SBA Launches Business Recovery Center for Hurricane Helene Survivors: Help for the Displaced and Hard-Hit, More Counties Added

ATLANTA - The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that it will open a Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) in Georgia on Friday, Oct. 4, at the Turner Center for the Arts, Art Annex, in Valdosta. SBA is opening this center to assist Georgia businesses and residents with losses due to Hurricane Helene. The SBA also expanded the declaration to include more counties.

"Our Business Recovery Centers are one of the most powerful resources at SBA's disposal to support business owners in the midst of a disaster," said "Francisco Sánchez, Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration. "Business owners can meet in-person with our specialists to apply for SBA disaster loans and get information on the full breadth of our programs designed to help them navigate their recovery."

Customer Service Representatives at SBA's Business Recovery Center will assist businesses and residents complete their disaster loan application, accept documents, and provide updates on an application's status. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment at an SBA Business Recovery Center in advance. The hours of operation for the Center are as follows:

Business Recovery Center (BRC)

Lowndes County

Turner Center for the Arts, Art Annex

601 North Patterson Street

Valdosta, GA 31601

Opening: Friday, Oct. 4, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Closed: Sunday

The disaster declaration now covers Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Lowndes, McDuffie, Montgomery, Pierce, Rabun, Richmond, Screven, Tattnall, Telfair, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Washington and Wheeler; 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 (EIDLs): Baldwin, Bleckley, Brantley, Bryan, Charlton, Dodge, Habersham, Hancock, Hart, Long, Madison, McIntosh, Mitchell, Oglethorpe, Thomas, Towns, Turner, Twiggs, Warren, Wayne, Wilcox, Wilkes, Wilkinson and Worth counties in Georgia; Baker, Columbia, Hamilton, Jefferson and Madison in Florida; Clay, Jackson and Macon in North Carolina; and Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Barnwell, Edgefield, Hampton, Jasper, McCormick and Oconee in South Carolina.

Disaster survivors should not wait to settle with their insurance company before applying for a disaster loan. If a survivor does not know how much of their loss will be covered by insurance or other sources, SBA can make a low-interest disaster loan for the total loss up to its loan limits, provided the borrower agrees to use insurance proceeds to reduce or repay the loan.

With the changes to FEMA's Sequence of Delivery, survivors are now encouraged to simultaneously apply for FEMA grants and SBA low-interest disaster loan assistance to fully recover. FEMA grants are intended to cover necessary expenses and serious needs not paid by insurance or other sources. The SBA disaster loan program is designed for your long-term recovery, to make you whole and get you back to your pre-disaster condition. Do not wait on the decision for a FEMA grant; apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at sba.gov/disaster.

Applicants may also call the SBA's Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or send an email to [email protected] for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Nov. 29, 2024. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 30, 2025. ###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. 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. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.