NewsFlash
Town of Sunnyvale - Feb. 24, 2021
Individual and FEMA assistance available
The first line of defense in any disaster is insurance, but if you are uninsured or underinsured, assistance is available.
Individual Assistance:
President Biden signed the Major Disaster Declaration for Dallas County, opening up Individual Assistance for everyone in Dallas County. Those wishing to apply for Individual Assistance can apply at DisasterAssistance.gov. This site can also be used to check your application status.
Individual Assistance covers:
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Temporary Housing Assistance
Lodging Expenses Reimbursement
Home Repair and Home Replacement
Other expenses and needs directly caused by the disaster including child-care expenses, medical and dental expenses, clean-up items, moving and storage expenses, etc.
FEMA Assistance:
FEMA can provide assistance to individuals and families for those items that are not covered by homeowners' or renters' insurance. Download the FEMA app or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) to begin the process.
Before applying for assistance, take the following steps first:
- Take photos of your damaged homes and/or belongings.
- Make a list of damaged/lost items.
- If you have insurance, you must file a claim with your insurance company first.
- If you do not have insurance, apply for FEMA Assistance.
Additionally, if you have damage to your home or business that is not covered by insurance, you may qualify for a low interest loan through the Small Business Administration (SBA). For more information, call (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
High electric bills - comments from County Judge Jenkins
Due to the State’s failure to properly regulate electricity prices, many Texans are seeing ridiculously high electric bills, some reports of up to $17,000. Here are some things you can do immediately :
- Stop auto-payment of your bill either by removing information from your online account or working with your bank directly.
- Check with your energy provider to determine if you are on a fixed rate or variable plan and understand the charges you might be facing.
- If you are on a variable plan with no protections, you may want to work with your provider to see if you can retroactively change your plan to a fixed rate.
- Energy consumers should do what they can to educate themselves on their options. www.powertochoose.org is a good place to start.
- Consider a fixed rate 12 month plan and remind yourself each January to check your plan and lock in the best rate. Consider one of the 100% renewable or "green" plans.
- The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Clearinghouse National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) project is a free service for those who want information on where to apply for Low Income Home Energy Assistance. The toll free number for NEAR is 1-866-674-6327, or TTY 1-866-367-6228.
- There are laws and regulations that require a utility to provide its customers with notice before it can terminate service. During this notice period, customers can take the opportunity to correct any misunderstandings or incorrect information by the utility, obtain crisis/emergency grants of payment assistance, establish a payment plan for money owed, or register a complaint with the state public utility commission.
Damage Survey
Governor Abbott announced a statewide effort to collect damage assessment data for this unprecedented winter storm our state experienced over the last week.
The objective of this survey is to identify damages across Texas and to help emergency management officials gain an understanding of the extent of the disaster.
Please submit one survey per impacted address. Click here to access the survey.
Community Vaccination Center opened
The center will be opened seven days a week, for six weeks.
For more information, or to register for the vaccine visit DallasCounty.org or call 1-855-IMMUNE9. The registration hotline is available from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., seven days a week.