BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards has officially filed a request that the U.S. Small Business Administration offer SBA Disaster Assistance loans for residents of Assumption Parish that were recently affected by severe weather.

On May 19, the parish saw strong straight-line winds that caused damage to a number of homes and businesses in Assumption.

A damage assessment was conducted by the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the SBA on May 31 to determine what type of disaster assistance would be needed to help the parish along the road to recovery.

The damage survey indicated more than 25 homes or businesses in Assumption Parish suffered an uninsured loss of more than 40 percent. According to the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the overall total included damage to more than 50 structures.

SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners, and renters. SBA disaster loans can be used to repair or replace the following items damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster: real estate, personal property, machinery and equipment, and inventory and business assets.

More information on the state’s flood response is available at www.emergency.la.gov.