Nearly 894,000 in Texas register for Harvey relief

HOUSTON — Nearly 894,000 people in Texas met the deadline to register for federal disaster assistance to help them recover from Hurricane Harvey, with more than $1.4 billion in funding approved so far, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday.

But officials and nonprofit groups say more funding will be needed to help the state rebuild and reach those who live in the shadows and might not have easy access to resources.

“There are thousands of people living in homes within our city that need to be quickly remediated, repaired or rebuilt,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said this week.

After several extensions, FEMA had set Thursday as the deadline for Texans affected by Harvey to register for federal help. By registering, residents will be eligible for a variety of assistance, including temporary housing and repair or replacement of damaged homes.

By Thursday’s deadline, 893,798 Texans had registered, with 356,553 applications having so far been approved. FEMA said it has also provided $2.6 billion in disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration to 30,000 businesses and residents and more than $497 million to help the state and local governments.

The passing of the deadline should not indicate that FEMA’s work in Texas is done, said agency spokesman Bob Howard. Many residents remain displaced, with nearly 40,000 people still living in hotels paid for by FEMA.

In comparison to the two other big storms this hurricane season, more than 2.6 million people in Florida registered for federal disaster assistance after Hurricane Irma with $940 million in assistance so far being approved, while more than 1 million people have registered in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria with more than $276 million approved.

Not everyone who needs help after Harvey applied with FEMA, as many people, including low income individuals and immigrants, might not have known to apply, said Elena Marks, president and CEO of Episcopal Health Foundation, a Houston-based nonprofit.

“There are a lot of people who are just in the shadows for one reason or another,” Marks said.