The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied a request for federal aid to individuals needing help after the July 2026 floods in Texas, which swamped homes in Uvalde and damaged properties across Kerr County — in some cases for a second time in two years — Insurance Journal reported on October 22.

Source: Insurance Journal

Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Division of Emergency Management are reviewing the decision and the process for appealing it, according to a statement from the governor's office reported by Insurance Journal. Separately, KTSA News in San Antonio reported that the City of Kerrville expressed disappointment with the decision, saying residents continue to rebuild damaged homes and recover from the disaster, and that city officials hope an appeal will persuade FEMA to reconsider and provide financial assistance to affected families. The city did not disclose FEMA's reason for the denial or provide a timeline for the appeal, KTSA said.

Source: KTSA News (San Antonio)

Disaster recovery experts say FEMA Individual Assistance is a critical way for residents to cover short-term costs such as making houses livable again, paying for hotels or other temporary housing and replacing lost items. “FEMA individual assistance was the big thing people were counting on and looking towards to be able to help them rebuild in a significant way,” said Allison Brim-Estelle, a field director with a national association for disaster survivors called Rebuild, quoted by Insurance Journal.

Source: Insurance Journal

FEMA said in a statement, reported by Insurance Journal, that it was committed to helping the state recover and reviews requests for help closely, including by considering factors such as insurance coverage, other recent disasters, the profile of the population impacted, disaster-related unemployment and state fiscal capacity. “FEMA remains focused on empowering states to take the lead on their community response and recovery activities and is dedicated to providing support when federal assistance is warranted,” the agency said. Insurance Journal also reported that the administration has shifted expectations to states to play a bigger role in disaster recovery, and that FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton told a National Emergency Management Association conference on Tuesday that states “must have the appropriate financial reserves” to get the recovery process going after a disaster, as reported by Politico.

Source: Insurance Journal

For families in Kerr and Uvalde counties still repairing homes months after the July floods, the denial means the household-level federal help they were counting on will not arrive unless an appeal succeeds. State and city officials said they will continue working with local, state and federal partners to secure recovery resources, KTSA reported.