Michigan Residents Urged To Complete and Submit SBA Applications

Warren, Mich. – Michigan homeowners, renters and business owners in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties may be eligible for additional grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies.

Filling out a disaster loan application from the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is a necessary step for homeowners and renters to be considered for some other forms of disaster assistance. If the SBA is unable to approve a loan, the applicant may be referred back to FEMA for some other type of disaster aid.

Survivors are not required to accept a SBA low-interest disaster loan, but information provided on the loan application may be used to help determine eligibility for a variety of FEMA programs that can help renters rebuild their lives.

“Renters are tightly woven into the fabric of Michigan and their recovery is crucial to Southeast Michigan,” said Michigan State Police Capt. Chris A. Kelenske, State Coordinating Officer and Deputy State Director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. “Many renters have registered with FEMA and are receiving housing assistance.”

Renters, like homeowners, may be eligible for FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance, designed to help survivors with uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses. It’s important for survivors to understand that they must complete and return their SBA loan application in order to be eligible for Other Needs Assistance grants.

“Completing and returning the SBA application is a crucial step,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Dolph A. Diemont.  “People who fail to apply could miss out on FEMA grants that may be available to them.”  

These low-interest loans can be used for:
•    Replacement or repair of necessary personal property lost or damaged, household items such as room furnishings or appliances, and tools and equipment required by the self-employed for their jobs
•    Primary vehicles and approved second vehicles damaged by the disaster

Homeowners and renters who want to apply for a SBA low-interest loan may be eligible for up to $40,000 for personal property losses.
•    Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000, with interest rates as low as 2.063 percent. These loans are available to homeowners to repair/replace primary residences if not fully compensated by insurance or some other source.
•    Businesses may borrow up to $2 million at interest rates as low as 4.0 percent for any combination of physical damage or economic injury.
•    The term of a low-interest disaster loan can be up to 30 years.

The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance or an SBA disaster loan is Nov. 24, 2014. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 25, 2015.

A simple way to complete the application is online, using the SBA’s electronic loan application. Go to https://DisasterLoan.SBA.gov/ELA. More information is available by calling the SBA Disaster Customer Service Center toll-free number, 800-659-2955; TTY users call 800-877-8339. Assistance is also available by sending an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov or by visiting sba.gov.

Individuals can register with FEMA online at DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 (Voice, 7-1-1/Relay) or TTY users call 800-462-7585. The phone lines operate 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. EDT, seven days
a week.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Follow FEMA online at twitter.com/femaregion5, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.