Journalists interested in discovering which businesses or people have received government loans relating to a disaster can use the recently updated Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loan database from the Database Library. The database logs every approved loan. Each loan record in the database includes the amount and the related disaster. Loans to businesses also indicate whether the loan has been paid.
Current as of September 2004, the data includes more than 805,500 records of loans and nearly 7,800 disasters. The (Fort Worth) Star-Telegram used the data in the aftermath of tornadoes in Fort Worth to see who received the promised federal assistance.