Governor Greg Abbott has requested a rural area disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in response to severe flooding that affected several Texas counties over the July 4th weekend. The request covers Coke, Concho, Kendall, Mason, and Sutton counties.
“Texas continues to support communities and Texans who are working to recover from the devastating floods that took place over the Fourth of July weekend,” said Governor Abbott. “Today, I requested additional federal assistance to ensure that families and businesses in these affected areas have access to the support they need. Texas will continue to provide all necessary resources to help Texans recover and rebuild.”
If approved by the SBA, homeowners, renters, and businesses in these areas could become eligible for low-interest loans through programs such as Home Disaster Loans, Business Physical Disaster Loans, and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. These loans would help those impacted by the flooding with recovery efforts.
Governor Abbott’s administration has taken multiple actions since the flooding event. These include extending disaster unemployment assistance for survivors and securing an extension of the FEMA Individual Assistance registration period for those affected by flooding. He also participated in presenting checks with relief funds to impacted families in the Hill Country region.
In partnership with organizations like the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, more than $40 million has been directed toward long-term flood relief funding efforts. The state has also worked on adding counties to various federal disaster declarations and provided updates on emergency response operations throughout impacted regions.
Other measures included reopening critical infrastructure such as Cow Creek Bridge, requesting federal assistance for additional counties like Uvalde County after significant flood impacts, and making more counties eligible for SNAP replacement benefits.
Abbott’s office reported ongoing coordination with local officials and first responders as well as updates on resource deployment before anticipated rainfall events. Programs like the Texas Micro-Business Disaster Recovery Loan Program have made up to $5 million available for small business recovery needs following disasters.
Support was also extended through emotional support services for flood victims via a dedicated hotline and nearly $2 million in grant funding allocated to hospitals hit by recent floods in Kerrville and Llano.
