THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2011

President Obama Signs Texas Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Texas and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by wildfires beginning on August 30, 2011, and continuing.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Bastrop County.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Kevin L. Hannes as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FEMA said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.

FEMA said that residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

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News Release

PRESIDENT DECLARES DISASTER FOR TEXAS

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal aid has been made available to the State of Texas to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by wildfires beginning on August 30, 2011, and continuing.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Bastrop County.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured or underinsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Kevin L. Hannes has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.  Hannes said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and additional counties may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance today by registering online at http://www.disasterassistance.gov, by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.  The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.