Deadline extended for NEPA flood survivors to apply for low-interest loans

Mar. 27—WILKES-BARRE — The Shapiro Administration on Wednesday announced it secured an extension from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for victims of the devastating flooding on Sept. 9, 2023, to apply for financial assistance for physical damages.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) requested an extension to the March 25, 2024, deadline last week.

The new deadline to return physical damage disaster loan applications is Wednesday, April 24. The Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, deadline to return economic injury disaster loan (EIDL) applications remains unchanged.

"We requested this deadline extension to give flood survivors in Northeastern PA additional time to apply for low-interest loans as they continue on a path to recovery," Shapiro said.

The SBA's Disaster Loan program provides low-interest loans for homeowners, renters, private non-profits and businesses located in disaster declared counties who sustained damages from flooding.

The SBA can provide up to $500,000 for homeowners to replace or repair their primary residences and up to $100,000 for homeowners and renters to replace or repair personal property. Businesses and most private nonprofits may apply for up to $2 million to cover disaster losses not fully covered by insurance.

Additionally, small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private nonprofit organizations located in the declared disaster area that have suffered substantial economic injury may be eligible for an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).

The SBA offers long-term repayment options to keep payments affordable, with terms up to a maximum of 30 years. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based upon each borrower's ability to repay.

Applicants may obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA's Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing), or by emailing DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov and referencing Disaster Declaration #20166 and #20167.

Alternatively, loan applications can be downloaded at sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Affected homeowners and renters are strongly encouraged to complete the SBA disaster loan application, as those who do not qualify for an SBA loan may later be eligible for other assistance.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.