ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that Beaufort and Fairfield counties are now considered as primary counties for the disaster declaration for Hurricane Helene that occurred Sept. 25 through Oct. 7. This increases eligibility for Beaufort and Fairfield counties businesses and residents to apply for SBA’s low-interested disaster loan program.
The disaster declaration now covers Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union, York and the Catawba Indian Nation in South Carolina 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): Berkeley, Calhoun, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dorchester, Lancaster, Lee and Sumter in South Carolina; Burke, Chatham, Columbia, Effingham, Elbert, Franklin, Habersham, Hart, Lincoln, Rabun, Richmond, Screven, and Stephens in Georgia; and Cleveland, Gaston, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Mecklenburg, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania in North Carolina.
SBA’s Customer Service Representatives are available at the Centers to answer questions, assist business owners 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 Centers will operate as listed below.
Business Recovery Center (BRC)
Lexington County
Lexington County Library
5440 Augusta Road
Lexington, SC 29072
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Business Recovery Center (BRC)
Greenville County
Next Innovation Center
411 University Ridge
Greenville, SC 29601
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Do not wait to settle with your insurance company before applying for an SBA disaster loan. If you do not know how much of your 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 you agree 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 the 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.
On October 15, 2024, it was announced that funds for the Disaster Loan Program have been fully expended. While no new loans can be issued until Congress appropriates additional funding, we remain committed to supporting disaster survivors. Applications will continue to be accepted and processed to ensure individuals and businesses are prepared to receive assistance once funding becomes available.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their loan applications promptly for review in anticipation of future funding.
Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov 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.
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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.