SBA office for flood relief serving Buchanan and Tazewell Counties closes Thursday

Greg Jordan, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
·3 min read

Nov. 1—WHITEWOOD, Va. — Southwestern Virginia businesses and residents affected by the flooding on July 13 and 14 this year are eligible to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA is operating a Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) in Buchanan County to assist anyone applying for an SBA disaster loan.

The declaration covers Buchanan County and the adjacent counties of Dickenson, Russell and Tazewell in Virginia; Pike in Kentucky; and McDowell and Mingo in West Virginia.

SBA's customer service representatives are available at the DLOC to answer questions about the disaster loan program and help individuals complete their applications. The center is open for a limited time; it will close at 4 p.m. Thursday, SBA officials said.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the SBA has established protocols to help protect the health and safety of the public. All visitors to the DLOC are encouraged to wear a face mask.

"Businesses and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets," said SBA's Virginia District Director Carl Knoblock.

For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help.

The center in Buchanan County is located at the Whitewood Volunteer Fire Department on 16128 Dismal River Road. It is open today from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed permanently Thursday at 4 p.m.

"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 Kem Fleming, director of SBA's Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase of up to 20 percent of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements may include a safe room or storm shelter, sump pump, French drain or retaining wall to help protect property and occupants from future damage caused by a similar disaster.

Interest rates are as low as 2.935 percent for businesses, 1.875 percent for nonprofit organizations, and 1.688 percent for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant's financial condition.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA's secure website at DisasterLoanAssistance.sba.gov/ela/s and should apply under SBA declaration # 17686.

Disaster loan information and application forms can also be obtained by calling the SBA's Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (if you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services) or sending an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded from 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 Dec. 19. The deadline to return economic injury applications is July 20, 2023.

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com