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California small businesses can apply for economic injury disaster loans
drought

The U.S. Small Business Administration is making available low-interest federal disaster loans to small, nonfarm businesses in several California counties.

The loans are meant to offset revenue businesses may have lost because of the drought starting Jan. 2, 2015. The counties were the loans are being made available are: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Marin, San Benito, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Trinity, Tulare, Ventura, Alameda, Humboldt, Inyo, Lake, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Napa, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Tehama and Tuolumne.

“SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster,” said Director Tanya N. Garfield of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center - West.

Small, nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred.

“Eligibility for these loans is based on the financial impact of the disaster only and not on any actual property damage. These loans have an interest rate of 4 percent for businesses and 2.625 percent for private nonprofit organizations, a maximum term of 30 years, and are available to small businesses and most private nonprofits without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship,” Garfield said.

By law, SBA makes EIDLs available when the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster. Secretary Tom Vilsack declared this disaster on Dec. 23, 2015.

Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency about the U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. However, nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance in drought disasters.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Disaster loan information and application forms are also available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955 or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Individuals who are deaf or hardofhearing may call (800) 877-8339. For more disaster assistance information, or to download applications, visit http://www.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 deadline to apply for these loans is Aug. 23, 2016.