SMALL BUSINESS RECOVERY CENTER MEETING
SMALL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION PRESS RELEASE
Disaster Field Operations Center East
Release Date: Sept. 9, 2021 Contact: Michael Lampton (404) 331-0333
Michael.Lampton@sba.gov
Release Number: 21-540, NC 17155/17156 Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & Instagram
SBA Offers Disaster Assistance to Businesses and Residents of
North Carolina Affected by Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred
WASHINGTON – Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration are available
to businesses and residents in North Carolina following the announcement of a Presidential disaster
declaration due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred on Aug. 16-18, 2021.
“SBA’s mission-driven team stands ready to help North Carolina’s small businesses and residents
impacted by Tropical Storm Fred,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. “We’re committed
to providing federal disaster loans swiftly and efficiently, with a customer-centric approach to help
businesses and communities recover and rebuild.”
The disaster declaration covers Buncombe, Haywood, and Transylvania counties in North Carolina,
which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA. Small businesses
and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only
for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans: Henderson, Jackson, Madison, McDowell, Rutherford, Swain
and Yancey in North Carolina; Greenville, Oconee and Pickens in South Carolina and Cocke and Sevier
in Tennessee.
The SBA will open a Business Recovery Center (BRC) on Monday, Sept. 13 at noon in Haywood County
as indicated below:
SBA Business Recovery Center
Haywood County
Haywood Community College, Regional High-Tech Center
112 Industrial Park Drive,
Room 3021
Waynesville, NC 28786
Opening: Monday, Sept. 13, noon – 6 p.m.
Normal Hours: Monday – Friday
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Closed: Saturday and Sunday
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Customer Service Representatives will be available at the BRC to answer questions about the disaster
loan program and assist business owners in completing their applications. Due to the ongoing COVID19 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.
Homeowners and renters may meet with an SBA Customer Service Representative at any FEMA Disaster
Recovery Center to get answers to their questions and assistance in applying for a disaster
loan. Business owners unable to go to a Business Recovery Center may also visit SBA at
the FEMA Centers.
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 percent of their physical
damages, as verified by the SBA, 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 SBA 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.
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 are as low as 2.855 percent for businesses, 2 percent for nonprofit organizations and
1.563 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
https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/, and should apply under SBA declaration # 17155, not for
the COVID-19 incident.
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.
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 Nov. 8, 2021. The deadline to
return economic injury applications is June 8, 2022.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and
voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business
owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It
delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations
