Houston Daily

Governor Greg Abbott announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved his request for a rural area disaster declaration following the severe flooding that affected several Texas counties 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."

As a result of this approval, residents and businesses in the designated areas can now apply for SBA Home Disaster Loans, Business Physical Disaster Loans, and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). These programs offer low-interest loans aimed at helping homeowners, renters, and business owners recover from flood-related damages.

Those seeking assistance may apply online or download applications at sba.gov/disaster. Additional information is available by calling SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Telecommunications relay services are accessible by dialing 7-1-1 for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability. Completed applications should be mailed to the U.S. Small Business Administration Processing and Disbursement Center in Fort Worth.

Governor Abbott’s office highlighted ongoing efforts to support recovery in affected regions. Actions taken include requesting additional federal aid and disaster declarations for impacted counties, extending unemployment assistance for survivors, securing long-term relief funding through partnerships with organizations such as the Vaqueros del Mar Texas Flood Relief Fund and Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, and providing updates on state response operations.

Other measures involve collaborating with federal agencies to add more counties to major disaster declarations and making replacement benefits available through SNAP for eligible residents.

The state has also increased readiness levels at its operations center during periods of heavy rainfall threat and deployed emergency response resources in anticipation of severe weather events.