SBA Disaster Assistance Available to Private Non-Profit Organizations in Pennsylvania

ATLANTA--(Business Wire)--
TheU.S. Small Business Administration announces certain Private Non-Profit
Organizations (PNPs) that do not provide critical services of a governmental
nature may be eligible to apply for low-interest rate disaster loans. These
loans are available following a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Public
Assistance resulting from damages caused by severe winter storms and snowstorms
that occurred on Feb. 5-11, 2010.

PNPs located in Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler,
Cambria, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton,
Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, Philadelphia,
Somerset, Westmoreland and York counties in Pennsylvania are eligible to apply
to SBA. 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 and equipment, inventory and other business
assets. The SBA may increase a loan up to 20 percent of the total amount of
disaster damage to real estate and/or leasehold improvements, as verified by
SBA, to make improvements that lessen the risk of property damage by future
disasters of the same kind.

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

Interest rates are as low as 3 percent with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts
and terms are set by the SBA and are based on 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 need to 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 the PNP with a "Public Assistance" reimbursement grant for their
eligible costs.

Disaster loan information and application forms may be obtained by calling the
SBA`s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for people with
speech or hearing disabilities) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and
Saturday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT or by sending an e-mail to
disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Applications can also be downloaded from
www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance. Completed applications should be mailed
to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center,
14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

PNPs may visit SBA`s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/ to
apply for disaster loans.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is June
15, 2010. The deadline to return economic injury applications is January 18,
2011.

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

Release Number: 10-351, PA 12121/12122

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

Copyright Business Wire 2010