Governor Abbott Urges Texans To Report Winter Weather Damages
Governor Greg Abbott today encouraged Texans impacted by this week's winter weather to document and report any property damages sustained from ice, snow, and excessive rainfall by utilizing the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s online, self-reported damage assessment tool.
"The State of Texas continues to work with local officials to provide all available resources to Texans impacted by this week's winter weather," said Governor Abbott. "As communities across the state begin to recover, I urge Texans to report any damage to their homes or businesses through the iSTAT damage survey to help the state determine if Texas qualifies for federal disaster assistance. With some areas of the state still experiencing hazardous conditions, Texans should regularly monitor road conditions and drive cautiously on bridges and overpasses to keep yourself and your family safe. Working together, we will ensure all Texans have the support and resources they need to move forward from this winter weather."
Texans can report storm damage to homes and businesses using the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) damage survey. iSTAT surveys can be filled out in English and Spanish by visiting damage.tdem.texas.gov and clicking “January 6th Winter Weather.”
By filling out the iSTAT survey, residents provide key details that enable emergency management teams to assess the severity and scale of the damage caused by ice, snow, and excessive rains. This data also supports efforts to determine if the state qualifies for federal disaster assistance.
Using the iSTAT tool is voluntary and is not a substitute for reporting damages to your insurance provider and does not guarantee disaster relief assistance. Resources, including video tutorials on how to complete the survey, are available at damage.tdem.texas.gov.
The Texas State Operations Center remains activated at Level II (Escalated Response) to support local officials with response and recovery efforts. State officials are working with utility regulators to ensure electrical providers quickly restore power to Texans who have been impacted by localized outages.
Despite the majority of the ice and snow moving out of the state, hazardous road conditions still may persist in some areas, especially bridges and overpasses. Texans are encouraged to remain weather aware, monitor local weather forecasts, and follow directions from local officials. Texans can find winter weather resources, including warming center information and a map of licensed plumbers, in the Texas Disaster Portal at tdem.texas.gov.
Governor Abbott continues to take action to provide all resources needed to help support local communities impacted by winter weather, including:
• Activating state emergency response resources on January 9 ahead of potential flooding across Southeast Texas.
• Providing an update on the state's ongoing emergency response efforts to the winter storm threat.
• Increasing the readiness level of the State Emergency Operations Center to help support local officials with requests for state assistance.
• Activating state emergency response resources on January 6 ahead of severe winter weather threats.