ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will open a Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Lowndes County on Friday, Jan. 17, to assist small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations who sustained physical damage and economic losses caused by Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene.
SBA’s BRCs 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.”
Customer service representatives at the BRC will assist business owners complete their disaster loan application, accept documents for existing applications, and provide updates on an application’s status. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov. The BRC will operate as indicated below.
Business Recovery Center (BRC)
Lowndes County
McMullen Southside Library
527 Griffin Avenue
Valdosta, GA 31601
Opening: Friday, Jan. 17, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Closed: Sunday
SBA’s Disaster Loan Program funding was replenished via the American Relief Act, 2025, which was signed into law on Dec. 21, 2024. The SBA acted immediately and, within six hours of the Act being signed into law, issued more than 21,000 outstanding commitment letters (loan offers). The SBA will continue to issue new loan offers and ensure survivors quickly understand their loan options.
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 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 for Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene is Feb. 7, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications for Tropical Storm Debby is June 24, 2025, and for Hurricane Helene 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.