Governor Greg Abbott announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved his request for a rural area disaster declaration following severe flooding in July. The declaration covers Coke, Concho, Kendall, Mason, and Sutton counties.
“With the approval of this disaster declaration, more communities impacted by the devastating floods that took place over the Fourth of July weekend will have access to critical financial assistance they need to recover,” said Governor Abbott. “I thank the Texas Division of Emergency Management for working with our federal partners to ensure Texans have the support they need to rebuild. Texas will continue to provide all necessary resources to those affected by these catastrophic floods so they can rebuild and move forward.”
The SBA’s assistance includes Home Disaster Loans, Business Physical Disaster Loans, and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs. These programs offer low-interest loans to eligible homeowners, renters, and businesses affected by the flooding.
Residents and business owners in affected areas can apply for aid or get more information at sba.gov/disaster or by calling SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955. Assistance is also available through telecommunications relay services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Governor Abbott has taken several actions in response to the flooding. These include requesting various forms of federal disaster assistance, extending disaster unemployment aid for survivors, announcing long-term relief funding efforts with local organizations such as the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, and securing extensions for FEMA Individual Assistance registration periods. He has also worked on updating state disaster declarations and expanding eligibility for benefits like SNAP replacement and hot foods.
Abbott’s office reports ongoing coordination with local and federal agencies to provide recovery resources and support rebuilding efforts in impacted communities.
