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Apply for SBA Disaster Assistance for Flooding

from U.S. Small Business Administration

Nov 28, 2018

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) encourages businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters to apply for a disaster loan for physical damage before the Dec. 24 deadline. Anyone in the declared counties in Pennsylvania with damages caused by the flooding on July. 21 – 27, 2018 should apply for the SBA disaster loan assistance.

The declaration covers Schuylkill County, and the adjacent counties of Berks, Carbon, Columbia, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne and Northumberland in Pennsylvania.

Businesses and nonprofits can apply up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged real estate, machinery, equipment, inventory, and other business assets. Loans for working capital, known as Economic Injury Disaster Loans, are available even if the business did not suffer any physical damage. Homeowners can apply up to $200,000 to repair or replace disaster damaged real estate. Homeowners and renters can apply up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged personal property including automobiles.

Interest rates are as low as 3.610 percent for businesses, 2.5 percent for private nonprofit organizations, and 1.938 percent for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. The SBA determines loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s circumstances.

Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase up to 20 percent of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements may include a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage caused by a similar disaster.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via the SBA’s secure website at DisasterLoan.sba.gov.

Additional details on the loan application process can be obtained by calling the SBA Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an e mail to [email protected]. Loan applications can also be downloaded at www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The filing deadline to submit applications for physical property damage is Dec. 24, 2018. The deadline for economic injury applications is July 23, 2019.

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