Your trusted source for community news

Storms hit hard, disaster relief now available

Posted

Disaster relief is now available to residents impacted by the severe weather that occurred the week of May 27. 

A press release from Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins dated June 5 states the Biden Administration approved the addition of Dallas County to the Presidential Disaster Declaration for those impacted by severe weather, allowing them to apply for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance program. 

While severe weather hit north of Dallas over Memorial Day weekend, it was an early morning storm on Tuesday, May 28, that caused the most destruction in Farmers Branch, leaving thousands of residents without power. For some residents, it was nearly a week before their power was restored. 

“As soon as power went out, we started planning,” Farmers Branch resident Whitney Slatten said. “I work just a couple of miles away, and I was able to move my critical items to a fridge and freezer there.” 

Slatten said she and her husband made a list of everything they needed to save, retrieved it from their refrigerator and freezer and promptly closed the doors again on Tuesday morning. 

When power hadn’t returned on Wednesday night, the couple decided to remove the remainder of items in order to keep the house from smelling as the contents began to spoil. 

“We were surprised at how much was still cold and frozen,” Slatten said. 

Resident Tammy Clark said there was no damage from this tree that fell in her neighborhood.

(Photo by Tammy Clark)

Slatten had hoped their electricity would be returned on Wednesday, but that wasn’t the case. In order to keep cool as the temperatures outside rose, the couple headed to their offices during the day and left their windows open around the clock to keep the breeze moving through their home. 

“At night, we did okay sleeping. Wednesday night was pretty warm. We had a battery-powered fan that lasted that whole night,” Slatten said. “The novelty of camping at home and operating via flashlight wore off quickly.”

The family took their usual evening walks.

“We walk most days, and it was neat seeing so many people out Tuesday evening,” Slatten said. “(There were) lots of people out that weren’t usually out.” 

In the end, the Slattens were without power for four days. It was restored on Saturday, June 1, just before lunch. 

St. Mary's Orthodox Valiyapally building received extensive roof damage from Tuesday's storm.

(Photo by Mary Patton)

“We really did okay,” Slatten said. “We do have a generator on order now! We figure with the weather extremes becoming more common, the generator will be used and help make it more bearable next time. Especially if a power loss is in the heat of Texas summer.” 

Slatten said her family fared better than some of their neighbors. Some lost all of their groceries and another family had to stay somewhere with electricity due to a recent medical procedure. 

“We know there are many with stories like that versus our at-home camping experience,” she said. “(We are) very grateful for the electricians, linemen, arborists and others that are still working to get power on.” 

Residents needing help from the FEMA Individual Assistance program can apply for services now. Expenses such as temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, disaster legal services, disaster unemployment assistance, and medical, dental, and funeral expenses caused by the disaster are covered under the Individual Assistance program funding.  

For more information on the program and to apply, homeowners and renters can visit disasterassistance.gov, download the FEMA app for mobile devices or call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, provide FEMA the number for that service.