ATLANTA –The U.S. Small Business Administration announced the opening of a Business Recovery Center in Barre, Vermont.  Businesses that were affected by the severe storms and flooding that occurred from May 26 - 27, 2011 should come to the Center to apply for disaster assistance.  The Center opens Tuesday, July 19, at the Barre City Hall, Barre Area Development, 6 North Main Street at 8 a.m.

 

Businesses and private non-profit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster 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.

 

For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private non-profit organizations, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster.  Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.

 

SBA’s representatives will be on hand at the Business Recovery Center to issue loan applications, answer questions about the disaster loan program, explain the application process and assist business owners to complete their applications. 

 

The Center is located in the following community:

 

Barre City Hall

 

Additional assistance may be obtained by calling the SBA 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. ET or by sending an e-mail to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.   Those affected by this disaster may fill out a loan application online by visiting SBA’s website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

 

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is September 6, 2011.  The deadline to return economic injury applications is April 9, 2012.