In addition to the unemployment assistance offered, a July 15 media advisory said the Disaster Recovery Centers that were closed due to the hurricane reopened July 15 at 1 p.m. in Harris, Polk, San Jacinto and Trinity counties.
What you need to know
Through the disaster unemployment assistance issued by the TWC, workers and self-employed individuals in several counties who were unable to work due to damage caused from Hurricane Beryl could be eligible for financial assistance.
Eligible counties include:
- Brazoria
- Chambers
- Fort Bend
- Galveston
- Harris
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Jefferson
- Liberty
- Matagorda
- Montgomery
- Nacogdoches
- Orange
- Polk
- San Jacinto
- Walker
- Wharton
Who would benefit?
The TWC said disaster unemployment assistance is available to those affected by Hurricane Beryl, “especially for victims of disaster” who:
- Can demonstrate that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income
- Have applied for and used all regular unemployment benefits, or do not qualify for unemployment benefits
- Worked, were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment in the disaster area
- Can no longer work or perform services because of physical harm or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster
- Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster
- Became the major support of a household because of the death of the head of household
- Were unable to access their job or self-employment location because they must travel through the affected area and are prevented from doing so by the disaster
To receive disaster assistance, individuals can start by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov, select “Lets Get Started" on the homepage, enter in their ZIP code, select the disaster that affected the individual—in this case Hurricane Beryl—and the appropriate county.
Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance provided includes funding for:
- Home repairs
- Temporary housing
- Property damage, including appliances, furniture and vehicles
- Child care
- Medical expenses
- Lodging
- Moving expenses
- Funeral expenses
According to FEMA requirements, applicants must have the following information on hand and submitted within 21 days from the day the application is filed:
- A current phone number where the applicant can be easily contacted
- The applicant’s address at the time of the disaster and the address where the applicant is now staying
- The applicant’s Social Security number
- A general list of damage and losses
- Documentation to support that the applicant was working or self-employed when the disaster occurred, or was about to start work during the time of the disaster
- Banking information if the applicant chooses direct deposit
- If the applicant is insured, the policy number, the agent or the company name
- Proof of employment using the TWC’s online UI submission portal for the fastest review
An additional news release from FEMA on July 15 warned individuals to be alert of fraud after a disaster.
“Texans should be aware that con artists and criminals may try to obtain money or steal personal information through fraud or identity theft after Hurricane Beryl,” the release reads.
The notice said if a FEMA inspector contacts or visits an individual's home when a FEMA application was not filed by that individual, the person's information may have been used without their knowledge to create a FEMA application.
In this event, FEMA officials said the individual should call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 to submit a request to stop any further processing of that application.
