AUSTIN, Texas — As power and water return to the state, Texans are now left to deal with the mounting costs of property damages. Broken water pipes and flooding are leading to large insurance claims — the big question is how to pay for it all. Some insurance experts believe this year’s winter storm will be much costlier than Hurricane Harvey, as Harvey did not affect all of the state’s 254 counties. 

President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for more than 100 Texas counties allowing for a wide range of federal assistance to support repairs for individuals and infrastructure. Homeowners, renters, and business owners can now begin applying for federal aid, but there is a process that needs to be followed.

Even a safe haven is not immune from the ravages of a historic winter storm in Texas. The severe weather rendered one Austin shelter for abused children and families as unlivable.

“The kids were scared. I mean, these are kids who have already gone through untold trauma. They have lived through things that no one should even have to imagine. Our goal, always when they're with us on campus is to provide a sense of safety, stability, calm,” said Angela Glode, chief development officer for the SAFE Alliance, a nonprofit whose mission is to stop abuse for everyone. 

That sense of calm was disrupted last week, when the SAFE Alliance shelter sustained costly damages from shattered pipes bursting through the ceiling and destroying items necessary to its wraparound services. 

We all know that insurance never seems to cover quite everything. And so there were anticipating some uncovered costs that we'll need to make up as well,” Glode said. 

Biden approved a major disaster declaration for 77 counties, and an additional 31 counties were added Monday. Texans who live in those counties are encouraged to take photos of the damages, make a list of damages, save receipts for all repairs and purchases, and file for existing insurance policies before applying through FEMA. 

“FEMA helps with uninsured or underinsured losses. So if you have insurance, you need to file with your insurance agency first. And then after you hang up the phone, go ahead and register with FEMA. That's okay. But we will have to get, you know, your insurance company will have to do what they do first, before we can assist with the uninsured losses,” said Earl Armstrong, FEMA spokesperson. 

Federal assistance is available to cover temporary housing and lodging expenses, home repairs and replacements, car damages, funeral assistance, child care, and medical care, as long as they were directly caused by the disaster. 

Without water or electricity themselves, SAFE Alliance staff members worked overtime to tend to the safety of survivors, and its efforts were buoyed by generous community members.

“It just truly gave them the encouragement and the strength and the inspiration they needed to get through some really hard days,” Glode said. 

]The major disaster declaration has been approved for these following counties: Anderson, Angelina, Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Cherokee, Collin, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Denton, DeWitt, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Fort Bend, Freestone, Galveston, Gillespie, Gonzalez, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Hood, Houston, Hunt, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Johnson, Jones, Kaufman, Kendall, Lavaca, Liberty, Limestone, Lubbock, Madison, Matagorda, Maverick, McLennan, Medina, Milam, Montague, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Nueces, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Polk, Rockwall, Rusk, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Scurry, Shelby, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Taylor, Tom Green, Travis, Tyler, Upshur, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, Wharton, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson, Wise, Wood.