Recovery Centers Available to Wildfire Survivors

EAST TEXAS — Here’s an update on mobile disaster recovery centers available in the coming days to survivors of the recent East Texas wildfires:

Smith County
Bethel Baptist Church
13108 Highway 64 East
Tyler, TX 75707
Monday, Oct. 31
1 pm – 6 pm
Tuesday, Nov. 1 and Wednesday, Nov. 2
9 am – 6 pm
Closes Wednesday, Nov. 2

Henderson County
Emergency Operations Center Building
622 S. Prairieville Street
Athens, TX 75751
Monday, Oct. 24
1 pm – 6 pm
Tuesday, Oct. 25, and Wednesday, Oct. 26
9 am – 6 pm
Closes Wednesday, Oct. 26

Marion County
Jefferson Visitor Center
305 East Austin Street
Jefferson, TX 75657
Monday, Oct. 24, through Friday, Oct. 28
9 am – 6 pm
Closes Friday, Oct. 28

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property. Disaster loans up to $2 million are available to businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery, equipment, inventory and other business assets.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) up to $2 million are available to small businesses and most private, nonprofit organizations to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster, regardless of whether the business suffered any property damage. The maximum business disaster loan is $2 million for any combination of property damage and working capital.

Interest rates can be as low as 2.5% for homeowners and renters, 4% for businesses and 3% for private, nonprofit organizations, with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the U.S. Small Business Administration and are based on each applicant’s financial condition. SBA can also lend additional funds to homeowners and businesses to help with the cost of making improvements that protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.

Applicants may also apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela — SBA’s secure Web site. Residents and business owners may obtain information on SBA disaster loans by calling SBA’s Customer Service Center toll-free at (800) 659-2955, visiting SBA’s Web site at http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance or contacting disastercustomerservice@sba.gov via e-mail. Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may call (800) 877‑8339. The filing deadline to return applications for property damage has been extended to December 8, 2011. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 6, 2012.