FEMA Arrives In El Paso To Assess Storm Damage

EL PASO, TX. — Representatives with the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived in El Paso on Sunday to assess the damage left by several days of pounding rains and flooding.

The city’s Emergency Operations Center has made an early estimate of the damage, and has informed federal officials some 239 homes were affected by severe weather over the past week. Of those, 138 homes sustained minor damage and 51 sustained major damage.

Local officials have unofficially called the ongoing storm system a 500-year weather event. They held a news conference with Mayor John Cook on Sunday.

Cook said FEMA surveyors may take several days or several weeks to determine whether the city qualifies for federal aid. Cook also said he was confident that federal money would be available for storm recovery. “I don’t want to say I’m 100 percent sure, but I’m 100 percent sure,” he said.

“They’re assessing the damage, and they’re looking at the stability of our infrastructure,” Cook said.

If FEMA determines there is more than 9 million dollars worth of damage, the agency will declare El Paso a national disaster area.

At that point, the city and individual homeowners would be able to apply for federal loans for property repairs.