{"id":471591,"date":"2026-10-20T13:08:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T13:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/471591\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T13:08:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T13:08:07","slug":"deadline-approaches-for-disaster-recovery-loans-in-bexar-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/471591\/","title":{"rendered":"Deadline approaches for disaster recovery loans in Bexar County"},"content":{"rendered":"

Federal disaster relief is available for San Antonio residents and businesses affected by a storm that tore through the region<\/a> over the summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Small Business Administration is offering loans to businesses and residents who had their property damaged<\/a> on Aug. 28 after strong winds and rain downed trees and power lines caused widespread electricity outages.<\/p>\n

The deadline to apply for loans for physical damages is Nov. 9. Those loans can help pay for damages to homes, businesses or personal property, including cars, according to SBA officials.<\/p>\n

Businesses can also apply for economic injury disaster loans if they can demonstrate losses or financial harm from the storm. Those aren\u2019t due until June 10, 2027.<\/p>\n

The SBA has an online portal<\/a> where residents from Bexar County and its neighbors \u2014 Atascosa, Bandera, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina and Wilson counties \u2014 can apply. The agency also has in-person services at the Las Palmas Branch Library on Castroville Road, near the West Side where residents<\/a> were particularly impacted by the sudden storm.<\/p>\n

SBA officials in San Antonio said 86 loan applications have been received so far.<\/p>\n

What are the loans?<\/p>\n

The SBA offers loans for anyone in a disaster area, in this case Bexar County and surrounding counties, who can prove they had property damage through receipts, photos or other evidence.<\/p>\n

Homeowners can receive loans up to $500,000 to cover damages to their primary home. Homeowners and renters can also receive up to $100,000 for damage to personal property. Businesses can receive up to $2 million for physical or economic damages.<\/p>\n

For residents with no other option \u2014 whether they have low income, are cash-strapped or don\u2019t have access to other lenders \u2014 interest rates are set at 3% for home loans and 4% for business loans.<\/p>\n

Those with credit or money available elsewhere would pay a 6% interest rate for home loans and an 8% interest rate for business loans. Interest rates are fixed, meaning they won\u2019t change year to year, and can be repaid over a period of up to 30 years.<\/p>\n

The loans can be helpful in a variety of ways, said Sabrie Lika, an SBA public affairs specialist.<\/p>\n

They might cover costs in the short term, for residents who are rebuilding before insurance payouts are finalized, Lika said. They also come with lower interest rates than credit card debt or other types of private loans. There are even relocation assistance options for people who have had their homes damaged. Those are handled on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n

\"\"Customer Service Representative Eric Simmons assists homeowner Isela Barajas during an appointment at the Small Business Administration Recovery Center at the Las Palmas Branch Library on Oct. 15. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Lika added that there\u2019s no cost to apply and no fees during the application process. The SBA has an online portal and an in-person center at the Las Palmas Branch Library. Mary Anne Bradfield, another public affairs specialist, encouraged residents to come out if they are interested in applying or have questions.<\/p>\n

The SBA offers services in multiple languages, she added.<\/p>\n

Applicants need a government ID, recent federal income tax return, insurance information and monthly financial information. Bradfield said that the list of monthly financial information would include income, expenses and debts owed by the applicant. This can be an estimate, she added, but is important to starting the process.<\/p>\n

As long as applications are entered by Nov. 9, applicants can make their way through the loan process and have an opportunity to access the funds.<\/p>\n

For economic injury loans, businesses must prove losses due to the Aug. 28 storm by comparing financial information from previous months. Those can help cover rent, payroll and inventory costs, Lika said.<\/p>\n

Those applications are not due until 2027, but business owners can also get help at the Las Palmas Branch Library.<\/p>\n

It might take several tries for applicants to get their loan approved, but loan officers work with residents to fill missing documents or requirements, Bradfield said.<\/p>\n

SBA officials said the loans might not be for everyone \u2014 applicants have to share their credit history and show an ability to repay the loans. Others don\u2019t want to take government loans or are worried about taking on debt.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur product isn\u2019t intended for everyone,\u201d said Gabriel Perales, an SBA Public Affairs Specialist from Texas. \u201cBut if you need assistance, we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other finance experts suggested making personal budgets when looking at disaster loans.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor homeowners and renters considering a disaster loan, the key question is whether repayment fits their full financial picture, not just the immediate repair need,\u201d said Audrey Downs, a spokesperson for the nonprofit GreenPath Financial Wellness<\/a>, which offers free counseling to San Antonio residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cStart by listing urgent expenses, expected insurance or assistance, income and ongoing bills, then build a realistic 60- to 90-day budget,\u201d Downs added. \u201cIf borrowing is necessary, compare trusted, lower-cost options and avoid high-cost loans that can create longer-term financial strain.\u201d<\/p>\n

SBA disaster recovery loan interest rates are typically lower than other rates on the market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Federal disaster relief is available for San Antonio residents and businesses affected by a storm that tore through…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":471592,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[698,159900,133757,82,84,83,151208,32369,33690,92,3028,94,172,2098],"class_list":["post-471591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-bexar-county","tag-business-loans","tag-disaster-relief","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-sba","tag-small-business-administration","tag-storm-damage","tag-top-story","tag-typedaily","tag-wc-750-1000","tag-weather","tag-west-side"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/471592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}