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In this file photo, Gov. Tom Wolf walks through Bridgeport, surveying the damage from large-scale flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which. Along with the governor, other local, state and federal officials were also in attendance.
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Items are seen floating in floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in Norristown.
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Damage from Hurricane Ida can be seen in front of the Upper Dublin Township building in Fort Washington. in the days following the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
Pennsylvania businesses, nonprofits, homeowners and renters have been given more time to apply for physical disaster loans as a result of damage they sustained as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
The deadline to file for physical property damage has been extended to Jan. 10, 2022.
Extending the deadline until Jan. 10 will allow storm victims to have extra time to submit their applications for emergency loans, according to Dorris Evans, a spokeswoman for the Small Business Administration’s Office of Disaster Assistance.
This is the second extension, which Evans said came at the request of Pennsylvania. The original deadline for filing was Nov. 9; the second deadline was Dec. 10.
Remnants of the storm moved through the region in early September, causing flash flooding and several tornadoes — leaving behind extensive damage.
A federal disaster declaration of Sept. 10 cleared the way for the Small Business Administration to begin accepting applications for low-interest disaster loans. The federal disaster declaration covered Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, Philadelphia and York counties, with victims eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the agency.
In addition, small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in adjacent counties are eligible to apply for Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loans. Those counties include: Berks, Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lehigh and Northampton in Pennsylvania; New Castle in Delaware; Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil and Harford in Maryland; and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer and Warren in New Jersey.
Evans said the mission of the Small Business Administration was to come into impacted communities to provide as much assistance as possible.
“When the governor requested disaster assistance and it was approved we came in and our expectation was to meet the community needs,” she added.
WHERE DO THINGS STAND
As of Friday afternoon, nearly $44 million has been awarded to 962 storm victims in Pennsylvania. A total of 3,800 applications have been filed for home, business and EIDL loans.
In Chester County, 265 applications have been received for home, business and EIDL loans, with 120 approved for a total of $7.5 million.
In Delaware County, 364 applications have been received for home, business and EIDL loans, with 47 approved for a total of $1.7 million.
In Montgomery County, 597 applications have been received for home, business and EIDL loans, with 268 approved for a total of $15.5 million.
Berks County, one of the adjacent counties, has had 4 applications filed so far. None have been approved to date.
Evans said the application approval process is still underway.
“Some applications may still need some additional information submitted,” she said.
The aid is to help businesses that don’t have insurance or not enough insurance, according to Evans.
“But there are income and credit requirements. Some applications may be denied,” she said, adding that applicants are encouraged to go through the reconsideration process if their application is denied.
WHAT ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE?
Businesses and private nonprofit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the Small Business Administration, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements may include a sump pump, elevation, French drain or retaining wall to help protect property and occupants from future damage caused by a similar disaster.
For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations, the Small Business Administration offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.
For homeowners, disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed personal property.
Interest rates for disaster loans are as low as 2.855% for businesses, 2% for nonprofit organizations and 1.563% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the Small Business Administration and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, applicants should register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or download the FEMA mobile app. If online or mobile access is unavailable, applicants should call the FEMA toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services should call 800-621-3362.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://DisasterLoanAssistance.sba.gov/ela/s/ and should apply under SBA declaration # 17165, not for the COVID 19 incident.
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 emailing DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded at sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be 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 Jan. 10, 2022. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 10, 2022.