ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the relocation of its Portable Loan Outreach Center (PLOC) from McMullen Southside Library in Valdosta to the Behind Parker’s Kitchen in Hephzibah in Richmond County, on Friday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. to meet disaster survivors where they are. Additionally, due to a steady decrease in activity, the Business Recovery Center at Turner Center for the Arts, Art Annex in Valdosta will close permanently on Monday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m.
“When disasters strike, our Portable Loan Outreach Centers are key to helping business owners and residents get back on their feet,” said Francisco Sánchez, Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration. “At these centers, people can connect directly with our specialists to apply for disaster loans and learn about the full range of programs available to rebuild and move forward in their recovery journey.”
Customer Service Representatives from the SBA are at every FEMA Disaster Recovery Center as well as its three Centers in Georgia where survivors can get help with their SBA disaster loan application. SBA’s Customer Service Representatives can answer questions, help survivors 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 SBA Centers are as follows:
Business Recovery Center (BRC)
Lowndes County
Turner Center for the Arts, Art Annex
601 North Patterson Street
Valdosta, GA 31601
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Permanently Closes: Monday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.
Business Recovery Center (BRC)
Richmond County
CSRA Regional Commission
3626 Walton Way Ext , Suite 1
Augusta, GA 30909
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Portable Loan Outreach Center (PLOC)
Richmond County
Behind Parker's Kitchen
4104 Windsor Spring Rd
Hephzibah, GA 30815
Opening: Monday, Nov. 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 covers the primary counties of Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Butts, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Dodge, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Evans, Fulton, Glascock, Glynn, Hancock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, McDuffie, McIntosh, Montgomery, Newton, Pierce, Rabun, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, 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, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hart, Henry, Grady, Greene, Jasper, Lamar, Madison, Mitchell, Monroe, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Pulaski, Putnam, Rockdale, Spalding, Towns, Turner, Twiggs, Walton, Wilcox, Wilkes, Wilkinson, and Worth in Georgia; Baker, Columbia, Hamilton, Jefferson, Leon, Madison, and Nassau in Florida; Clay, Jackson, and Macon in North Carolina; Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Barnwell, Edgefield, Hampton, Jasper, McCormick, and Oconee in South Carolina.
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.