Community Town Hall for Business Fire Recovery Loans

The U.S. Small Business Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Will be available at 7 p.m. on March 19 to answer questions from survivors of the Grey and Oregon wildfires as well as give a status report on FEMA registrations and SBA loan applications.

Survivors are reminded to fill out SBA loan paperwork to ensure they qualify for all FEMA benefits.

Community Town Hall

Federal, State, local and non-governmental partners will be available to provide information and answer your questions.

Date: March 19th
Time: 7 p.m.
Location:
Country Church of the Open Bible
40015 N Collins Rd
Elk, WA 99009

As a reminder, those registered with FEMA who have questions, or have received correspondence that appear to be denial letters, or need help to start or finish an SBA loan application — are encouraged to visit one of the two in-person disaster outreach centers (and the Spokane Business Recovery Center) available for survivors of the Gray and Oregon Road Fires in both the Elk Chattaroy and Medicine Lake communities. The locations and hours are below.

Elk Chattaroy Disaster Outreach Center
Country Church of the Open Bible
40015 North Collins Road
Elk, WA 99009

Medical Lake Disaster Outreach Center
Medical Lake City Hall
124 South Lefevre Street
Medical Lake, WA 99022

Hours of operations for both centers:
Monday, Tuesday, Friday 8:30 am – 6:30 pm (5 p.m. close beginning Monday March 18, 2024)
Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Sundays closed. 

In addition, the SBA and the Washington Small Business Development Center opened an SBA Business Recovery Center in Spokane Feb. 27 to provide a wide range of services to businesses impacted by the wildfires that occurred Aug. 18 – 25, 2023.

Business Recovery Center
Washington SBDC at Washington State University
Washington SBDC Lead Center, First Floor
4420 E. Eighth Ave.
Spokane Valley, WA  99212
Mondays – Fridays, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The application process with both FEMA and SBA is now open.

• The fastest way to start the process is to register with FEMA by visiting www.DisasterAssistance.gov
• The fastest way to enroll with SBA is by doing one of three things: visiting SBA’s disaster site: sba.gov/disaster; emailing SBA at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or calling SBA customer service at (800) 659-2955
• Or visit the In-person locations detailed above.

SBA disaster loans are available to:

• Homeowners for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
• Renters and homeowners up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property.
• Businesses and nonprofits organizations up to $2 million to cover disaster losses not fully covered by insurance.

SBA offers low fixed interest rates with terms up to 30 years to help in recovery. There is no cost to apply and no obligation to accept the loan if approved.

The August 2023 Wildfire disaster loan rates are:

• As low as 2.5% for Homeowners
• As low as 4% for Businesses
• As low as 2.375% for Nonprofit organizations

To begin the application process, survivors can do one of the following (If you choose not to visit the in-person Spokane County locations):

• To obtain more information about SBA disaster loans, visit sba.gov/disaster , call the Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955, or send an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. You can apply online using SBA’s secure website at sba.gov/disaster .

For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

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

There is no cost or obligation to apply, and eligibility is based on a case-by-case review for each applicant.

There is no interest for the first year and no repayment requirements for the first 12 months.

SBA disaster loans have no closing costs and no prepayment penalties and terms up to 30 years.