ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will open a Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Jeff Davis County, Feb. 3, to assist small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations who sustained physical damage and economic losses caused by Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene.
Customer service representatives will be on hand at the BRC to answer questions about the SBA’s disaster loan program, assist business owners with completing their disaster loan application, and provide updates on applicant’s status. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov. The BRC hours of operation is listed below.
Business Recovery Center (BRC)
Jeff Davis County
Jeff Davis Recreational Department
83 Buford Rd.
Hazlehurst, GA 31539
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Closed: Sunday
Businesses and PNPs are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.
The SBA also offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs, such as ongoing operating expenses for small businesses and PNPs. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the organization suffered any physical property damage.
Interest rates are as low as 4% for businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms, based on each applicant’s financial condition.
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.