AUSTIN, Texas – A new life has literally been built for 54 residents of Montgomery County, Texas — residents whose mobile homes were damaged by the winds and rain of Hurricane Ike in 2008. Little did they know just how much that hurricane would change their lives. Montgomery County, once a mostly rural area, is now one of the fastest growing in the nation. And like many such changing counties around the United States, the availability of affordable housing presents a challenge.  That didn’t deter Dr. Joanne Ducharme, director of Montgomery County...

AUSTIN, Texas – Disaster survivors affected by the severe storms and floods from Tropical Storm Imelda, can visit local home improvement stores in Houston, Pasadena and Webster for rebuilding tips from mitigation experts. Mitigation specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be on hand to answer questions about home repair, making disaster plans, putting together supply kits and the importance of flood insurance.  Assistance will be available at the following locations: HARRIS COUNTYLowe’s19935 Katy FreewayHouston, TX 77094Monday, Nov. 18 –Saturday, Nov. 30Monday, Nov. 18 – Saturday, Nov. 23 from 8...

Q.  If I am an undocumented immigrant, am I eligible for assistance for needs related to the disaster?A:        Yes, you may be eligible under many different programs run by voluntary agencies for various types of assistance. Among these are:American Red Cross 866-438-4636 (English) 800-257-7575 (Spanish) Catholic Charities 888-744-7900 (English and Spanish) Q.  How does my citizenship status affect my eligibility for disaster assistance?A:        You do NOT have to be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or Qualified Alien to receive assistance. However, you must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or Qualified Alien...

AUSTIN, Texas — Recovering from a hurricane can be a long, process. But if you stick to the process, it often pays off. “There were a few times I thought about giving up,” Sabrina Vanduser said as her grandmother moved into a brand new home. It is a lot to handle, especially [because] you have to get on with your life and do your other stuff.” In the long run, though, the time and effort resulted in a brand-new house for her grandmother Eleanore Glasgow in October. “We thought they would come in and...

ઓસ્ટિન, ટેક્સાસ - જો તમે હાર્વે વાવાઝોડાથી નુકસાન થયું હોવાના કારણે સંઘીય સહાય માટે નોંધણી કરાવી લીધી હોય તો પણ, જો તમે ઉષ્ણકટિબંધીય તોફાન ઇમેલ્ડાથી અસરગ્રસ્ત થયા હોવ તો પણ તમે સહાય માટે નોંધણી કરાવી શકો છો. એક હોનારત માટે અરજી કરવા અને /અથવા સહાય પ્રાપ્ત કર્યા પછી સંઘીય સહાય બંધ થતી નથી. જો તમને અગાઉની, સંઘીય ઘોષિત હોનારત માટે સહાય મેળવી હોય તો પણ સહાય ઉપલબ્ધ થઈ શકે છે.  એવા બચનારાઓ જેને હાર્વે વાવાઝોડા પછી સહાય માટે અરજી કરી છે અને જેઓને ઉષ્ણકટિબંધીય તોફાન ઇમેલ્ડાથી નુકસાનને થયું છે તઓએ સહાય...