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Austin, Travis Co. Flood Damage Falls Short of FEMA Aid Threshold

Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon, KUT News
In this Nov. 4 photo, Maria Isabel Fabian tries to salvage an heirloom tablecloth from her flood-damaged home in Dove Springs. Damage from the Halloween floods is estimated at over $14 million.

The region's Halloween’s floods caused some $14 million in damage in Travis County. But it doesn’t look like the county will get federal assistance.

That’s what Emergency Management coordinator Pete Baldwin told the Travis County Commissioner’s Court yesterday. In order to get Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance, the state has to have at least $35 million in damage.

Baldwin told the commissioners that even counting damage in surrounding counties, the region still doesn’t get halfway there. “As far as public assistance, I think that’s going to be a long shot at best,” Baldwin said.

FEMA finished its flood assessments in the Onion Creek neighborhood earlier this month – but a final decision on whether damage constitutes a federal disaster declaration could take months.

Laura first joined the KUT team in April 2012. She now works for the statewide program Texas Standard as a reporter and producer. Laura came to KUT from the world of television news. She has worn many different hats as an anchor, reporter and producer at TV stations in Austin, Amarillo and Toledo, OH. Laura is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, a triathlete and enjoys travel, film and a good beer. She enjoys spending time with her husband and pets.
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