Governor Abbott Requests SBA Disaster Declaration For Southeast Texas Tornadoes
Governor Greg Abbott today announced that he requested a disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for Southeast Texas communities impacted by severe weather and tornadoes in December. If approved, the SBA declaration will make federal assistance available through disaster loans for Montgomery and Brazoria counties and their contiguous counties.
"Texas continues to work to provide all available resources to help Texans in Southeast Texas recover and move forward from the tornadoes and severe weather last month," said Governor Abbott. "Today, I requested a disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration to give Texans who sustained damage to their homes or businesses access to low-interest loans that are critical to rebuild their communities. I thank the Texas Division of Emergency Management for working with local officials to ensure Texans meet the eligibility requirements for financial assistance."
If the request from Texas is approved, the SBA would provide low-interest loans through its disaster programs to qualifying Texans whose homes and businesses sustained damage from severe storms and tornadoes.
Governor Abbott’s request follows an analysis of the damage sustained in impacted communities, conducted by local, state, and federal officials. The analysis verifies that Montgomery and Brazoria counties meet the federally-required thresholds for SBA assistance. Officials also reviewed disaster damage details provided by Texans through the self-reporting Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) surveys.
Governor Abbott continues to take action to provide all available resources to help support local communities impacted by the December severe storms and tornadoes, including:
- Directing TDEM to work with local and federal partners to conduct joint preliminary damage assessments in impacted communities.
- Activating state emergency response resources ahead of severe weather threats.