FEMA, SBA Assist Thousands Flooded Marion, Ohio, Texas

Following severe flooding events across various U.S. regions, federal and local agencies have mobilized to provide disaster assistance and recovery support. In Marion County, West Virginia, a new Disaster Recovery Center has opened with FEMA, SBA, the American Red Cross, and state services to aid flood victims, including offering disaster loans not limited to flood damage. Texas residents affected by March floods have until August 1 to visit FEMA centers in person, after which assistance continues via phone or online, with over $81 million approved to date. In response to July flooding in Texas Hill Country, Direct Relief awarded $250,000 in emergency grants to local organizations supporting search-and-rescue, healthcare, and mental health services for affected communities. Illinois officials are urging a state emergency declaration for Chicago's South and Southwest sides, hit by intense storms and flooding, with thousands of basement flood reports and calls for federal aid. Additionally, FEMA is providing confidential crisis counseling and unemployment assistance for flood-impacted Texas counties, emphasizing mental health support and financial aid for those who lost jobs due to flooding, with application deadlines approaching in early September.