Winter Storm Uri Resources

Harris County/Houston Resources

Texas & Federal Resources

  • 211 Texas/United Way HELPLINE - Call 2-1-1 for information and referrals to local community resources. Open everyday, and assistance is available in many languages.

  • Disaster Relief Resources (State Bar of Texas) - The State Bar of Texas has a toll-free legal hotline, 800-504-7030, to connect low-income residents with legal aid providers. The hotline is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. There is also a guide to help people understand FEMA. There are also presentations about replacing lost documents, insurance help, renters rights, and scams and price gouging. Some disaster relief contacts are also provided.

  • Winter Storm Uri - Disaster Relief and Recovery (Texas Law Help) - A comprehensive collection of Texas and federal resources.

  • Winter Storm Uri Resources and Information (Catholic Charities) - Request assistance; get information on food and water distribution, house repairs, and legal assistance.

  • Natural Disaster Relief Hotlines and Clinics (Texas Law Help) - Contact information provided.

  • Texas Survivors Affected by Winter Weather Can Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance (FEMA) - Texas homeowners and renters in the 77 counties designated for individual assistance who sustained damage may now apply for disaster assistance with FEMA. The counties are: Angelina, Aransas, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Denton, DeWitt, Ellis, Falls, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gillespie, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hood, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Lavaca, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Maverick, McLennan, Montague, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Nueces, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Polk, Rockwall, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Scurry, Shelby, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Travis, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Wharton, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson, and Wise. The fastest and easiest way to apply is by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov.

Harris County and Southeast Texas have experienced two 1000-year floods in the last two years due to Hurricane Harvey and Tropical Storm Imelda. On this page, you will find resources to help victims in our region recover from these catastrophic disasters, including services and information to assist with legal issues that are a part of the recovery process.

Legal Assistance & Information

Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program - Free legal aid for low-income residents of Harris County, Texas. Visit the HVL website or call 713-228-0732 for information on legal aid programs and upcoming legal clinics.

Houston Bar Association LegalLine - Free legal advice for citizens of Harris County, Texas, on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Instructions on signing up for virtual sessions are available here.

State Bar of Texas Legal Hotline (800-504-7030) - Available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, this helpline connects low-income people affected by a disaster with legal aid providers in their area who can help with such issues as replacing lost documents, insurance questions, landlord-tenant problems, and consumer protection issues such as price-gouging and avoiding contractor scams in the rebuilding process. Callers can leave a message any time. People who qualify for assistance will be matched with Texas lawyers who have volunteered to provide free, limited legal help.

Lone Star Legal Aid Disaster Relief Resources - Find information on topics related to disaster recovery, including post-disaster renters rights, replacing lost documents, applying for aid through FEMA and the SBA, avoiding home repair fraud, and filing insurance claims.

Natural Disaster Relief Hotlines and Clinics (Texas Law Help) - Extensive list of disaster relief information and services available, including legal aid services, disaster claims information, and legal FAQs on recovering from disasters.

Houston Lawyer Referral Service (713-237-9429 or 800-289-4577) - Find free referrals for attorneys who practice in the Houston area. They currently only make referrals through the automated referral system on their website.

Texas Attorney General (800-621-0508) - Find assistance with disaster scams, including price gouging and home repair flim flams, from the Texas AG Consumer Protection Division. Link includes tips on avoiding scams.

Emergency Aid and Information

Ready Harris - Emergency alerts and announcements about emergency events across Harris County from Harris County Homeland Security & Emergency Management. Sign up for text and email alerts.

City of Houston Emergency Information (3-1-1 or 713-884-3131) - Information about shelters, emergency services, utility outages, service closures, and frequent disaster updates.

Disaster Relief & Recovery (American Red Cross Texas Gulf Coast Region) - Find information on open shelters, how to list yourself as well after a disaster, and how to search for family members.

Post-Flood Resources

Harris County Project Recovery - Links and information to recover from the Harvey flood disaster, including guides for filing with FEMA after a house flood, finding a towed vehicle, finding shelter, and finding help with clean up and fraud prevention.

Harris County CSD - Addresses housing, infrastructure, and public service needs of the low to moderate income community in Harris County. CSD partners with other government and non-profit agencies to provide programs, projects, and services, including disaster recovery resources.

Houston Recovers: Collection of links and news for community resources from the City of Houston to assist residents and businesses with disaster recovery, from applying for food, housing and utility assistance, to debris removal and FEMA claims.

Recovery Texas: For Texans who live outside Harris County, the Recovery Texas page from the Texas General Land Office provide recovery assistance information and links to local agencies.

United Way After Storm Resource Guide: Includes checklists, FEMA information, phone numbers for financial and consumer advice, phone numbers for counseling services, healthcare resources, employment-related resources, and 24-hour emergency services phone numbers.

Help for Victims of Hurricane Harvey from the IRS: Learn about a wide variety of tax relief programs available to individuals and businesses impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

FEMA Disaster Assistance (800-621-3362 - TTY 800-462-7585): Apply for assistance, find local assistance, and link to trusted assistance organizations.

U.S. SBA (800-659-2955) Low-interest disaster loans from SBA are available to businesses, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters to cover residential and business losses because of Imelda. Applicants can visit the DRC for one-on-one assistance, or contact SBA at (800) 659-2955 or disastercustomerservice@sba.gov

SBA Center Open in Harris County (Beginning Wednesday 12/11/19)

SBA customer service representatives will be available at the Disaster Loan Outreach Center to answer questions, explain the application process, help small businesses apply for a low-interest economic injury disaster loan and close their approved disaster loans. No appointment is necessary.

At this time SBP Houston is focusing on rebuilding in the following service area:

  • 20+ zip codes in Northeast Quadrant (North of I-10/East of I-45)

  • Four zip codes in Southeast (77017, 77503, 77504, 77587)

If you are located in this service area, please call (929) 273-3757 or email SBP at clientservicesHTX@SBPusa.org for more information about the SBP Rebuilding Program. 

Volunteer Opportunities