Governor Greg Abbott announced today that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved his request for a disaster declaration for Northeast Texas communities impacted by severe weather and tornadoes earlier this month. The declaration covers the following Texas counties: Bowie, Camp, Cass, Marion, Morris, Red River, Titus, and Upshur.
This approval grants access to the SBA's Home Disaster Loans, Business Physical Disaster Loans, and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, providing low-interest loans to qualifying homeowners, renters, and businesses in the affected areas.
Governor Abbott stated, "The State of Texas continues to work to provide Northeast Texans with the necessary resources to recover from recent tornadoes and severe weather. With this approval, impacted Texans will be able to qualify for low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration so they can begin to rebuild their homes and businesses that sustained storm damage. I thank the Texas Division of Emergency Management for working with our federal partners to ensure Texans have the resources and assistance to recover from these storms."
Applicants can apply online, find more information, and download applications at sba.gov/disaster. They can also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email [email address removed] for assistance. For those with hearing or speech disabilities, the telecommunications relay service can be accessed by dialing 7-1-1. Completed applications should be mailed to the U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
An SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center will open tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the Morris County Collaborative in Daingerfield, TX, to assist applicants with the loan process and answer questions. The center will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Governor Abbott has taken several actions to support the recovery efforts, including requesting the disaster declaration, coordinating damage assessments with local, state, and federal partners, and activating state emergency response resources ahead of the severe weather.
