Western PA Flooding: Disaster Assistance Now Available

The Pennyslvania counties of Jefferson, Clearfield, and Fayette have been declared a disaster area after flooding in Western Pennsylvania from weather events starting June 27.

Citizens in these three counties and the 14 counties that border them may be eligible for low interest disaster loans through the SBA Disaster Loan Programs.

The bordering counties in Pennsylvania include Armstrong, Blair, Clarion, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland.

(Contiguous Maryland county: Garrett; Contiguous West Virginia counties: Monongalia and Preston)

Low-interest loans of up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. SBA regulations permit loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace personal property. Businesses and nonprofits can borrow up to $2 million to restore damaged or destroyed buildings, inventory, equipment and assets. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial qualifications.

Disaster Loan Outreach Center Locations & Hours: 
>>These centers opened on July 23 and will close on July 30. 

• Clearfield County: DuBois Area United Way 223 S. Jared St. DuBois, PA 15801
• Fayette County: Joseph A. Hardy – Connellsville Airport (New Terminal Building) 988 Sky Drive Lemont Furnace, PA 15456
• Jefferson County: First United Methodist Church of Reynoldsville 504 Jackson St. Reynoldsville, PA 15851-1356

Hours:

• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, through Tuesday, July 30 
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 27 
• Centers are not open on Sunday, July 28

SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the disaster loan outreach center to issue loan applications, answer questions about the disaster loan program, explain the application process and help individuals to complete their applications.

Individuals and businesses unable to visit the center in person may obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Business loan applications can also be downloaded from the SBA website at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

Completed applications should be returned to the center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Victims may apply for disaster loans from SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is September 16, 2013. The deadline to return economic injury applications is April 16, 2014.