SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Francisco Sánchez Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration, today reminded Texas small nonfarm businesses of the deadline dates to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low-interest loans are to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by adverse weather conditions that occurred in the following primary counties in Texas.
Declaration Number: 20152
Primary Counties: Aransas, Eastland, Freestone, Grayson, Mills, Rockwall, San Patricio and San Saba
Neighboring Counties: Anderson, Bee, Brown, Burnet, Calhoun, Callahan, Collin, Comanche, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Erath, Fannin, Hamilton, Henderson, Hunt, Jim Wells, Kaufman, Lampasas, Leon, Limestone, Live Oak, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, Navarro, Nueces, Palo Pinto, Refugio, Shackelford and Stephens in Texas; Bryan, Love, and Marshall in Oklahoma
Incident Type: Excessive Heat
Incident Date: Beginning June 1, 2023, and continuing
Deadline: Sept. 3, 2024
Declaration Number: 20153
Primary Counties: Briscoe and Parmer
Neighboring Counties: Armstrong, Bailey, Castro, Deaf Smith, Donley, Floyd, Hall, Lamb, Motley and Swisher in Texas; Curry in New Mexico
Incident Type: Excessive Heat, Drought and High Winds
Incident Date: Beginning June 1, 2023, and continuing
Deadline: Sept. 3, 2024
Declaration Number: 20154
Primary Counties: Childress and Robertson
Neighboring Counties: Brazos, Burleson, Collingsworth, Cottle, Falls, Hall, Hardeman, Leon, Limestone, Madison and Milam in Texas; Harmon in Oklahoma
Incident Type: Excessive Heat and Drought
Incident Date: Beginning June 16, 2023, and continuing
Deadline: Sept. 3, 2024
According to Sánchez, small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet working capital needs caused by the disasters. “Economic Injury Disaster Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disasters’ impact,” said Sánchez.
“SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disasters and businesses directly impacted by the disasters. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the applicant suffered any property damage,” Sánchez added.
The interest rate is 4 percent for businesses and 2.375 percent for private nonprofit organizations with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Interest does not begin to accrue until 12 months from the date of the initial disaster loan disbursement. SBA disaster loan repayment begins 12 months from the date of the first disbursement.
By law, SBA makes economic injury available when the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster. The Secretary declared these declarations on Jan. 2.
Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency about the U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. However, nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance in drought disasters.
Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Disaster press release
TX 20152-02, 20153-02, 20154-02