More Counties Approved for Public Assistance Reimbursements

AUSTIN – East Texas is prominently in the picture as federal disaster aid in the form of Public Assistance has been approved in four more wildfire-scorched counties in Texas. That brings to 19 the number of counties designated for infrastructure repair grants and other supplementary funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Cass, Morris, Navarro and Panola counties join the 15 other counties approved for FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program under Tuesday’s amendment to the Sept. 9 major disaster declaration.

The PA program helps reimburse applicants in the designated counties for the cost of removing disaster-related debris from public rights of way, and for measures taken by state and local emergency responders to protect lives and property before, during and after the wildfires. The program also helps defray the cost of repairing roads, public buildings, utilities and other public infrastructure damaged or destroyed as a result of the wildfires.

Supplementary funding under the PA program goes to the state and its agencies, local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations. Under the program, FEMA obligates funds to the state for 75 percent of eligible costs, while the applicant covers the remaining 25 percent. The state forwards the federal funds to the eligible local governments or organizations that incurred costs. The other counties designated for PA reimbursements are Anderson, Bastrop, Cherokee, Colorado, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hill, Houston, Leon, Marion, Rusk, Smith, Upshur and Walker.