FEMA and SBA disaster relief is now available to Houston-area residents

Applications for emergency relief are now open for Houston residents impacted by the severe storm that tore through the area Thursday, May 16.

Applications are available online and at several mobile resource centers.

How to apply for financial assistance

Two Mobile Registration Intake Centers opened this week at Fonde Community center and Spring Branch Family Development Center to provide in-person case management to residents who suffered financial losses.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration are available to guide residents through the process and submit applications for grants or emergency loans.

To apply in person, residents can visit one of the Mobile Registration Intake Centers found on this county map . You can also call 800-FEMA (3362) or 800-659-2955 for the SBA.

Online applications and resources are also available through Harris County at readyharris.org .

On Thursday, Madeline Alvarez, disaster recovery center manager with FEMA, and a group of about 20 other FEMA, SBA representatives and volunteers prepared to start the intake services at the Fonde center.

Starting Friday, May 24, the shift will start at 7 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. This will go on daily, Alvarez said, until demand starts to decrease.

Alvarez said representatives will review everyone’s cases to ensure everything is filled out correctly so they can receive help. They will also follow the progress of the applications in case additional documents are needed.

Alvarez, along with other staff members, were ready to also help residents in Spanish. Before the doors opened Thursday, several families waited in line to see if they could get some answers.

“They told us we do qualify because of what happened in our household,” said Leslie Paredes, who waited in line Thursday afternoon for some guidance. She and her husband, Roberto Aguilar, not only suffered losses at home, but at their restaurant, Sabor a Guanajuato, located next to their house.

“In our business is where we had the most losses, because we lost a refrigerator, a freezer and the raw material to cook our food,” Paredes said.

That day, they hoped to get guidance on what to apply for based on the home and business losses.

Who can apply

In-person case management and advice is offered to all residents, regardless of their immigration status. Residents with mixed-status households and qualifying non-citizens of the U.S. can apply for FEMA grants on behalf of a U.S. citizen or permanent resident living at the same address.

The same applies for SBA loans, except the child or applicant must be 18 years of age or older.

“If you are undocumented, you can apply on behalf of your 18-year-old, or older, child who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or on behalf of somebody else in your household who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident,” announced Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo over the weekend.

Here are some details on what might be covered under these emergency resources:

• FEMA : This disaster aid will provide direct financial assistance for damages and property loss otherwise not covered by homeowners or renters insurance. This covers temporary housing needs, through reimbursement and rental assistance for those who qualify, as well as costs for home repairs or hazard mitigation upgrades, and other uninsured or under-insured expenses such as food, clothing, and medical expenses.

• SBA :  This aid comes in the form of low-interest loans for individuals and small business owners of up to $500,000 for individuals and $2 million for business owners. Those approved will not require payments for 12 months followed by interest rates starting 2.6 percent and 4 percent depending on the type of loan.

The disaster relief for individual households is available to residents of counties of Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker. FEMA officials said additional counties might be added later.

“I always say to them that even if they get a notification that they didn’t qualify, it could be for something as simple as one document missing,” she said. “So it’s good to communicate, be it at a center or (by) calling.”