City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates updated our neighborhood Friday on the status of FEMA aid after the Oct. 20 tornado. Here’s what she said in her e-newsletter via email:
- City officials continue to work with FEMA on validating damage estimates.
- City officials are working with DISD administrators to get their numbers validated.
- “While we have not yet reached the threshold of $38.5M to officially qualify for a Presidential Disaster Declaration,” she said, “on Monday, Jan. 13, Governor Abbott sent a request to the president requesting a Major Disaster Declaration. ” You can access the letter here.
- Mayor Eric Johnson met with FEMA representatives in Washington, D.C. “They are awaiting the final validation of DISD numbers before reaching a decision,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Morning News editorial board published a story Jan. 26 saying it’s “past time for FEMA to release federal disaster relief funding.
“This isn’t a money grab,” reads the story. “In fact, Abbott’s office was slow to file the request… It’s time to release the federal funds to help Dallas rebuild at least some of what was lost in October.”
