Separate the recovery tasks.
Tax relief
Check IRS announcements for covered areas, eligible taxpayers and postponed deadlines.
Recovery assistance
Check official disaster-assistance and SBA programs for the incident and location.
Financial records
Rebuild documents supporting ownership, damage, expenses and insurance claims.
Each program has its own eligibility rules and deadlines. A disaster declaration does not mean every form of assistance is available to every affected person.
Official source: IRS disaster-assistance overview ↗
Match the announcement to the event.
Do not reuse an old storm deadline.
Open the current IRS relief announcement for the disaster. Check the named counties or areas, incident dates, affected taxpayers and the returns or payments covered. Save the announcement with your records.
People outside a covered area may qualify in some circumstances, such as when necessary records are located inside it. Follow the announcement’s contact instructions rather than assuming relief applies automatically.
Official source: Current and historical IRS disaster-relief announcements ↗
Check the program, not just the headline.
Federal disaster assistance
Use the federal portal linked from the IRS disaster page to explore assistance for the declared event. Confirm the application deadline and required documents.
Open DisasterAssistance.gov ↗SBA disaster loans
SBA disaster programs can serve businesses, homeowners, renters and eligible nonprofits. Availability and terms depend on the program and declaration.
Explore SBA disaster assistance ↗SBA disaster loans are loans, not general grants. Physical-damage and economic-injury programs address different needs. Insurance and other recoveries can affect eligible assistance.
Official source: SBA disaster loan programs ↗
Create one recovery folder.
- Save the official event announcement and applicable deadlines.
- Record affected property, ownership and location.
- Keep dated photographs and damage descriptions.
- Gather purchase records, bank statements and asset inventories.
- Save repair estimates, invoices and payment receipts.
- Track insurance claims, payments and assistance applications separately.
- Keep agency reference numbers and correspondence together.
The IRS provides Publication 584 for personal property and Publication 584-B for business property to help organise casualty and loss records. They can support record reconstruction, but do not establish that every recorded loss is tax-deductible.
Official source: Record reconstruction and IRS loss workbooks ↗
Ask for help organising the next steps.
The Houston Office of Business Opportunity Solutions Center links to disaster-recovery resources and other business support. The UH SBDC Network also provides disaster-preparedness resources and business advising routes.
Bring a short account of what happened, the business impact and the immediate decision you need help making. Keep application deadlines on a separate list and confirm them with the administering agency.
Official source: Houston OBO Solutions Center ↗
Official source: UH Texas Gulf Coast SBDC Network ↗