FEMA Reverses Course and Approves Individual Aid for Texans in 20 Flood-Hit Counties. Here Is How to Apply
After denying help to households hit by the July floods, FEMA approved the state's appeal for individual assistance in 20 counties, from Kerr and Uvalde to Bexar. A separate appeal for mitigation money is still pending.
Hill Country families who were turned away by FEMA after the July floods can now apply for federal help.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday that the federal government approved Texas' appeal for FEMA Individual Assistance after the severe storms and flooding that began in July, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The program is the part of FEMA aid that goes to households, not local governments.
"President Trump has approved Texas' appeal for FEMA Individual Assistance after the July storms and flooding," Abbott said. "This brings essential financial assistance and services to eligible Texans in the 20 approved counties. I thank President Trump for his leadership and for this additional support for Texas families."
The 20 counties
The approved counties are Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Crockett, Dimmit, Frio, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, La Salle, Maverick, Medina, Real, Schleicher, Sutton, Uvalde, Val Verde and Zavala.
The state had first asked for individual assistance in 30 counties, The Kerr County Lead reported. When the state appealed, it asked FEMA to reconsider 20 of those counties, as we reported Oct. 29. The Lead said it was not immediately clear whether the counties left off the list could still seek help.
What it can pay for
FEMA's Individual Assistance program can help eligible Texans with disaster-related costs, including temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, disaster legal services, disaster unemployment assistance, and medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the disaster, TDEM said.
How much each household receives will depend on its application, the Lead noted. A separate state appeal for FEMA Hazard Mitigation grant money, which pays for projects meant to reduce damage from future disasters, is still pending.
How we got here
FEMA denied the state's request for individual assistance earlier in October. The agency said the impact on individuals and households was not severe enough, and that it weighs factors such as insurance coverage, disaster-related unemployment and a state's financial capacity, the Lead reported.
A major disaster declaration approved Sept. 1 covered public assistance only, which reimburses local governments for debris removal, emergency work and repairs to public infrastructure. It does not pay individuals.
TDEM chief Nim Kidd filed the formal appeal Tuesday, Oct. 27. That same day, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy wrote to the president urging approval, and Trump told a campaign rally in Corpus Christi he would make more FEMA relief available, saying he was acting at the request of Cruz and Attorney General Ken Paxton. The approval came three days later and four days before Election Day, the Lead noted.
Some survivors had been wary. "We know the difference between a campaign promise and a family getting the assistance they desperately need," Juliet Weldon, a flood survivor and member of the group Rebuild, said after the rally. Friday's approval answered part of that question.
Flooded twice
The approval covers the storms and flooding that began July 12, including the July 16 flood in Kerr County. It is separate from the individual assistance FEMA approved after the July 4, 2025, flood. By late July, Kerr County officials had confirmed 384 homes destroyed or severely damaged, according to the Lead.
How to apply
Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, by phone at 800-621-3362, or through the FEMA app.
File an insurance claim first if you have insurance. FEMA cannot pay for losses insurance already covers, but it may help with what insurance does not, the Lead explained. Renters can apply too.
Have ready your Social Security number, the address of the damaged home and your current address and phone number, an email address, a description of the damage, insurance information, household income, and bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit.
If you filled out the state's iSTAT damage survey, that is not a FEMA application. You still need to apply. FEMA had not announced a deadline as of Friday.
FEMA never charges a fee to apply. Be wary of anyone who asks for money or personal information to help you get aid.
A fair word
Whatever the timing, this is good news for families who have now been flooded two summers in a row. Local groups and neighbors carried much of the load while the answer was no. Keep helping. Sit with a neighbor and help them fill out the form.
