ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the addition of more counties to the Georgia Presidential disaster declaration for Hurricane Helene, giving more businesses and residents eligibility to apply for SBA’s low-interest disaster loan program. In addition, the Chatham County Business Recovery Center will be closed for Veterans Day and will resume normal operations the following day.
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, Stephens, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler and Wilkes; which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) from the SBA. Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA EIDLs; Baldwin, Banks, Bleckley, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Franklin, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hart, Henry, Grady, Greene, Jasper, Lamar, Madison, Mitchell, Monroe, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Pulaski, Putnam, Rockdale, Spalding, Towns, Turner, Twiggs, Walton, Wilcox, 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.
“SBA’s Business Recovery Centers are a cornerstone of our support for business owners,” said Francisco Sánchez, Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “At these centers, business owners can meet face-to-face with specialists to apply for disaster loans and access a wide range of resources to guide them through their recovery.”
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 center will operate as listed below. The hours of operation for the 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
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
Business Recover Center (BRC)
Chatham County
Savannah Entrepreneurial Center
801 E Gwinnett St
Savannah, GA 31404
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Holiday Closure: Monday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day
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
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
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
Business Recover Center (BRC)
Bulloch County
Eastern Heights Baptist Church
23805 US Hwy 80 E
Statesboro, GA 30461
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
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.
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.
Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email 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.