Governor Greg Abbott today directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to immediately begin discussions with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and share necessary documentation to determine the state’s eligibility for assistance following last month’s major flooding event in North Texas.
Following a review of damage assessment information provided by Texans utilizing the State of Texas Individual Assessment Tool (iSTAT), state and local officials believe the flooding damage is sufficient to meet requirements for a declaration by the SBA. The program would provide long-term, low-interest loans to qualifying Texans through the SBA’s disaster grant programs.
“The State of Texas thanks all North Texas residents impacted by the August flooding event who submitted damage information through the self-reporting damage surveys,” said Governor Abbott. “This information has helped local and state officials determine eligibility for federal assistance, and we are working swiftly to help Texans and ensure our communities are provided with all resources available at the state and federal level to recover.”
State officials believe that of the more than 1,200 submissions to the iSTAT reporting tool, over 75 provide adequate damages to qualify Dallas and contiguous counties for federal disaster assistance through the SBA.
If approved, the federal disaster assistance through SBA would be available for impacted Texans in Dallas County and its contiguous counties: Collin, Denton, Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall, and Tarrant. The program would provide long term, low-interest loans to qualifying Texans through the SBA’s disaster grant programs.