Wildfire victims in six counties will be able to get hotel and motel vouchers for an extra 30 days. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has extended its temporary housing assistance program until January 8.
The six counties are Bastrop, Cass, Marion, Montgomery, Travis and Waller. FEMA says it has handed out vouchers to more than 400 people since starting the program on September 9. People who lost their homes to wildfires are still eligible to apply for disaster assistance from FEMA.
The worst single-year drought in Texas history created tinder dry conditions that helped several Central Texas wildfires spread rapidly over Labor Day weekend. The worst of them was in Bastrop County. It scorched 34,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,600 homes.
