More resources are now available to help those working to recover from January's devastating floods after the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) opened a Business Recovery Center on Monday. It is located within the Southwestern College Higher Education Center in National City.
One of the people who came looking for information and help was Cynthia Davis. She was trying to navigate the online process but she was having trouble and an SBA representative told her to come in for personalized help.
She owns an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) behind her home in Mount Hope that she rents out on Airbnb. The flood washed mud and other debris from the hills into her backyard.
“It just makes it really unpleasant,” Davis said.
She is seeking help to build a retaining wall to prevent something like this from happening again.
“To clean up, put another fence or a gate or something to make it more stable,” Davis said. “Because at this point, every time it rains, I'm afraid because it's constantly falling: the mud.”
Small businesses and private nonprofit organizations can borrow up to $2 million in low-interest loans to help recover losses not covered by insurance. The SBA said people do not need an appointment or any paperwork to start the process. If any paperwork is needed, applicants will receive an email requesting those documents.
Affected homeowners and renters also qualify for SBA loans, agency spokeswoman Claudia Anderson said. Anderson said tenants and landlords qualify for up to $500,000.
“The qualifications you need are to be creditworthy, but we really want you to come in and apply for a loan so we can see what you have available,” he said.
No payments are required and no interest accrues during the first 12 months of an SBA loan.
Anderson said people should come even if they think they don't qualify.
“The customer service representatives here understand the loan process and they understand the trauma that people have gone through, and they are here to try to help in any way they can,” Anderson said.
The center is open from 8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. For more information visit SBA.gov/disaster or call (800) 659-2955.