Gov. Abbott's SBA disaster declaration for Perryton approved

From Staff Reports
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On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that his request for a disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has been approved for residents in Ochiltree County affected by the severe weather and tornado June 15 in Perryton. Neighboring Hansford, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, and Roberts counties are also included in the approved disaster declaration, according to a news release.

“Texans in Ochiltree County and surrounding counties will now receive the financial assistance needed to continue recovering and rebuilding from the severe weather that impacted their communities earlier this summer,” Abbott said in the release. “With this disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration, Texans will have access to crucial low-interest loans to help rebuild their homes and businesses from storm damage. I thank the Texas Division of Emergency Management for working with our federal partners to ensure that impacted Texans and communities have the resources and assistance they need to move forward.”

A float reminding the crowd that Perryton is rebuilding drives down Main Street at the 104th annual Wheatheart of the Nation Parade Saturday, Aug. 22 in Perryton.
A float reminding the crowd that Perryton is rebuilding drives down Main Street at the 104th annual Wheatheart of the Nation Parade Saturday, Aug. 22 in Perryton.

More: ‘Bent but not broken’: Perryton parade lifts spirits amid tornado recovery

At the request of Gov. Abbott, SBA granted access to its Physical Disaster Loan program for homes and businesses, as well as its Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.

Local, state, and federal officials conducted an analysis of damage sustained in communities impacted by the severe weather, which verified that Ochiltree County met the federally-required thresholds for SBA assistance. Officials also reviewed disaster damage information self-reported by Texans through Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) surveys.

A row of debris is seen in June from the EF-3 tornado in Perryton, which took out about 60 homes in a trailer community west of downtown.
A row of debris is seen in June from the EF-3 tornado in Perryton, which took out about 60 homes in a trailer community west of downtown.

SBA loan applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information, and download applications at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov. 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.

Officials with the city of Perryton and Ochiltree County Emergency Management said in their latest tornado recovery update on Facebook that SBA personnel will be available to assist loan applicants starting Thursday, Aug. 24 at 9 a.m. at the First Christian Church (FCC) located at 901 S. Jefferson in Perryton. The temporary SBA office hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., excluding holidays. Residents are asked to park in the north parking lot of FCC and enter through the north doors, to visit with SBA personnel.

The news release stated this is the latest action in Texas' efforts to respond to severe storm impacts:

Last week, Abbott requested an SBA declaration "following an exhaustive attempt by the State of Texas to determine whether the significant damage caused by the tornado reached the threshold for a Presidential Disaster Declaration."

In July, Abbott requested an extension of the deadline to submit a Major Disaster Declaration from the federal government. The 30-day extension allowed for impacted Texans to report damage using iSTAT surveys and for local and state partners to gather additional information from response and recovery efforts.

More: 'Somebody’s trailer frame hit the house': Perryton man was caught in tornado

On June 22, the Governor directed the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) to request Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments with local, state, and federal partners. The governor deployed additional assets June 21 to support local response and recovery efforts in Perryton.

Abbott held a briefing with state and local officials in Perryton on June 17 and provided an update on the state's response following the deadly tornado.

On June 16, the governor issued a disaster declaration for Texas communities impacted by severe storms and tornadoes that caused significant damage to homes and businesses in Ochiltree and Cass counties.

On June 15, Governor Abbott directed TDEM to deploy state emergency response assets to the city of Perryton immediately following the devastating tornado in Northwest Texas.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Abbott's SBA request approved for Perryton tornado victims