ORLANDO, Fla. – The U.S. Small Business Administration announced on Tuesday that it has added more Central Florida counties to the disaster declaration after Hurricane Ian.
The disaster declaration now covers Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Saint Johns, Sarasota, Seminole and Volusia counties in Florida, which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA.
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Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs): Alachua, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Clay, Duval, Glades, Hendry, Indian River, Marion, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Pasco and Sumter in Florida.
While FEMA offers homeowners and renters disaster grants, the SBA offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofits, according to a statement from the organization. SBA said in their statement that FEMA often refers survivors to the Small Business Administration as part of the FEMA process.
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The disaster declaration now covers Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Seminole counties in Florida, which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA.
“A core tenet of SBA’s mission is to render federal disaster assistance as quickly as possible to small business owners and provide critical disaster relief to the communities they serve during these types of devastating disasters,” said Francisco Sanchez, Jr., Associate Administrator, Office of Disaster Assistance. “Our team is already on the ground actively coordinating with FEMA and other emergency response officials to provide all of the assistance we can render.”
- Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace “disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate”
- Businesses and private nonprofits of any size can borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace “disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets”
- Small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster.
- Interest rates are as low as 3.04% for businesses, 1.875% for nonprofit organizations, and 2.188% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/ and should apply under SBA declaration # 17644.
To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, applicants should register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or download the FEMA mobile app. If online or mobile access is unavailable, applicants should call the FEMA toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services should call 800-621-3362
Disaster loan information and application forms can also be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (if you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services) or sending an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded from sba.gov/disaster. 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 return applications for physical property damage is Nov. 28, 2022. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 29, 2023.
You can enter your city and state or zip code to see if your area has been declared for Individual Assistance: https://www.disasterassistance.gov/
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