U.S. Small Business Administration Extension Centers
BAY COUNTY, Florida (WMBB) — The January 9 storm that spawned several dangerous tornadoes caused a lot of damage, but not enough for FEMA to intervene.
People affected by the tornadoes in the Panhandle are still recovering.
“We woke up early and the warnings were going off and then when I was getting my six-year-old son out of the room, there was the loud noise of the freight train and with all the lightning, I saw the tornado. through my backyard,” said Bay County resident Jade Bieniak.
“You can follow the road right now, it’s not gone and that’s because some people just didn’t have insurance and couldn’t even do the cleanup,” Bay County Commissioner Clair Pease said.
The U.S. Small Business Administration is now offering assistance to those affected.
“For those homeowners, renters and businesses who have exhausted or perhaps no insurance coverage or maxed out their credit cards, we are here to provide federal funds in the form of low-interest loans payable over of 30 years to cover those repairs,” said Donika Farnham, public information officer for the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Representatives will be in Bay and Jackson counties until April 16. In Bay County, the outreach center is located at the Bay County Public Library and will be open from 9 am to 6 pm Monday through Wednesday, 9 am to 5 pm Thursday and Friday. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Jackson County Extension Center is in the Agriculture Center and will be open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 6 pm and from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturdays.
“Once the initial application is there, the applicant must do some homework through the online portal that you will set up and that includes taking pictures or images they may have of the damaged property and uploading them to the system. Farnham said.
Businesses and nonprofit organizations can qualify for loans of up to $2 million, homeowners needing to replace or repair real estate can receive up to $500,000, and loans of up to $100,000 are available for personal property damage.
“With the prices of everything everywhere going up so high and property taxes skyrocketing, it’s tough, you have to try to conserve your cash as much as possible to cover things so that you have a chance to get a loan or anything. kind of assistance is really nice,” Bieniak said.
The U.S. Small Business Administration also offers loans in Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Liberty, Walton and Washington counties. Click here for more information and to learn how you can apply for loans in person or online.