New York businesses and residents affected by severe storms and flooding on August  13 to 14, 2018, can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration

Administrator Linda McMahon announced that the SBA have made the loans available in response to a letter from Govovernor Andrew M. Cuomo on October 2, requesting a disaster declaration. The declaration covers Broome and Seneca counties, and the adjacent counties of Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Ontario, Schuyler, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne and Yates in New York; Susquehanna and Wayne in Pennsylvania.

SBA’s Customer Service Representatives will be available at the Disaster Loan Outreach Center to answer questions about the disaster loan program and help individuals complete their applications. The center is open as indicated:

Broome County
Broome County Public Library
185 Court St.
Binghamton, NY 13901
Opens: Thursday, Oct. 11 at 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 12, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 14, Closed
Monday–Tuesday, Oct. 15-16, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Closing: Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

“Businesses and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets,” said SBA’s Syracuse New York District Director Bernard J. Paprocki. For 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.

“Loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate.  Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property,” said Kem Fleming, center director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

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. Interest rates are as low as 3.675 percent for businesses, 2.5 percent for nonprofit organizations, and 2 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amount 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 DisasterLoan.sba.gov. Businesses and individuals may also obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Loan applications can also be downloaded at www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be returned to the center or 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 Dec. 10, 2018. The deadline to return economic injury applications is July 9, 2019.

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