Tag: U.S. Small Business Administration

Deadline to Register for Disaster Assistance Extended

Federal officials say the deadline for West Virginia storm survivors to register for federal disaster assistance has been extended to Sept. 7.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says the extension was granted at the request of West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

The governor cited a continued flow of new applications for federal assistance in the wake of severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides that devastated parts of the state in late June.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has also extended its deadline to Sept. 7 for filing physical disaster loan applications.

The SBA offers low-interest loans to businesses, homeowners and renters. SBA disaster loans may recover repairs, rebuilding as well as the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged real estate and personal property.

Follansbee Flood Victims Eligible for SBA Loans

Both home and business owners in the Follansbee area are now eligible for federal assistance after flooding in late July.

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin announced Tuesday his request for aid for the July 29 and 30 floods in three counties was approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The declaration means both homeowners and business owners in three counties- Brooke, Hancock and Ohio- are now eligible for low interest disaster loans.

Loan applications looking for assistance with physical property damage are due by October 24. Economic injury applications for businesses are due May 23, 2017.

The SBA is setting up a Disaster Loan Outreach Center at the Follansbee City Building where representatives will be available to help fill out those loan applications. The center will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Thursday August 27 to September 1.

Applications can also be found online at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Business Centers Closing After Flood

Federal officials are shutting down centers that have helped West Virginia small businesses obtain low-interest loans after damaging floods in June.

The U.S. Small Business Administration says the business recovery centers in Kanawha, Greenbrier and Nicholas counties will stop operating Monday.

The SBA says the closures are due to a steady decline in activity.

The centers that will be closed are located at the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corp. in Maxwelton, the Charleston Area Alliance and Summersville City Hall.

The June 23 floods killed 23 people and damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure.

The application deadline for businesses with property damage is Sept. 7. The deadline for applications due to economic hardships is March 27, 2017.

Two Weeks Left to Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance

There are only two weeks left for survivors of June’s devastating flooding to apply for federal grants or loans.

The deadline to apply for disaster assistance with either the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the U.S. Small Business Administration is on Wednesday, August 24.

Survivors have been approved for grants and loans of more than $94 million.

More than $31 million has been approved by FEMA for individual housing assistance, nearly $6 million in other needs, over $4 million in public assistance and more than $24,000 in Disaster Unemployment.

The SBA approved 599 low-interest disaster loans of more than $39 million, and 941 National Flood Insurance Program claims have been filed with more than $12 million in payouts.

On August 13, Disaster Recovery Centers will be operating on new hours – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. DRCs are closed on Sundays.

Federal Emergency Management Agency:

  • Website: www.disasterassistance.gov
  • Phone: 1-800-621-3362

Small Business Administration:

  • Website: www.sba.gov/disaster
  • Email: disastercustomerservice@sba.gov
  • Phone: 1-800-659-2955

Businesses Devastated by Flooding Can Get Help to Rebuild

Businesses affected by the historic flooding two weeks ago have a chance to get some help as they rebuild.

The United States Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance has set up two Business Recovery Centers in Charleston and Maxwelton in Greenbrier County.

“Businesses can be [a] small business, large business, or non-profit organizations,” explained Mary Gibson, Public Affairs Specialist for the SBA, “They can come into this center and get assistance with their application.”

Gibson says all three are eligible for physical damage assistance, but only small businesses have access to both physical damage and more extensive economic injury assistance.

Businesses can receive up to $2 million through an SBA loan, and pay it back over a period of 30-years with as low as a 4 percent interest rate. The first $25,000 can be obtained without collateral.

Those interested can visit one of the centers for help, or they can also fill out their application online.

Certain paperwork will be needed like tax returns, but the SBA is giving ample time for folks to get ahold of documentation if it was damaged in the floods.

Business owners have until August 24 to submit an application for physical damage, but small businesses seeking economic injury assistance have until March 27, 2017.

W.Va. Business Recovery Centers:

  • Charleston Area Alliance, 1116 Smith Street, Charleston, West Virginia, 25301
  • Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation, 804 Industrial Park Road, Suite 5, Maxwelton, West Virginia, 24957

Grant to Help Small Businesses With International Exports

  West Virginia is about to get federal help for small businesses in the state.

Governor Tomblin announced Monday that West Virginia has been selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration to receive $200,000 in State Trade and Export grant funding. It’ll help develop a new export assistance program under the West Virginia Development Office  called West Virginia First STEP – Next STEP.

The program will provide additional assistance to West Virginia small businesses that export goods all over the world by offsetting the price of export activities, including Development Office trade missions and international trade shows. Since 1985, the International Division of West Virginia Development Office’s Export Promotion Program has led delegations of business owners to 30 countries.

The STEP grant period will run from October 1st to September 29th of 2016.

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