Governor Abbott Requests SBA Disaster Declaration For April Storms In South Texas
Governor Greg Abbott today announced that he requested a disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for South Texas communities affected by severe thunderstorms, large hail, and damaging wind that occurred on April 28. An SBA declaration would make federal assistance available in the form of disaster loans for Hidalgo County and continguous counties.
"Damages sustained from severe weather in South Texas last month created an economic emergency in Hidalgo County and surrounding counties," said Governor Abbott. "The State of Texas is working diligently to ensure impacted communities have the resources and assistance they need to rebuild. With a U.S. Small Business Administration disaster declaration, Texans affected by this storm will have access to critical loans they need to recover and move forward."
If the state’s request is approved, the SBA would provide low-interest loans through its disaster programs to qualifying Texans whose homes and businesses sustained damage during the severe weather.
Local, state, and federal officials conducted an analysis of damage sustained in impacted communities, which verifies that Hidalgo County meets the federally-required thresholds for SBA assistance. Officials also reviewed disaster damage information self-reported by Texans through Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) surveys.
On May 10, Governor Abbott issued a disaster declaration for impacted residents in South Texas that suffered damage to homes and businesses. On April 26, the Governor directed TDEM to activate state emergency response resources and increase the readiness level of the State Operations Center to support requests for assistance from local officials as severe storms moved through the state.