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SBA offers application help for winter storm relief
LA County Jun 01, 2024
Rainwater covers a Long Beach street. | Photo courtesy of the city of Long Beach
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The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering assistance through June 5 with applications for grants to help local residents, organizations and businesses recover from this year’s severe winter storms, the city of Long Beach announced Friday.
The Long Beach Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications encouraged homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and nonprofit organizations adversely affected by the severe winter storms between Jan. 31 and Feb. 9 to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans.
The SBA provides disaster loans up to $500,000 to homeowners for repairs or to replace damaged real estate fixtures, according to an announcement by the city. Homeowners and renters can receive up to $100,000 to repair or replace storm-damaged personal property, including vehicles.
Businesses and nonprofits may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other professional assets, according to the city.
“The SBA can also lend additional funds to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent or minimize disaster damage from occurring in the future,” according to the city statement.
Online applications are at SBA.gov/disaster. The deadline to submit property damage assistance applications is July 16, and the deadline for economic injury grants is Feb. 18.
The SBA opened a Disaster Loan Outreach Center at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, 510 S. Vermont Ave. Ste. G-100, Ground Floor Conference Room in downtown LA. The center’s staff members “assist applicants with the application process and answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan programs,” city officials said.
The SBA also provides the Virtual Disaster Loan Outreach Center, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Wednesday. For more information or to ask questions about the virtual center, email FOCAssistance@sba.gov or call 916-735-1501.
More information on SBA disaster assistance is available from the SBA Customer Service Center, 800-659-2955 or disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
