For the Republican
Atlanta — The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced that certain private non-profit organizations (PNPs) that do not provide critical services of a governmental nature may be eligible to apply for low interest disaster loans. These loans are available as a result of the Presidential Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance resulting from damages caused by severe storms and flooding on May 30 through June 27 this year.
SBA also announced that 11 counties have been added to the declaration including Adams, Benton, Fountain, Gibson, Hendricks, Jay, Marion, Montgomery, Posey, Switzerland and Wabash counties.
Indiana counties already on the list were Rush, Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clay, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Franklin, Green, Hancock, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Madison, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Owen, Parke, Pike, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Shelby, Sullivan, Union, Vermillion, Vigo, Wayne and Washington.
Examples of eligible non-critical PNP organizations include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, school and colleges.
For PNP organizations of all sizes, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs, such as ongoing operating expenses. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.
Interest rates are as low as 4 percent with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts are set by the SBA and are based upon each applicant’s financial condition.
“PNP organizations are urged to contact their County Emergency Managers to obtain information about local briefings. At the meeting, PNP representatives will provide information about their organization,” Frank Skaggs, director of SBA Field Operations Center East.
This information will be used to submit a “Request for Public Assistance” which FEMA uses to determine if the PNP provides an essential governmental service and meets the definition of a “critical facility.” Based upon that conclusion, FEMA will either refer the PNP to SBA for disaster loan assistance or possibly provide a “Public Assistance” reimbursement grant for eligible costs.
Disaster loan information and application forms may be obtained by calling the SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (for the hearing-impaired 1-800-877-8339), from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT Saturday and Sunday or by e-mailing the customer service center at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or writing to U.S. Small Business Administration, Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center, 130 South Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202-2463.
Disaster victims may also apply for disaster loans from SBA’s secure Web site at http://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.
The deadline to return economic injury applications is March 9, 2009.
