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 approval allows homeowners, renters, and businesses in these counties to apply for low-interest loans through programs such as Home Disaster Loans, Business Physical Disaster Loans, and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). Information about how to apply is available at sba.gov/disaster. Assistance is also available via phone or email through SBA’s Customer Service Center.
Governor Abbott has taken several actions in response to the flooding. These include requesting additional disaster declarations and extensions for unemployment assistance and FEMA Individual Assistance registration periods. He has also participated in distributing relief funds with organizations like Vaqueros del Mar Texas Flood Relief Fund and Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which have provided significant funding for long-term flood recovery efforts.
Other steps include securing federal disaster aid for various counties, announcing eligibility for SNAP replacement benefits in additional areas, touring flood-impacted regions with state officials such as General Steven Nordhaus, launching an emotional support line for those affected by flooding, increasing emergency readiness levels across state operations centers before major weather events, and deploying resources ahead of forecasted rain and flooding threats.
The Governor emphasized ongoing collaboration between state agencies and federal partners to help Texans recover from recent catastrophic floods.
