Disaster recovery centers open in Dallas County to help residents apply for storm relief

Two disaster recovery centers officially opened their doors in Dallas County on Saturday.

A center in Richardson and another in Garland join several opened around the state after a federal disaster declaration was issued following severe storms.

It comes as cleanup continues around North Texas nearly three weeks after high winds and heavy rain wreaked havoc.

Saturday, Janelle Jacobs loaded up more tree debris, even after a five-foot pile was hauled off by the city.

“We lost a third of our pecan tree that’s in the center in the back, and we had to pay for somebody to come and, of course, finish cutting it up. It was filling up the curb pretty well,” she said.

Jacobs said she had a hole repaired a hole in her roof. She still needs to have someone replace a downed electric line.

She plans to pay for it out of pocket. But with many facing repairs that will cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, a disaster recovery center down the street at Garland’s Williams Elementary aims to help those needing financial assistance navigate the process.

“We are the largest source of funds for privately damaged properties,” said Small Business Administration public information officer Susheel Kumar.

Thanks to a federal disaster declaration, the SBA is helping homeowners apply for loans up to $500,000, working alongside FEMA, which provides grants.

Both are part of a recovery process that kicks in after private insurance has been exhausted.

“Let’s say you’ve got a $100,00 claim, and you only got a check for $50,000. Guess what? The deductible and whatever is else is up there, we can cover,” said Kumar.

SBA loans are offered for businesses, homeowners and renters at fixed interest rates starting as low as 2.6 percent.

After hurricane-force winds and flooding damaged cars and homes and a multi-day power outage forced many to empty their refrigerators, Kumar encourages those who are still trying to figure out what comes next to just show up and allow this team of local, state, and federal partners to help.

The recovery center at Williams Elementary and another at Network of Community Ministries, located at 1500 International Parkway, Suite 300 in Richardson, will be open every day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Applications for assistance may also be made online or by calling 800-621-3362. The deadline to apply is July 16.