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September 1, 2017
Greetings,
I want to thank everyone who has contributed to Hurricane Harvey rescue and relief efforts. Thank you to the first responders, friends, and neighbors who gave up time, money, and resources. Thank you to those who risked their lives in order to save the lives of others. In the midst of the destruction Texas has faced this past week from Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, I remain incredibly encouraged about the outpouring of love, support and care we are seeing for our state. Though we have a long and difficult road to travel toward recovery, the most inspiring part of this ordeal has been the response of Texans helping Texans, as well as the contributions from thousands of Americans coming to help from outside our state. We have seen countless stories of heroism, one after the other.
On Wednesday morning, I was able to meet with Texans at the George R. Brown Convention Center shelter in Houston. Eleven thousand people who had lost their homes were in the shelter overnight. I turned and thanked the gentleman next to me who was helping serve oatmeal that morning, and he laughed and said, "Well I didn’t have any choice, I was evacuated and my home is underwater.” His story is typical of the spirit of service in our state, and of so many of the volunteers helping out who themselves have needed shelter or needed rescue. This entire crisis has been horrifying for Houston, Beaumont, Port Arthur, Victoria, Rockport, Port Aransas, and all of the communities along the Gulf Coast. But we will make it through this storm and on the other side we will rebuild. We will come together and Texas will come back stronger than ever.
Throughout the days and weeks ahead, my team and I will keep working with state and local officials to keep all Texans safe. If you need additional information or assistance during this emergency situation, please do not hesitate to contact my office or utilize the federal and state resources listed below.
Keep Texas Strong,
Ted Cruz
DIRECT FEMA RELIEFT FOR PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS:
- To register for FEMA Disaster Assistance, click here or dial 800-621-3362.
- Individuals and households from the following 29 counties are currently eligible for Individual Assistance from FEMA: Aransas, Bee, Brazoria, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, Fayette, Ft. Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Hardin, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Kleberg, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Refugio, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Victoria, Waller and Wharton.
OTHER FEMA RESOURCES:
- For more information on how your organization can get involved in disaster response through FEMA, visit here.
- For more information on FEMA resources that may be able to help your community, visit here.
- For programs administered through FEMA’s Community Services, visit here.
SHELTER LOCATIONS:
- Find an open shelter near you by texting SHELTER and your zip code to 4FEMA (43362). You can also use the FEMA mobile app.
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION RESOURCES:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RESOURCES:
U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION RESOURCES:
- If you are located in a disaster declared area, you may be eligible for financial assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA). Visit www.sba.gov/harvey/.
AMERICAN RED CROSS RESOURCES:
- Use the American Red Cross’ Safe and Well program to let family members know you are safe, or look for loved ones.
- For Disaster Relief and Recovery resources offered by the American Red Cross, visit here.
OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES:
- Visit www.usa.gov/hurricane-harvey for more information on health and safety, disaster assistance, replacing vital documents and other recovery resources.
- The Texas Department of Public Safety will provide a no-cost replacement DL or ID card for residents in impacted counties who had previously been issued a Texas DL or ID card. For more information, visit here.
- To apply for disaster unemployment benefits, visit texvet.org.
- Visit United Ways of Texas for local information and resources.
TO DONATE TO RELIEF EFFORTS OR VOLUNTEER IN THE DISASTER AREAS:
Texans Helping Texans
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