State’s essential to-do list for Houston-area flood victims

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

• File a damage report today if you haven’t already: damages.tdem.texas.gov The state has numbers to meet to get federal aid and so far, few people have taken that step.

• If you don’t have flood insurance, get it before hurricane season.

• Don’t get ripped off, especially by people who say, “Pay me today and I’ll come back tomorrow to do the job.”

HOUSTON – The state is issuing a critical request today for anyone who has suffered flood or storm damage to file a damage report with the state today. Texas Division of Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd and Gov. Greg Abbott have three other tasks they say are critical for your to-do or to-do list if you’re in recovery mode after a flood or storm .

RELATED: Governor Abbott notifies Houston area of ​​’huge, catastrophic event’ after touring flood damage

1. FILE A DAMAGE REPORT

Here is Or You do it:

Here is Why You do it:

The state must demonstrate that it needs federal assistance, and to do that, the general rule, according to Kidd, is that it must meet a certain number of damages to insured and uninsured homes and businesses.

“In order for this region to receive federal financial assistance, it is important that there is enough damage identified to qualify us for this federal assistance,” Governor Abbott said after touring flood damage in the region from Conroe.

“Damage assessment is critical to our success,” Kidd said. “Typically, we need 800 homes that are severely damaged or destroyed, that is, have lost a roof, lost exterior walls, or have been washed away or foundations that are in disrepair. bad condition. uninsured to be eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance.

“On the public assistance side for a federal declaration, our state agencies and local partners must demonstrate more than $54 million in uninsured damage to government infrastructure and response costs. I believe we will achieve that goal for this event, but I need to be able to demonstrate those numbers to our federal partners,” Kidd said.

2. CONTACT YOUR FLOOD INSURANCE AGENT

“Flood insurance is very important to help you recover, but I can tell you that as of last night, only 501 people statewide have filed claims with their flood insurance provider. That means either there are people who haven’t registered yet or we have a lot of uninsured losses in this event,” Kidd said.

FEMA and the Small Business Administration will have representatives in damaged areas starting Tuesday to help assess the damage.

“But I want to set the standard here,” Kidd said. “Individual assistance from FEMA represents a maximum grant of $75,000. And if you go back to Hurricane Harvey, the average payment was only $2,400 per household.

3. IF YOU DON’T HAVE FLOOD INSURANCE, GET IT

“If you don’t have flood insurance right now and your home hasn’t flooded, just because you don’t live in a flood plain doesn’t mean you’re not eligible for flood insurance. Call your insurance agent. Try to get flood insurance if you haven’t been flooded, because there is a 30-day waiting period and hurricane season is fast approaching,” Kidd said.

4. Beware of scammers

“Look, there will be people knocking on your door, people calling you, people with signs offering to put you on the front line for repairs. Ask for your money up front and they will come back the next day to complete the repairs, but never come back. Don’t fall prey to scams,” Abbott said.

“Perhaps the best way to do this is to research the person you are trying to hire to do your home repair work and make sure they are well qualified and have a good reputation. If they can’t be found anywhere on the internet or something like that, you may be dealing with someone who might be involved in a scam. So be careful. You have already lost your property. Don’t lose your money to a scammer.