Governor Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to coordinate with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and local officials to conduct joint preliminary damage assessments following a recent apartment complex fire in Houston’s Spring Branch neighborhood. The fire, which occurred last week, is believed to have affected dozens of residential units.
“Texas is grateful for the swift action of brave firefighters who battled the Spring Branch neighborhood apartment complex fire,” said Governor Abbott. “Today, I directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to request joint preliminary damage assessments with the U.S Small Business Administration. This joint effort will help determine whether Texas is eligible for federal disaster assistance needed for Texans in the Spring Branch neighborhood to recover and rebuild.”
The purpose of these assessments is to establish if Texas meets federal criteria for different types of disaster assistance. State officials are encouraging residents impacted by the fire to complete a self-reported damage survey through TDEM’s Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT), accessible at damage.tdem.texas.gov. Information collected from these surveys will help authorities understand the scope of damages and support efforts to connect those affected with necessary resources.
