2. FEMA has extended the Blue Roof program until Thursday, Oct. 23. If you need a temporary roof to prevent further weather damage to your home, visit the Hurricane Ike Assistance Center on the ground floor of 611 Walker. There, co-workers trained to fill out the Blue Roof application will help you.

3. The deadline for filing an application for FEMA financial assistance through the U.S. Small Business Administration has been extended to Wednesday, Nov. 12. If you apply for FEMA assistance, you may receive by mail a SBA loan application. You must fill out and return that form to be eligible for FEMA financial assistance. If you do not, you may not be eligible for other types of federal assistance, and your FEMA application will not continue to be processed. If you threw away the SBA package, you can go to a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center and get another SBA package, or you can fill out the application online at disasterloan.sba.gov.

4. FEMA has extended the Transitional Sheltering Assistance for displaced individuals and households through Sunday, Nov. 30. This gives evacuees who are living in FEMA-paid temporary housing more time to find permanent housing.

5. After Monday, Oct. 20, the U.S. Postal Service will return any unclaimed mail to the sender. If you don't have normal mail service or haven't been getting your mail, visit your home post office before Oct. 20 to check whether your undelivered mail is being held there.

6. The Hurricane Ike Assistance Center will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. until further notice on the ground level of 611 Walker. If you need any of these services and have not been able to get them, or need help completing forms, please come to the assistance center or call 713-837-9400, the city's benefits customer service line. HR employees are waiting to help you get the help you need. The phone lines are answered 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.