Time is Running Out to Apply for Wildfire Relief

Photo by Andy Uhler/KUT News

Amid the ruins of Bastrop, many new homes have already been built.

If you are one of the thousands of people in dozens of counties in Texas affected by the Labor Day wildfires last year, time is short to register for disaster relief assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The deadline is Friday.

“We urge Texans who sustained any damage or property loss to register with FEMA, even if you have insurance or think you won’t qualify for assistance,” Federal Coordinating Officer Kevin L. Hannes of FEMA said in a release. “Let us review your case to see whether FEMA can help.”

Friday is also the deadline to apply for low-interest disaster loans for property damage from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

FEMA says that since the wildfires, “more than $13.3 million in grants has been approved for home repairs or replacement, rental assistance and other needs. Another $19.5 million in SBA low-interest disaster loans has been approved for 174 homes and businesses.

More information is available at the website www.disasterassistance.gov.