Abbott 'urges' locals to complete self-reporting damage form from Nicholas

Texans who suffered damage from Tropical Storm Nicholas are encouraged to complete a form stating what damages they suffered. 

Nicholas's landfall brought heavy rain and wind throughout the Greater Houston area. Its highest sustained wind amount was 75 mph, according to Click2Houston.  

"Texans who suffered damages from #Nicholas are urged to complete the Self Reporting Damage Survey to help the state identify damages to private homes and businesses and to assist emergency management officials assess the damages that occurred," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a Twitter post. 

The strictly voluntary survey is bilingual, available in English and Spanish. The state urges survey participants to also report their damages to their insurance carriers, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. 

Abbott issued a disaster order for the 17 counties affected by Nicholas, according to KXAN News. 

The survey asks whether the location is a residence or a business, where it is located, whether you are able to live in the home after the disaster impact, whether the building was insured, the level of damage and whether there is damage to the public utility lines. 

It also asks for photos of the area and the property so that it can be assessed properly. 

Hundreds of thousands of people lost electricity during the massive storm throughout the state, according to the Texas Tribune. 

And it was difficult to get that electricity up and running in some areas. 

The torrential rainfall from Nicholas forced some utility crews and contractors to stop because they were unable to continue safely, according to The Weather Channel.

A program set forth by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to install tarps that were sturdy on roofs was slow to take off. Last week, about 49,000 of the 54,000 applicants for the program have been approved so far. And of those, 779 had been installed, according to The Weather Channel.