If your business has been hit by a disaster (flood, hurricane, tornado, for example), you can obtain recovery assistance to get your business back on track. For a small business, the physical recovery is devastating, but the loss of business (during and after the disaster) is even worse. The SBA offers two types of loans to help with the recovery process:
- Business physical disaster loans to business owners to repair or replace disaster-damaged property, including inventory, and supplies
- Economic injury disaster loans,("EIDL's") which provide capital to small businesses and to small agricultural cooperatives to assist them through the disaster recovery period.
Here is the process for requesting disaster assistance for your small business:
- First, your area must be officially declared a disaster area by the president, the governor, or other official. Then FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Administration) can come into the "disaster area."
- Then, you must apply for disaster assistance from FEMA. It is best to apply to FEMA online,.
- Go to the nearest Disaster Recovery Center set up in your area. An inspector will be sent out to evaluate the damage to your business.
Next, filling out the paperwork.
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