SBA Extends Disaster Assistance Application Deadline To Dec. 18; St. John Business Recovery Centers Close

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has extended the deadline to apply for physical disaster damages in St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the SBA announced late Monday. Businesses and individuals with physical damages caused by Hurricane Irma or Hurricane Maria should apply for SBA low-interest disaster loan before the Dec. 18, 2017 deadline.

Also, the Business Recovery Centers (BRCs) on St. John located at the Fire Station, Coral Bay and the National Park Service, Cruz Bay have ceased operations and survivors are urged to seek assistance at the nearby Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs), open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and located at: The St. John Legislature, located at 1D Estate Cruz Bay, and the Town and Country Building in Esate Emmaus, Coral Bay.

SBA representatives at the recovery centers can provide information about disaster loans, answer questions and help businesses and individuals complete the SBA application.

To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, applicants should register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or download the FEMA mobile app. If online or mobile access is unavailable, applicants should call the FEMA toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services should call 800-621-3362.

Additional information on other recovery centers and the disaster loan program may be obtained by calling SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to [email protected]. Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Loan applications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be returned to a recovery center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The filing deadline to submit applications for physical property damage is Dec. 18, 2017 for Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The deadline for economic injury applications is June 7, 2018 for Hurricane Irma and June 20, 2018 for Hurricane Maria.