SBA offering support for those impacted by severe weather
Published 11:00 am Wednesday, April 16, 2025
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The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) recognizes that for many, daily living is dependent on the success of their business operations.
Also, unanticipated circumstances can threaten to harm.
Fortunately, remedies have been made.
In an email sent to the Sun by Jason Ross, Public Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience, it was clarified that options are available for various counties – including Clark County – that were negatively impacted by storms occurring from February 14 through March 7, 2025.
Weather-related incidents during this time included severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides.
Corresponding information – including a fact sheet – further explained the matter.
Specifically, disaster loans are available “for economic injury only in the contiguous Kentucky counties of Allen, Anderson, Bell, Clark, Elliott, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Jessamine, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Logan, Madison, Magoffin, Mercer, Morgan, Powell, Scott, Warren, and Wolfe.”
An economic injury disaster loan, or EIDL, is defined as “working capital loans to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small business engaged in aquaculture, and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes [that] meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster. These loans are intended to assist through the disaster recovery period.”
Information on loan amount limits was also provided.
“The law limits EIDLs to $2,000,000 for alleviated economic injury caused by fire disaster. The actual amount of each loan is limited to the economic injury determined by SBA, less business operation insurance and other recoveries up to the administrative lending limit. EIDL assistance is available only to entities and their owners who cannot provide for their own recovery from non-government sources, as determined by the U.S. Small Business Administration,” states the fact sheet.
Additional information can be found at https://soar-ky.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025_02_24_KY_20977_Fact_Sheet.pdf.
Applications for disaster loans can be submitted online using the MySBA Loan Portal at https://lending.sba.gov or other locally announced locations. Individuals are encouraged to contact the SBA’s Customer Service Center by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or by phone at 1-800-659-2555 for further assistance. For those deaf, hard of hearing, or with a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.