SBA Offers Disaster Assistance to Pennsylvania Residents Affected By Fire in Bloomsburg

WASHINGTON - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Pennsylvania residents and businesses affected by the fire that occurred in Bloomsburg in Columbia County on October 25, can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills announced today.

Administrator Mills made the loans available in response to a letter from Gov. Edward G. Rendell on Nov. 3, requesting a disaster declaration by SBA. The declaration covers Columbia County and the adjacent counties of Luzerne, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill and Sullivan in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

"The SBA is strongly committed to providing the people of Pennsylvania with the most effective and customer-focused response possible to assist homeowners, renters, and businesses of all sizes with federal disaster loans," said Administrator Mills "Getting our businesses and communities up and running after a disaster is our highest priority at SBA."

"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 Frank Skaggs, director of SBA's Disaster Field Operations Center in Atlanta. SBA's customer service representatives will be on hand at the Disaster Loan Outreach Center to issue loan applications, answer questions about the SBA's disaster loan program, explain the application process and help individuals complete their applications.

The Center will be located in the following community and will open as indicated:

Columbia County
Columbia County Main Street Annex
(Office on 2nd Floor)
11 W. Main Street
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
Opens:		Tuesday, November 10 - Monday, November 16
Hours:		8:00 am - 4:30 pm; Saturday, November 14, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
		Closed Wednesday, November 11 (Veterans Day) and Sunday, November 15
Closing:		Monday, November 16 at close of business

"Businesses and non-profit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets," said David C. Dickson, SBA's Philadelphia district director.

The SBA also provides mitigation funds to disaster survivors up to 20 percent of the verified physical damage. These funds are designed to help borrowers pay for protective measures to minimize damages of the same kind in the future.

For small businesses and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.

Interest rates are as low as 2.562 percent for homeowners and renters, and 4 percent for businesses, with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant's financial condition.

Individuals and businesses unable to visit the Center in person may obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA's Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST, or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Business loan applications can also be downloaded from the SBA Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance. Completed applications should be returned to the Center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 4925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Survivors may apply for disaster loans from SBA's secure Web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is January 4, 2010. The deadline to return economic injury applications is August 5, 2010.

For more information about the SBA's Disaster Loan Programs, visit our Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

Release Number: 10-073, PA 11924/11925

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
Michael Lampton, 404-331-0333