During a March 30 press conference, Ben Akers, an external affairs representative for FEMA Region 6, said he and other partners spent the day going door-to-door in Round Rock to take photos of damage and speak with residents who were affected.
Once these damage assessments are complete, Akers said Gov. Greg Abbott will use the data collected to determine the need for additional federal resources to supplement state and local efforts.
While neither FEMA nor the Texas Department of Emergency Management were able to provide the exact threshold that would trigger federal funding, Akers said they look at a variety of factors, including the number of substantially sustained homes and the damage caused to uninsured and underinsured properties. Akers said FEMA relief can not be used to duplicate private insurance benefits.
“FEMA is only one piece of the recovery puzzle,” Akers said. “But certainly FEMA is here to determine the need and if there’s a need for federal support, and that is validated by both the state of Texas and the White House, then we will be here in the long run to support. But, we are in the too early days to tell if that will be the case.”
A declaration signaling FEMA aid is typically made within the first 30-60 days following a disaster, Akers said. Residents are encouraged to report damage sustained to their property at https://damage.tdem.texas.gov.
While the federal relief may come later, County Judge Bill Gravell praised first responders, nonprofit organizations and volunteer groups that have removed thousands of tons of debris and cared for Williamson County residents.
Several of these organizations, including the Austin Disaster Relief Network and the American Red Cross, are staffing a multiagency resource center, the MARC, at the Williamson County Expo Center. Located at 5350 Bill Pickett Trail, Taylor, the MARC is open until 6 p.m. March 30 and from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on March 31.
ADRN Field Operations Manager Tim Dale said his organization is providing emotional and spiritual care to survivors of the storm among other resources at the MARC.
Additionally, Dale said ADRN is collecting donations that will be distributed to individual survivors to help with their long-term recovery efforts. Gravell also said the American Red Cross is accepting donations of paper products, toiletries and pain-relieving medication at the MARC.
“The recovery as far as removing the debris was the easy part, but now the hard work and the heavy lifting begin as we help our residents who have lost everything find some dignity and find what little they have left and begin the process of rebuilding,” Gravell said.
