Businesses and nonprofit organizations find low-interest disaster loans to be smart business
Businesses and nonprofit organizations on the Big Island of Hawaii are finding that applying for a low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration can be a smart business decision.
Disaster loans provide funding for business owners (including landlords) and private nonprofit organizations with their recovery and are being used to:
• Repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed property and business assets, such as equipment and inventory;
• Economic Injury (working capital) loans to meet payroll and lease obligations during business downtime caused by the disaster; and
• Fund improvements to protect against future damage.
“Disaster loans from the SBA are the major source of federal disaster recovery assistance,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Bern Ruiz of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “The interest rates are low—as low as 3.610 percent for businesses and 2.5 percent for nonprofits.”
SBA offers businesses and nonprofits two types of disaster loans: a Physical Disaster Loan and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan.
Physical Disaster Loans are used to repair or replace damaged buildings and business assets. Economic Injury Disaster Loans help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, aquaculture businesses and most private nonprofits meet financial obligations that they cannot meet because of the disaster.
SBA low-interest disaster loans for businesses have several advantages:
• Applicants do not have to wait for insurance settlements to obtain loans.
• Low interest disaster loans can provide up to $2 million dollars with terms up to 30 years.
• SBA offers mitigation loans to help pay for improvements to reduce potential for future damage. These mitigation funds are available for up to 20 percent of the total amount of disaster damage.
• SBA never charges an application fee or points for its disaster loans.
The deadline to apply for a Physical Damage Disaster Loan is Aug. 13, 2018. The deadline to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan is March 14, 2019.
No one is obligated to accept a loan if approved. If the SBA is unable to provide a loan, applicants have within 6 months to request reconsideration.
To apply for SBA low-interest disaster loans, Business owners, private nonprofits, homeowners and renters can visit the disaster recovery center for one-on-one assistance or apply online using SBA’s secure website at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela
An important step in the recovery process is to register for assistance with FEMA. FEMA and SBA are joint federal partners in Hawaii’s recovery efforts.
For additional information on FEMA programs and how to register for assistance, go to: fema.gov/disaster/4366
