Comal County Urges Residents to Report Flood Damage Through Texas iSTAT Survey
For Comal County families and business owners beginning the difficult work of cleaning up after recent flooding, taking a few minutes to document property damage could help the community’s broader recovery effort.
Comal County is asking residents whose homes, businesses or other property were damaged during the July 12 severe weather and flooding event to submit a report through the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool, commonly known as iSTAT.
The online survey allows Texans to report storm-related damage to residential, commercial and agricultural property. Local and state emergency management officials use those submissions to better understand where damage occurred and how severely communities were affected.
Why Reporting Flood Damage Matters in Comal County
For individual residents, an iSTAT submission may feel like one more task during an already stressful cleanup. Collectively, however, those reports can help officials build a clearer picture of the flooding’s impact across Comal County.
That countywide assessment may become important when local and state leaders evaluate what recovery programs, disaster declarations or other resources the area could qualify for in the weeks and months ahead. Comal County officials emphasized that every report—including those involving damage that appears relatively minor—adds to the overall assessment.
The survey does not guarantee that a homeowner, renter or business owner will receive financial assistance. It also does not replace a claim filed with an insurance company.
Residents should continue contacting their insurance providers and keeping copies of photographs, videos, receipts, repair estimates and other records related to the flooding.
How to File an iSTAT Damage Report
Safety should come first. Residents should not enter damaged buildings, flooded rooms or unstable areas until it is safe to do so.
Before removing damaged materials or beginning major cleanup work, property owners should photograph or record video of the affected areas when possible. Images of damaged walls, flooring, furniture, appliances, equipment, vehicles and outdoor structures may help document the extent of the loss.
Residents can then visit the official Texas iSTAT damage survey at damage.tdem.texas.gov and select the survey associated with the current severe weather event. For Comal County residents affected by the recent flooding, county officials have directed users to select the July 12 event.
The survey will request information about the property and the type and extent of damage. Residents may also upload photographs showing what happened.
The iSTAT survey is available in both English and Spanish, helping more Comal County households and business owners participate in the damage assessment.
Minor Damage Should Be Reported, Too
Flood damage is not always dramatic or immediately visible. Water may enter garages, storage buildings, crawl spaces or lower portions of a home without destroying the entire structure. Businesses may lose equipment, merchandise or operating time even when the building remains standing.
Reporting those losses helps prevent smaller pockets of damage from being overlooked.
A collection of individual reports can show patterns that may not be obvious from road closures, emergency calls or visual inspections alone. Those patterns can help officials understand which neighborhoods, rural areas and commercial corridors experienced the greatest impact.
iSTAT Is Separate From Insurance and Disaster Assistance
Submitting an iSTAT report is an important community-level step, but residents should understand what the survey does—and does not—provide.
The survey is used primarily to collect damage information. It is not an application for insurance benefits, FEMA assistance, grants or reimbursement. Completing it does not guarantee that assistance will become available.
Residents should file insurance claims separately and follow instructions from their insurance carriers. They should also be cautious of contractors or individuals who pressure them into immediate repairs, request unusually large upfront payments or promise guaranteed disaster assistance.
What Comal County Residents Can Do Now
Residents affected by the July 12 flooding can support both their household recovery and the countywide assessment by safely documenting their losses, saving cleanup and repair records, contacting their insurance companies and completing the Texas iSTAT survey.
For a community recovering neighborhood by neighborhood, each submission helps tell a more complete story—not only of damaged buildings and belongings, but of the families, workers and local businesses facing the work of rebuilding.
Comal County residents can access the official survey at damage.tdem.texas.gov. Additional severe-weather and recovery information may be posted by Comal County and the Texas Division of Emergency Management as assessments continue.
Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for continuing updates on Comal County that may affect local families and businesses.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
