Texas Severe Winter Storm DR-4586

Winter Storm Uri

Winter Storm Uri dumped record amounts of snow on Texas, with the frigid temperatures and severe weather impacting all 254 counties in the state in February 2021. Millions of Texans lost power. Snow and ice paired with ultra-low temperatures caused widespread road closures and dangerous travel conditions. State emergency management leaders activated warming centers in communities across Texas and numerous personnel were deployed to assist stranded motorists and conduct welfare checks. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for all 254 counties in the state.

Funding Opportunities

Incident Period:  February 11, 2021 – February 21, 2021

Declaration Date:  February 19, 2021

Application Period:  May 10, 2021 through January 15, 2022

Governor Abbott and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) announce the open application period for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) related to FEMA-DR-4586 (Severe Winter Storms). The application period will be open from May 10, 2021 through January 15, 2022 TDEM will receive the final lock amount one year after the declaration date of February 19, 2021.

Eligible subapplicants include state agencies, local governments, tribal governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations. Pre-award costs incurred after February 19, 2021 may be considered for those projects selected for funding.

All entities seeking funding under this opportunity must have a FEMA approved Hazard Mitigation Plan at the time the project is submitted to FEMA for consideration and at the time an award is made except for projects to develop or update mitigation plans. An exception to this requirement may be requested on a case-by-case basis in accordance with FEMA’s 2015 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation- assistance-program-guidance.

All applications must be received by TDEM through the Grants Management System (GMS) (https://grants.tdem.texas.gov) no later than January 15, 2022 at 5:00 PM order to be considered for funding.

Any questions regarding this opportunity should be directed to the TDEM Recovery and Mitigation, Hazard Mitigation Section at TDEM-Mitigation@tdem.texas.gov, (512) 424-2423, or to the hazard mitigation coordinator/specialist assigned to your region.

Local Official Resources

Winter Weather DSO

Public Assistance Resources

Applicant Briefing and Request for Public Assistance information for State, Local, Territorial, Tribal (SLTT) governments and certain types of private nonprofit (PNP) organizations

On February 20, 2021, Governor Abbott announced that his request for a federal major declaration was granted for the Severe Winter Storm that began on February 11, 2021.  The FEMA disaster designation is DR-4586. This opens opportunities through FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program for reimbursement of eligible cost associated with emergency protective measures.  

Eligible government or non-profit organization will need to take the following steps to start this process:

  1. Submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) – You can complete this step prior to participating in the applicant briefing.
  • If  you DO have an existing account (from a previous disaster) in  the FEMA Grants Portal (https://grantee.fema.gov/), please login and you will be asked if you want to submit an RPA for DR-4586.
  • If  you DO NOT have an account in the FEMA Grants Portal, please visit the FEMA Grants Portal (https://grantee.fema.gov/), select “Click here to submit an RPA for your organization” on the homepage and complete each section of the request.
  1. Participate in a virtual applicant briefing which will provide vital information on this process. Your assigned TDEM Recovery Staff will provide dates and times of upcoming applicant briefings.

Please submit any questions to your TDEM District Coordinator or send an email to TDEMRecovery.RPA@tdem.texas.gov.

FEMA Disaster Assistance

For Texas Residents in the FEMA Declared Counties, please visit:

Frequently Asked Questions

Severe Winter Weather Event Recovery FAQ

Report Damage

Affected Texans are encouraged to report property damage. Share pertinent details and photos to assist emergency management officials in the preliminary damage assessment process.

Fill out an Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) damage survey.