to avoid additional disaster damage while disaster‐related repairs are being made to the home).
    • Other necessary expenses or serious needs as determined by the State and FEMA.
  • Texans who suffered damage or loss from Hurricane Harvey and were referred to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) may lose income-based state-administered grants if they don’t complete and submit the SBA loan application.
    • Some types of Other Needs Assistance—medical, dental and funeral expenses—are not SBA-dependent, and completing the loan application is not required.
    • The application is not required for survivors seeking temporary rental assistance.

Click here for more information on Other Needs Assistance from FEMA.

FEMA Fact Sheet: Did You Receive HUD Rental Assistance Before Hurricane Harvey? You May Be Eligible for FEMA Help

If you were directly impacted by Hurricane Harvey and were receiving rental assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) prior to the hurricane, you should register with FEMA.

You can apply for FEMA help if you were displaced from your HUD-assisted housing because of Hurricane Harvey. This includes if you were:

  • Living in HUD-assisted public housing
  • Living in a privately owned apartment that provides rental assistance from HUD
  • Living in a private home using a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher from a housing authority

Some of the assistance you may be eligible for is:

  • Temporary assistance to pay for a place for you and your family to live
  • Grants to replace essential contents—such as clothing and essential household items—and medical, dental and burial expenses

Those who have HUD rental assistance may receive FEMA help to pay for a place to live until:

  • You relocate back to public housing.
  • You relocate back to the private housing that provides HUD assistance.
  • You sign a lease with a private property owner using a Section 8 voucher.

Federal law prevents FEMA from duplicating benefits provided by another agency. When a HUD-assisted resident’s home becomes unlivable, HUD stops paying rental assistance for that residence. The survivor may then apply for FEMA Individual Assistance. There is no duplication of benefits because HUD is not paying rental assistance.

When the survivor moves back into a HUD-assisted residence, or signs a new lease for rental housing under the Section 8 program, HUD assistance resumes. At that point, the survivor may no longer receive FEMA assistance.

The first step to be considered for FEMA help is to apply. There are three ways:

  • Log onto DisasterAssistance.gov with any computer, smartphone or tablet.
  • Download and use the FEMA app. You can also use the app to check the status of your application.
  • If you cannot access the website or FEMA app, call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use TTY, call 800-462-7585. If you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

FEMA Fact Sheet: Critical Needs Assistance

 FEMA has authorized Critical Needs Assistance (CNA) for households with immediate or serious needs due to being displaced from their primary home.

Critical needs are life-saving and life-sustaining items including, but not limited to: water, food, first aid, prescriptions, infant formula, diapers, consumable medical supplies, durable medical equipment, personal hygiene items and fuel for transportation.

To be eligible for CNA you must:

  • Complete a registration with FEMA
  • Verify your identity
  • Assert at the time of registration that you have critical needs and request financial assistance for those needs and expenses
  • Have a pre-disaster primary residence located in a county designated for CNA -and-
  • Be displaced from your pre-disaster primary residence as a result of the disaster

Funds are delivered via direct deposit or paper check payable to the eligible applicant. Critical needs funding may take longer than usual due to the magnitude of this disaster so please be patient. Once made, an eligibility determination is final.

Last Updated:
September 16, 2017 – 09:12

FEMA Fact Sheet: Register with FEMA Even if You Have Insurance

Fort Bend County Residents who were affected by Hurricane Harvey and the subsequent floods should register for federal assistance even if they are covered by insurance or have registered with other agencies.

Under federal law, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) cannot duplicate insurance settlements or other benefits, but there are cases where insured survivors might still be eligible for FEMA help.

For example:

  • Your settlement was delayed longer than 30 days after you filed a claim.
  • The settlement does not fully cover all your losses and needs.
  • You exhausted the additional living expenses provided in your policy.
  • You cannot locate suitable rental resources in your community.

You should file your insurance claims, whether homeowner’s or flood or both, as soon as possible. And you have until Oct. 24 to register with FEMA for assistance. Here’s how:

  • Log onto DisasterAssistance.gov. Registering online is the quickest way to register for FEMA assistance.
  • Those without internet access can register by phone. Call 800-621-3362 (voice, 711 or video relay service) or 800-462-7585 (TTY). The toll-free lines remain open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time seven days a week until further notice.
  • Via the FEMA app, available for Apple and Android mobile devices. To download, visit fema.gov/mobile-app.

Once you have registered, you have 12 months to let FEMA know if your insurance coverage was not enough and you want to be considered for help.

To apply for assistance, fax or mail a letter to FEMA explaining the circumstances:

FEMA Individuals and Households Program
National Processing Center
P.O. Box 10055
Hyattsville, MD 20702-8055
Fax: 800-827-8112

If you have registered with other organizations, you still need to register with FEMA if you want to be considered for FEMA assistance.

For more information from FEMA related to Hurricane Harvey click here.

FEMA Inspectors

There are FEMA inspectors in Fort Bend County conducting investigations. 

FEMA will contact you to schedule an appointment to do an inspection.  Always ask to see the FEMA inspectors’ identification; report any concerns you have about a FEMA inspectors’ legitimacy.  The FEMA inspector should have your FEMA claim number that is given to you when you registered for assistance.  If the inspector does not know the claim number then they are not from FEMA. For more information on FEMA scams and fraud go to here.

FEMA inspectors have to take pictures of your home and your damage. 

They cannot base the damage off of neighboring homes.  This means they will need access to your home.  FEMA cannot inspect your home until the streets are dry and it is safe to enter, so if your home or area is still flooded it will take longer for FEMA inspectors to get there.  They cannot be boated into a home to do an inspection. Please be patient, recovering after a flood is a long process.

FEMA inspectors DO NOT determine your eligibility 

FEMA assistance is provided to eligible applicants in accordance with the Stafford Act, the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), and FEMA policy. The eligibility decision is determined by those regulations and policy, not by an inspector. An inspector only reviews and records an applicant’s disaster caused damage.  As an applicant, you have the right to appeal if you don’t agree with FEMA’s eligibility decision. 

Click here for an update on FEMA Inspectors.