SAN ANTONIO – Federal officials are being asked to take a closer look at damage left behind by the severe storms that hit Bexar County in August, a key step toward determining whether residents and businesses could qualify for federal disaster assistance.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that he directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to request help from the U.S. Small Business Administration in conducting preliminary damage assessments.
The assessments will be carried out with state and local officials in communities hit by the storms. The goal is to document the extent of the damage and determine whether it is severe enough to meet federal requirements for disaster assistance.
“These assessments will determine whether Texas meets the threshold for federal disaster assistance,” Abbott said.
That does not mean federal assistance has been approved. The damage assessment is part of the process used to determine whether Bexar County qualifies.
Residents asked to report damage
State officials are also asking homeowners and business owners who suffered storm damage to report it through the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool, known as iSTAT.
Report storm damage through TDEM’s iSTAT survey
Those reports help local and state officials get a clearer picture of how widespread the damage was and how much assistance may be needed.
“Texans who sustained damage to a home or business are encouraged to report it through TDEM’s iSTAT survey,” Abbott said.
Information submitted through iSTAT is also used to help determine whether the state meets federal requirements for different types of disaster assistance.
The state has not announced when the preliminary damage assessments will be completed or when a decision on potential federal assistance could be made.
CLICK HERE to report storm damage.