ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes that Oct. 15 is the filing deadline for federal economic injury disaster loans available in Bucks, Delaware, Monroe, Philadelphia and Pike counties in Pennsylvania as a result of the drought, high winds, hail, excessive heat, excessive rain, flooding, Hurricane Sandy, a snowstorm and a Nor’easter between June 28 and Nov. 8, 2012.
“These counties are eligible because they are contiguous to one or more primary counties in
New Jersey. The Small Business Administration recognizes that disasters do not usually stop at county or state lines. For that reason, counties adjacent to primary counties named in the declaration are included,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East
in Atlanta.
Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. With the exception of aquaculture enterprises, SBA cannot provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers. Nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.
The loans are for working capital and can be up to $2 million with interest rates of 4 percent for eligible small businesses and 3 percent for non-profit organizations, and terms up to 30 years.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure Web site athttps://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
Disaster loan information and application forms may also be obtained by calling the SBA’s 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. Loan applications can be downloaded from the SBA’s Web site at www.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.
Completed loan applications must be returned to SBA no later than Oct. 15.
For more information about the SBA’s Disaster Loan Program, visit its Web site at www.sba.gov/disaster.