FEMA Is Not Paying for Texans’ Hotel Rooms
The Claim
FEMA is paying for hotel rooms in Texas, and Texans can call 1-800-745-0243 to have their rooms paid for.
News posted on
Emerging story
In the last week, a winter storm has ravaged the state of Texas, causing widespread power outages and leaving many people without indoor heating and working water. On Facebook and Twitter, a claim has been circulating that FEMA is paying for hotel rooms in Texas. The claim says to call 1-800-745-0243.
The post has adapted different looks and versions, but each version lists 1-800-745-0243 as the phone number to call if you are in need of assistance.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found this claim to be fake. On February 18, 2021, The Texas Division of Emergency Management tweeted: “Please beware of posts on social media encouraging you to call an 800 number for hotel compensation from @fema.”
FEMA Region 6, which serves Texas, tweeted “There is a false phone number being shared with a message about FEMA paying for hotels for Texas Disaster Relief. This is a scam.”
On FEMA's website, the phone number shared in the posts is listed as the number for the internet help desk. While it seems that the phone number might be a legitimate FEMA number, FEMA is not compensating Texans for hotel rooms, and calling the internet help desk will not help you. FEMA has confirmed that they are supporting Texas with generators and fuel to support critical sites like hospitals and water facilities, 729,000 liters of water, and more than 50,000 cotton blankets.
