United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2007-07-25 monographic deposited born digital 13 p. GA 1.13:GAO-07-1124T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-1124T P0b002ee180373c82 f:d071124t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-1124T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-1124T GAO-07-1124T Disaster planning Disaster relief aid Emergency preparedness Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Rita Hurricanes Lending institutions Policy evaluation Property damage claims Property damages Property losses Small business Small business assistance Testimony A73271 The Small Business Administration (SBA) helps individuals and businesses recover from disasters such as hurricanes through its Disaster Loan Program. SBA faced an unprecedented demand for disaster loan assistance following the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes (Katrina, Rita, and Wilma), which resulted in extensive property damage and loss of life. In the aftermath of these disasters, concerns were expressed regarding the timeliness of SBA's disaster assistance. GAO initiated work and completed two reports under the Comptroller General's authority to conduct evaluations and determine how well SBA provided victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes with timely assistance. This testimony, which is based on these two reports, discusses (1) challenges SBA experienced in providing victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes with timely assistance, (2) factors that contributed to these challenges, and (3) steps SBA has taken since the Gulf Coast hurricanes to enhance its disaster preparedness. GAO visited the Gulf Coast region, reviewed SBA planning documents, and interviewed SBA officials. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-1124T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-1124T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-1124T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-1124T.pdf GAO-07-1124T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-1124T Testimony GAO-07-1124T; Small Business Administration: Response to the Gulf Coast Hurricanes Highlights Need for Enhanced Disaster Preparedness; Disaster planning Disaster relief aid Emergency preparedness Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Rita Hurricanes Lending institutions Policy evaluation Property damage claims Property damages Property losses Small business Small business assistance