(Editor's note: The above video is from May 8, 2019, the day of the flooding.)
KINGWOOD, Texas — Residents and business owners affected by the severe flooding in early May are now eligible to apply for federal help to repair their homes and businesses.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Friday that homeowners, renters and business owners can apply for a low-interest, long-term loans with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“Residents in Kingwood were devastated in the aftermath of these storms and we are pleased that they will now be able to access this much-needed assistance,” Judge Hidalgo said.
Some 400 homes flooded when upwards of 10 inches of rain fell May 7-8, 2019. Emergency responders received more than 250 calls for high-water rescues and students at local schools were kept on campus because there weren’t any safe routes to get them home.
Those affected can apply for up to $200,000 loans with interest rates as low as 1.983 percent.
You can get more information about the loans or apply online by clicking here. SBA representatives are also available by calling 1-800-877-8339 or by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
An outreach center will also be made available in Richmond from July 16 through July 25.
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
William Travis Building, First Floor Meeting Room
301 Jackson Street
Richmond, TX 77469
Hours: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday’s announcement comes after Harris County, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas Governor’s Office and the city of Houston worked together to secure federal assistance.
“We will always fight zealously for our region, but the process for obtaining federal disaster assistance all too often ignores the reality of what’s happening on the ground,” Judge Hidalgo said. “Until the federal government addresses this issue and lowers the threshold for aid, we run the risk in future incidents of hard-hit residents being left without key federal assistance.”
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