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VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) – The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering disaster assistance to businesses and residents in Georgia— affected by Hurricane Idalia.
A Business Recovery Center is now available at the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
SBA customer service representatives will be available to assist individuals with filling out disaster loan applications, accepting documents for existing applications, and providing updates on an application’s status.
“It was so devastating. We had to cancel so many appointments and refund a lot of people, so we have suffered with that,” Iesha Byron, a business owner in Valdosta who was affected by the storm, said. “We’re just really grateful that no one’s items got affected, so the only thing that we really have to worry about is getting the flooring done and some ceiling replacements.”
The filing deadline for physical property damage applications is November 6th, 2023. Economic injury applications are due June 7th, 2024.
Cook, Glynn and Lowndes County residents are eligible for both SBA Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans, while other counties listed below are only eligible for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
Individuals are encouraged to apply for FEMA assistance, then SBA loans, while waiting for an insurance claim to go through.
“A lot of times insurance may take a while to settle, and we don’t want people waiting around for their funds. The SBA cannot duplicate insurance funds. So, whatever your insurance pays out, we will fill in the gaps,” Tauheedah Mateen, an SBA Public Affairs Specialist, said. “FEMA and SBA we are federal partners who work together. Register with FEMA first because that is your first step. No matter how big or how small you think your damages are.”
The filing deadline for physical property damage applications is November 6th, 2023. And economic injury applications are due June 7th, 2024.
For more information and how to apply for relief, see SBA’s release below.
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