TL;DR: On June 2, 2026, the U.S. Small Business Administration amended disaster declaration TX-20081-03 to offer low-interest federal disaster loans to residents, small businesses, and private nonprofits in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy counties after severe storms and tornadoes from April 24 to May 1.
According to the release titled SBA Amends Disaster Declaration for Texas, the amendment responded to an amended Agency declaration and extended the same loan programs already available across a wider 20-county area to the three Rio Grande Valley counties.
What changed on June 2
The June 2 action added Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy counties as primary areas for assistance for severe storms and tornadoes occurring April 24 – May 1.
According to the announcement titled Governor Abbott Announces SBA Assistance For South Texas Communities Following Spring Severe Weather, Gov. Greg Abbott said the SBA approved his request to include South Texas in the federal disaster declaration after storms that impacted the Rio Grande Valley in late April and early May.
That state announcement, issued June 2, 2026 in Austin, Texas, identified the same three added counties: Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy.
The state release explained that SBA granted access to its Home Disaster Loans, Business Physical Disaster Loans, and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program for qualifying homeowners, renters, and businesses in affected Rio Grande Valley communities following severe storms and tornadoes that occurred at the start of May.
For household planning, the practical meaning is narrow and time-bound: if the home or business is in one of the three added counties and damage or financial loss traces directly to the April 24 – May 1 event, the federal loan window described below now applies.
Where loans are available
According to SBA Amends Disaster Declaration for Texas, low-interest federal disaster loans are available in the Texas counties of Calhoun, Cameron, Cooke, Denton, DeWitt, Goliad, Hidalgo, Hood, Jack, Jackson, Johnson, Lavaca, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Refugio, Tarrant, Victoria, Willacy, and Wise.
The three South Texas counties — Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy — are the newly amended primary counties for the April 24 – May 1 severe storms and tornadoes.
The other listed counties — Calhoun, Cooke, Denton, DeWitt, Goliad, Hood, Jack, Jackson, Johnson, Lavaca, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Refugio, Tarrant, Victoria, and Wise — were already part of the loan availability area named in the same SBA release.
Households near a county line should check the county of the damaged property, not a mailing address, because eligibility in the SBA release is organized by county.
Renters are expressly included for personal-property help, while homeowners are included for both personal property and primary-residence repair or replacement.
Small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and private nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, are named as potential Economic Injury Disaster Loan applicants when financial losses are directly related to this disaster.
How much households and businesses can request
Business physical disaster loans
According to SBA Amends Disaster Declaration for Texas, businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
The $2 million figure is a maximum borrowing level for physical repair or replacement, not a guaranteed amount.
The same release states that SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant's financial condition.
For a family business, that means keeping a list of damaged real estate, equipment, inventory, and other business assets will align directly with the categories SBA names.
Home and personal-property loans
According to SBA Amends Disaster Declaration for Texas, homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances.
Homeowners may separately apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
The release limits the larger home loan to a primary residence, which matters for households with second homes or rental property.
Documenting clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances by room, with photos and receipts where available, tracks the exact personal-property examples SBA lists.
Mitigation funds can add up to 20%
According to SBA Amends Disaster Declaration for Texas, applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their verified physical damage, for mitigation purposes.
Eligible mitigation improvements named in the release may include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors, and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.
The increase is tied to verified physical damage, so an applicant first needs a verified damage amount before the up-to-20% addition can be considered.
For resilient-home planning, the listed measures are specific: pipe insulation, wall and attic insulation, door and window weather stripping, and storm-window installation.
A household considering this option should ask SBA staff whether a planned improvement falls within those named categories and keep contractor scopes tied to protection of property and occupants from future disasters.
Working-capital loans for economic injury
SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program covers a different need than repair loans: working capital made necessary by the disaster.
According to SBA Amends Disaster Declaration for Texas, the EIDL program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and private nonprofit organizations — including faith-based organizations — impacted by financial losses directly related to this disaster.
The release states that EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business or nonprofit did not suffer any physical damage.
It adds that the funds may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills which could not be paid due to the disaster.
The same release states that SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.
That exclusion matters in Texas counties with farm and ranch activity: a producer, farmer, or rancher outside aquaculture is not eligible for an SBA disaster loan under this declaration, while an eligible small business, cooperative, or nonprofit, including a faith-based nonprofit, can seek EIDL help for disaster-caused working-capital shortfalls.
Rates, terms, and the 12-month pause
According to SBA Amends Disaster Declaration for Texas, interest rates are as low as 4% for businesses, 3.625% for nonprofits, and 2.875% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years.
Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement.
That 12-month period runs from first disbursement, not from application or approval, so households should confirm the disbursement date in writing and plan the family budget around when interest and payments begin.
Because SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant's financial condition, the rate floor and 30-year maximum term do not guarantee any household a particular rate or repayment length.
In-person help: San Benito opens, two centers near closing
SBA customer-service representatives staff Disaster Loan Outreach Centers to answer questions about the disaster-loan program, explain the application process, and help each individual complete an application.
According to SBA Amends Disaster Declaration for Texas, beginning June 2, representatives were on hand at the new center, walk-ins were welcome, and applicants could schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov.
As quoted in that release, Chris Stallings, Associate Administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA, said: “At these centers, our SBA specialists help business owners and residents apply for disaster loans and learn about the full range of programs available to support their recovery.”
Cameron County
The Cameron County Disaster Loan Outreach Center is in the San Benito Annex Building 2, 705 N. Bowie St., San Benito, TX 78586.
According to SBA Amends Disaster Declaration for Texas, it opened at noon on June 2, operates Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and is closed Friday, June 19 in observance of the Juneteenth holiday.
According to Governor Abbott Announces SBA Assistance For South Texas Communities Following Spring Severe Weather, the San Benito center at 705 N Bowie Street opened starting June 2 to explain the application process, assist with completing applications, and address questions about the disaster loan programs.
Households heading to San Benito should bring identification, proof of address in Cameron, Hidalgo, or Willacy county, damage photos, insurance correspondence, and lists of damaged property matching SBA's categories.
Parker and Victoria counties
Two other centers continued to serve survivors but were scheduled to close permanently.
The Parker County Disaster Loan Outreach Center at First United Methodist Church, 109 W. Third St., Springtown, TX 76082, operated Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and closed permanently Thursday, June 4 at 6:00 p.m.
The Victoria County Disaster Loan Outreach Center at the Regional Disaster Response and Recovery Center, 104 S. William St., Victoria, TX 77901, operated Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and closed permanently Thursday, June 4 at 6:00 p.m.
A household in North Texas or the coastal area that planned to use Springtown or Victoria needed to visit before the June 4 evening closure or shift to online, phone, or mail options.
How to apply by phone, email, web, or mail
According to SBA Amends Disaster Declaration for Texas, applicants may call SBA's Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email [email protected] for more information on SBA disaster assistance.
For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, the release directs callers to dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
According to Governor Abbott Announces SBA Assistance For South Texas Communities Following Spring Severe Weather, applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information, and download applications at sba.gov/disaster.
That state release adds that completed applications should be mailed to the U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
Keeping a copy of everything mailed to Fort Worth, plus notes of any calls to (800) 659-2955 and emails to [email protected], gives a household a complete recovery file if follow-up is needed.
Deadlines households must not miss
According to SBA Amends Disaster Declaration for Texas, the deadline to return physical damage applications is July 6.
The deadline to return economic injury applications is Feb. 8, 2027.
The physical-damage date covers home, personal-property, and business physical loans, while the later February date covers EIDL working-capital applications.
Because the physical-damage window is short, households with roof, structural, vehicle, or contents damage from the April 24 – May 1 storms should prioritize that filing first, then assess longer-term business revenue effects for a possible EIDL filing before Feb. 8, 2027.
What this means for family readiness now
This amendment does not replace insurance, savings, or local aid; it adds a loan option with defined caps, rates, and filing dates for three Valley counties tied to a specific storm period.
A prepared household in Cameron, Hidalgo, or Willacy can act on the facts above by confirming county eligibility, separating physical-repair needs from unpaid-bill needs, photographing damage by SBA category, visiting San Benito before June 19 or contacting SBA by phone, email, web, or Fort Worth mail, and filing physical-damage paperwork before July 6.