Tempe details microburst recovery: tree‑donation portal, SBA disaster loans and Tempe Needs You contributions

City officials used the council meeting to update residents on recovery efforts after a recent October microburst that damaged trees and property across Tempe.

Interim Emergency Manager Monique Rodriguez described the new Tempe tree donation program that — if approved on the agenda — will provide a tax-deductible portal for residents to support replacement of nearly 500 damaged trees. The Tempe Needs You campaign, a city-led online portal run with the Tempe Community Council, has raised more than $23,000 in three weeks; those funds are being granted to the Tempe Community Action Agency for storm-related assistance, the mayor said.

Danielle Haywood, a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Recovery, said the SBA is operating a disaster loan outreach center at the Tempe Public Library (second floor) to help homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofits apply. Haywood highlighted that homeowners and renters are the largest group served by SBA disaster assistance (about 72% of resources historically), that landscaping and tree damage can be covered for homeowners, and that businesses may be eligible for physical-damage and economic-injury loans. The filing deadline for the Maricopa County declaration (covering the microburst) is 01/13/2026; Haywood said there is time to apply and noted the economic-injury portion remains open until 08/14/2026.

Haywood said loan terms can extend as long as 30 years, with no payment required during the first 12 months; she also reported outreach metrics: 47 applications started, 6 completed, and approximately $417,000 in offers made so far. Information and an appointment calendar are available at sba.gov/disaster and at the library-based outreach center.

City staff asked the public to help spread the word and noted the tree-donation item was on the meeting agenda for council consideration.