Families flooded out of their homes in the Texas Hill Country and South Texas in July can now apply for direct federal help for themselves — not just for their towns. On Thursday, October 30, Governor Greg Abbott announced that the federal government has approved Texas's appeal for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Individual Assistance programme after the severe storms and flooding of July. The decision reverses FEMA's earlier denial of direct household aid for the July floods — the denial Awaaz Punjab reported earlier this autumn, when the state was still weighing its appeal — and opens the programme in 20 counties.
“President Trump has approved Texas' appeal for FEMA Individual Assistance after the July storms and flooding,” Governor Abbott said in the state's announcement. “This brings essential financial assistance and services to eligible Texans in the 20 approved counties. I thank President Trump for his leadership and for this additional support for Texas families.” The approval followed an announcement from President Donald Trump this week that his administration would make additional FEMA relief available after the July storms, and an appeal submitted by the state through the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM).
The 20 counties where households can now apply
The counties approved for Individual Assistance are Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Crockett, Dimmit, Frio, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, La Salle, Maverick, Medina, Real, Schleicher, Sutton, Uvalde, Val Verde and Zavala. The list runs from Bexar County — home to San Antonio — through the Hill Country counties of Kerr, Kendall, Gillespie and Kimble that took some of the worst July flooding, to the border counties of Maverick, Dimmit and Zavala and the Uvalde area in the west. FEMA's own announcement, issued Friday, October 30, said the amended disaster declaration covers damage from severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding that occurred from July 12 through August 14.
What happened in July — and how the “no” became a “yes”
The July storms brought weeks of severe weather to central and southern Texas: repeated thunderstorms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding between July 12 and August 14 that damaged homes across the Hill Country and South Texas and left communities clearing debris and repairing houses for months. Texas first secured a federal Major Disaster Declaration for the response and for public infrastructure, but FEMA initially denied the separate Individual Assistance programme — the part of federal disaster aid that pays households directly. State officials appealed that denial through TDEM, Kerrville-area leaders urged Washington to reconsider, and this week the President signalled the money would come. Thursday's approval settles the appeal in the state's favour.
What Individual Assistance actually pays for
Individual Assistance is different from the public funding that reimburses governments for debris removal and repairs to roads, bridges and other infrastructure. It goes to people. Under the programme, eligible Texans can receive financial assistance and services for disaster-related expenses including temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, disaster legal services, disaster unemployment assistance, and medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the disaster. Approval does not guarantee that every applicant or every expense will qualify: assistance is based on eligibility and on documented, disaster-related losses.
How to apply
Residents with losses should first file a claim with their insurance provider, FEMA said. They may then apply at DisasterAssistance.gov, through the FEMA mobile app, or by calling 800-621-3362. Applicants should keep records of the damage — photographs, repair estimates, receipts and insurance correspondence — because the programme pays against documented losses. For Punjabi and other immigrant families in Texas, including truckers whose homes were in the flood zone while they were on the road, the phone line and the website are the two official doors in; there is no fee to apply, and no one needs a paid agent to file.
What happens next
Applications are now the bottleneck: every household in the 20 counties that suffered uninsured or underinsured losses in the July 12–August 14 window must file, document its losses and complete FEMA's eligibility process before money moves. Separately, the state's appeal to FEMA for Hazard Mitigation grant programme funding — money for projects meant to reduce damage in the next flood — remains pending, and the Governor's office listed a series of continuing state steps, from federal disaster assistance for additional counties to the extension of SNAP replacement benefits for flood-affected Texans. The household-aid decision itself, however, is final: the appeal Texas filed after the denial has been granted.
File your insurance claim first, then apply to FEMA at DisasterAssistance.gov or on 800-621-3362. You must live in one of the 20 approved counties and your losses must date from the July 12–August 14 storms. Keep every photograph, estimate and receipt — FEMA pays against documented losses, and approval of the programme does not by itself guarantee an individual payment.
Read Awaaz Punjab's earlier report on the denial this decision reverses. FEMA denies direct household aid for Texas July floods; state weighs appeal