SBA Urges Private Non-Profit Organizations to Apply for Disaster Assistance for Physical...

SBA Urges Private Non-Profit Organizations to Apply for Disaster Assistance
for Physical Damage Before September 12; Adds Six Counties

ATLANTA, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA) is reminding Private Non-Profit organizations (PNPs) in
Michigan that do not provide critical services of a governmental nature that
the filing deadline for SBA low interest rate disaster loans for physical
damage is September 12. SBA also announces that Saginaw, Bay, Genesee,
Gratiot, Midland and Tuscola counties have been added to the declaration.

PNPs located in the following counties are eligible to apply to SBA: Allegan,
Barry, Eaton, Ingham, Lake, Manistee, Mason, Missaukee, Osceola, Ottawa,
Saginaw and Wexford are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury
Disaster Loans from the SBA. PNPs in the adjacent counties of Bay, Benzie,
Calhoun, Clare, Clinton, Crawford, Genesee, Grand Traverse, Gratiot, Ionia,
Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kalkaska, Kent, Livingston, Mecosta, Midland,
Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Roscommon, Shiawassee, Tuscolaand Van Buren in
Michigan are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
Examples of eligible non-critical PNP organizations include, but are not
limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community
centers, schools and colleges.

PNP organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or
destroyed real estate, machinery, equipment, inventory and other business
assets. The SBA also offers mitigation loans to disaster victims up to 20
percent of the verified physical damage. These funds are designed to help
borrowers pay for protective measures to minimize damages of the same kind in
the future.

For PNP organizations of all sizes, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster
Loans to help meet working capital needs, such as ongoing operating expenses.
Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether
the business suffered any physical property damage.

Interest rates are as low as 4 percent with terms up to 30 years. Loan
amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based upon each applicant's
financial condition.

"PNP organizations are urged to contact their County Emergency Managers to
obtain information about local briefings. At the meeting, PNP representatives
will provide information about their organization", said Frank Skaggs,
Director of SBA Field Operations Center East.

This information will be used to submit a "Request for Public Assistance"
which FEMA uses to determine if the PNP provides an essential governmental
service and meets the definition of a "critical facility". Based upon that
conclusion, FEMA will either refer the PNP to SBA for disaster loan assistance
or possibly provide a "Public Assistance" reimbursement grant for eligible
costs.

Disaster loan information and application forms may be obtained by calling the
SBA's Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (for the
hearing-impaired 1-800-877-8339), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.,
and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Labor Day, September 1st from 9 a.m.
to 6 p.m.) EDT or by emailing our customer service center at
disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or writing to U.S. Small Business
Administration, Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center, 130 South Elmwood
Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202-2463.

Victims may also apply for disaster loans from SBA's secure website at
https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is
September 12, 2008. The deadline to return economic injury applications is
April 14, 2009.

For more information about the SBA's Disaster Loan Programs, visit our website
at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration

Michael Lampton of U.S. Small Business Administration, +1-404-331-0333