Houston Daily

Texans affected by an apartment complex fire in the Spring Branch neighborhood will have access to federal disaster assistance following approval of a request from Governor Greg Abbott. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued a disaster declaration, enabling those impacted to apply for low-interest loans to help recover from the incident that occurred in August.

"Texans affected by the Spring Branch neighborhood apartment complex fire will now have access to additional resources needed to recover," said Governor Abbott. "With this approval, impacted Texans are now eligible for low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration to help them rebuild their homes and businesses. I thank the Texas Division of Emergency Management for working with our federal partners to help this community move forward."

The SBA's disaster relief includes Home Disaster Loans, Business Physical Disaster Loans, and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). These programs offer financial support for qualifying individuals and businesses who experienced losses due to the fire.

Applications can be submitted online at sba.gov/disaster, or by contacting the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Telecommunications relay services are available by dialing 7-1-1 for those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability. Completed applications may also be mailed directly to the SBA Processing and Disbursement Center in Fort Worth.

To further assist applicants, an SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center will open on Thursday, September 18 at 1625 Blalock Road in Houston. The center will operate weekdays from noon until 6:00 PM and Saturdays from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM.

Governor Abbott made the request for federal assistance on September 9 after an assessment found that damage levels met requirements for SBA aid.