On west Galveston Bay, Kemah's marine and visitor businesses plan every year around the hurricane season. Apply in five minutes; funding can arrive in as little as 24 hours.
Apply Now →Kemah is a city in Galveston County, southeast of Houston along west Galveston Bay. It had 1,807 residents at the 2020 census, down from 2,330 in 2000. Its main industry is shipping, and a town that started as a small fishing community has become a tourist destination, with restaurants and attractions in the Kemah Entertainment District. In 2012 it was ranked the top tourism spot in the Greater Houston area. League City, Galveston, Texas City, Friendswood, Dickinson, La Marque, Santa Fe and Hitchcock are nearby.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to the National Hurricane Center. For a marine or waterfront business, that is half the year in which a single storm can close the doors, damage a boat, a dock or a dining room, and interrupt sales for weeks while fixed costs keep running.
Property owners who cannot get windstorm and hail coverage in the regular market can turn to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, a not-for-profit insurer. Insurance pays after a claim is processed, though, and payroll does not wait for that.
| Business | Cost that stays on | Revenue that can stop |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfront restaurant | Staff, lease, utilities | Visitor traffic during a storm or recovery |
| Marine repair or supply | Parts inventory, shop labor | Boat traffic in and out of the harbor |
| Charter or tour operator | Fuel, insurance, maintenance | Bookings when conditions are bad |
| Shipping and freight services | Drivers, equipment | Delays at the port |
Say a Kemah restaurant closes for ten days after a tropical storm and has $18,000 in payroll, rent and spoiled inventory to cover before insurance pays and the dining room refills. Round, made-up figures to show the sequence, not terms we offer or outcomes to expect.
Working capital gives the owner a way to reopen on schedule, rehire staff who might otherwise leave and restock before the first reservations return. It is not a replacement for insurance, and it works best when the owner can show how soon revenue comes back.
Visitor businesses in a tourist district have one more variable: customers choose between dozens of places within walking distance, and a restaurant that reopens a week late can lose regulars to the one that did not. The speed of the reopening, not just the size of the repair bill, is therefore part of what the money is for. Owners who keep a plan for the first seven days after a storm, covering staff, inventory and cleanup, tend to know exactly how much cushion they need.
Many owners use funding on a calm day, not an emergency day: repairs, shutters, a generator or enough inventory to open the week after. Funding runs from $25,000 to $5,000,000. The application takes about five minutes with a soft credit pull, and sole proprietors can apply. For the surrounding county and region, see the Galveston County page and Greater Houston.
June 1 to November 30, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is a not-for-profit insurer of windstorm and hail coverage for property owners who cannot get it in the regular market.
No. It can help cover costs while a claim is processed.
Yes, including sole proprietors.
As little as 24 hours.
Three months of business bank statements and a 5-minute application. FICO 500+ considered. $25,000 to $5,000,000, funded in as little as 24 hours.
Apply Now →It takes about two minutes and it will not affect your credit score.
No obligation • No impact to your credit score
