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Article snippet: As a brutal storm continues to pound the Gulf Coast, tens of thousands of homeowners are turning to the government for help in repairing and rebuilding. Much of the aid they receive will require taking on debt — an unpleasant surprise to those who may lack the income to pay it back. And as victims of past disasters can attest, that aid may be cumbersome to obtain, insufficient to cover the cost of reconstruction, and take years to fully pay out. Government officials emphasize that the federal programs are meant to supplement, not replace, insurance and other financial buffers against catastrophe. But even more than victims of other disasters, those who have lost homes and businesses to what was once Hurricane Harvey are likely to need substantial help. More than 40,000 households affected by the storm have so far been approved for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to Mark J. Peterson, an agency spokesman. Flooding inflicted much of the storm’s damage, but few in the affected areas have flood insurance — and even those who do will often face rebuilding costs exceeding what their insurance will cover. Jamette Riley Moyer of Rockport, Tex., a coastal town near Corpus Christi, is among those navigating the federal aid labyrinth. The storm smashed her rental home into a pile of timber and shattered furniture, destroying nearly everything she owned. After evacuating to emergency housing — a hotel four hours away that agreed to shelter M... Link to the full article to read more