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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 11, 2006
Statement on Federal Assistance for Texas
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 struck by an extreme wildfire threat beginning on December 1, 2005, and continuing.
The President's action makes Federal funding in the form of Individual Assistance available to affected individuals in the counties of Callahan, Cooke, Eastland, Erath, Hood, Montague, Palo Pinto, Tarrant, and Wise.
Individual Assistance is provided for losses incurred on or after December 1, 2005, and 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.
Public Assistance also is available for all eligible counties in the State for emergency protective measures implemented on or after December 27, 2005. This assistance will be made available on a cost-sharing basis to those counties being threatened with an urgent danger from wildfires. This assistance will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
R. David Paulison, Acting Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security, named Sandra Coachman as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.
The Agency said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and additional counties may be designated for assistance after the assessments are completed.
The Agency 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.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-4600.
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