The U.S. Small Business Administration released the following information September 12, 2011 regarding those affected by Hurricane Irene:

 

ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Regional Administrator for Region IV, Cassius Butts is encouraging survivors affected by Hurricane Irene in North Carolina to register for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and return completed SBA disaster loan applications to get the help they need.

 

The SBA’s low-interest disaster loan program is the primary source of federal funds for long-term recovery for uninsured damages caused by a declared disaster. “We are coordinating recovery efforts with our SBA Resource Partners along with federal, state and local stakeholders in the declared disaster area to ensure affected survivors receive proper assistance from the SBA. Taking time to complete and return the loan application package to the SBA is an important part of the recovery process,” said Butts.

 

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible up to $40,000 to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed personal property. Businesses and private non-profit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million for physical losses and working capital needs. Interest rates are as low as 2.5 percent for homeowners and renters, 3 percent for non-profit organizations and 4 percent for businesses with terms up to 30 years.

 

“The SBA District Office and the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) Network in North Carolina are reaching out to local businesses to make sure they have access to federal resources to help them recover from the disaster,” said Lynn Douthett, SBA’s District Director in Charlotte, North Carolina.

 

Business consultants from the SBTDC network are available to assist businesses in completing their disaster loan applications at no cost. Call 800-228-8443 or visit www.sbtdc.org for the nearest SBTDC location. Scott Daugherty, the SBTDC State Director, notes that, “in addition to our permanent offices, outreach offices will be established – such as the one which is now open on Hatteras Island.”

 

The declaration covers the counties of Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, and Wilson in North Carolina, which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA. Small businesses and most private non-profit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans: Columbus, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Pender, Sampson, Wake and Wayne in North Carolina; Horry County in South Carolina; and Brunswick, Greensville, Mecklenburg, Southampton counties and the Independent Cities of Chesapeake, Suffolk and Virginia Beach in Virginia.

 

To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, call the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at 800-621-FEMA (3362), (TTY) 800-462-7585 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Additional information the loan application process and the locations of Disaster Recovery Centers 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 email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

 

Those affected by the disaster may also apply for disaster loans electronically from SBA’s website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is October 31, 2011. The deadline to return economic injury applications is May 31, 2012.

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For more information about the SBA’s Disaster Loan Program, visit our website at www.sba.gov.