SBA Press Release
WASHINGTON – SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza issued the following statement after the announcement of the Presidential disaster declaration for several counties in Alabama affected by Hurricane Sally beginning Sept. 14, 2020. Businesses and residents in the declared area can now apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“The SBA is strongly committed to providing Alabama residents with the most effective response possible to assist businesses, homeowners and renters with federal disaster loans. Getting businesses and communities up and running after a disaster is our highest priority.”
The disaster declaration covers Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties in Alabama, which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA. Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans: Clarke, Conecuh, Covington, Monroe and Washington in Alabama; Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa in Florida; and George, Greene and Jackson in Mississippi.
In accordance with health precautions for COVID-19, the SBA will not establish a field presence to assist survivors. However, the SBA will continue to provide customer service and conduct outreach virtually with webinars, skype calls, phone assistance and step-by-step application assistance. The SBA has opened a Virtual Disaster Loan Outreach Center/Business Recovery Center to help survivors apply online using the Electronic Loan Application via the SBA’s secure website at https://DisasterLoanAssistance.sba.gov/. Virtual customer support representatives are available to help applicants complete the online application during these hours:
Virtual Disaster Loan Outreach Center/Business Recovery Center (VDLOC/VBRC)
Open: Daily
Hours: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. EDT
FOCE-Help@sba.gov
Phone: (800) 659-2955
These services are only available for the Alabama disaster declaration as a result of Hurricane Sally beginning Sept. 14, 2020, and not for COVID-19 related assistance.
Survivors should contact the SBA’s Disaster Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 to schedule an appointment for assistance in completing their loan applications. Requests for SBA disaster loan program information may be obtained by emailing FOCE-Help@sba.gov. The SBA will conduct extensive outreach to ensure that those affected by the disaster have an opportunity to apply for assistance.