Gov. Tom Corbett Thursday announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration approved his request to declare Lawrence County a disaster area after several weeks of severe storms and flooding caused significant damage to homes and businesses between June 26 and July 21.

Citizens in Lawrence County, as well as neighboring counties Beaver, Butler and Mercer, may be eligible for low-interest disaster loans through the Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Programs.

Small Business Administration officials, along with local and state officials, conducted damage assessments at the site. The governor used the damage assessment results to support his assistance request to the SBA.

“Several weeks of heavy rain and severe storms have left their mark on much of western Pennsylvania,” Corbett said. “We are grateful that the Small Business Administration granted our request to help victims get their lives in order as quickly as possible.”

Low-interest loans of up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. SBA regulations permit loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace personal property.

Businesses and nonprofits can borrow up to $2 million to restore damaged or destroyed buildings, inventory, equipment and assets. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial qualifications.

SBA Outreach Centers

The SBA has established a disaster loan outreach center at the Lawrence County Community Action Center, 241 W. Grant St., New Castle, PA 16101. The center will be open from August 20 – August 27. The hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. On Saturday, August 24, the office will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed on Sunday.

SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the disaster loan outreach center to issue loan applications, answer questions about the disaster loan program, explain the application process and help individuals to complete their applications.

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 6 p.m., or by sending email to: disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Business loan applications can also be downloaded from the SBA website.

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.

Victims may apply for disaster loans from SBA’s secure website.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is October 14, 2013. The deadline to return economic injury applications is May 14, 2014.

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8/19/2013