SACRAMENTO – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) plays a unique role in helping all disaster survivors recover. It provides low-interest recovery loans to businesses and residents, if they can afford to repay. By registering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), most survivors are automatically referred to the SBA.

SBA low-interest disaster loans, up to $200,000 for repair or replacement of a homeowner’s primary residence and $40,000 for personal property of renters and homeowners are the federal government’s intended source of recovery funds beyond limited FEMA resources.

The SBA also makes low-interest disaster recovery loans available to help businesses of all sizes and private non-profit organizations. Businesses and private non-profits may borrow up to $2 million for physical damages or economic injury.

The easiest way to apply for an SBA disaster loan is to visit a Disaster Recovery Center and meet with an SBA representative in person.

Individuals and households who do not meet the SBA’s financial requirements for a disaster recovery loan may be referred back to FEMA, where they may qualify for an Other Needs Assistance grant to help them pay for some recovery costs other than housing. They also may qualify for a FEMA Individual Assistance grant for housing losses. Businesses are not eligible for FEMA assistance.

FEMA Other Needs Assistance may be used for:

• Disaster-related child care expenses.
• Disaster-related medical and dental expenses.
• Disaster-related funeral and burial expenses.
• Disaster-related damages to essential household items (room furnishings, appliances); clothing; tools (specialized or protective clothing and equipment) required for your job; necessary educational materials (computers, school books, supplies).
• Fuels for primary heat source (heating oil, gas).
• Clean-up items (wet/dry vacuum, dehumidifier).
• Disaster-related damage to an essential vehicle.
• Moving and storage expenses related to the disaster (moving and storing property to avoid additional disaster damage while disaster-related repairs are being made to the home).
• Other necessary expenses or serious needs as determined by FEMA.
• Other expenses that are authorized by law.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application via SBA’s secure Web site at: disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. For information about SBA disaster programs, businesses and residents can go to sba.gov/disaster or call SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at: 800-659-2955,  TTY 800-877-8339 or Video Relay Service (VRS) 800-659-2955.

Survivors can apply for disaster assistance online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362; TTY 800-462-7585; 711 or (VRS), call 800-621-3362. FEMA has made it a priority to reach survivors who need help – including people with disabilities and/or access and functional needs, senior citizens and people with limited English proficiency.

For more updated information on California’s wildfire recovery, survivors may visit: caloes.ca.gov or beta.fema.gov/disaster/4240 and follow us on Twitter @femaregion9 and at Facebook.com/FEMA.

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.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). If you have a speech disability or hearing loss and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585 directly; if you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362. FEMA has made it a priority to reach survivors who need help – including people with disabilities and/or access and functional needs, senior citizens and people with limited English proficiency.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who are referred to SBA for a disaster loan must apply to be eligible for additional FEMA assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call 800-877-8339.