The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is responsible for providing affordable, timely and accessible financial assistance to non-profits and businesses of all sizes located in a declared disaster area. Financial assistance is available in the form of low-interest, long-term loans for losses that are not fully covered by insurance or other recoveries.

SBA's disaster loans are the primary form of Federal assistance for the repair and rebuilding of non-farm, private sector disaster losses. The disaster loan program is the only form of SBA assistance not limited to small businesses.

Business Physical Disaster Loans loan can provide a non-profit or business of any size with up to $2 million (actual loan amounts are based on amount of uncompensated damage) to repair or replace real property, machinery, equipment, fixtures, inventory, and leasehold improvements. In addition, disaster loans to repair or replace real property or leasehold improvements may be increased by as much as 20 percent of the verified loss to protect the damaged property against possible future disasters of the same type.

The Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) can provide up to $2 million of financial assistance (actual loan amounts are based on amount of economic injury) to small businesses or private, non-profit organizations that suffer substantial economic injury as a result of the declared disaster, regardless of whether the applicant sustained physical damage.

An EIDL can help you meet necessary financial obligations that your business or private, non-profit organization could have met had the disaster not occurred. It provides relief from economic injury caused directly by the disaster and permits you to maintain a reasonable working capital position during the period affected by the disaster. EIDLs do not replace lost sales or revenue.

By law, the total amount of a physical loan, economic injury disaster loan and mitigation funds cannot exceed $2 million.

SBA has disaster offices located strategically around the country. Learn more about and/or contact these offices by following this link: http://www.sba.gov/about-offices-list/4.

Additional information can be reviewed by asscessing the following:

Disaster Loan Fact Sheets at http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/loans-grants/small-busi...

Current Presidential and SBA disaster declarations for your area at http://www.sba.gov/content/recent-disaster-declarations

Current Secretary of Agriculture disaster declarations for your area at http://www.sba.gov/content/sba-secretary-agriculture-disaster-declaratio...

Applying For A Disaster Loan at http://www.sba.gov/content/applying-disaster-loan

Disaster Loans Use of Proceeds at http://www.sba.gov/content/disaster-loans-use-proceeds

2012 Drought Disaster Assistance at http://www.sba.gov/content/2012-drought-disaster-assistance

SBA now offers you the option of filing your business disaster loan applications through the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) that can be accessed at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/. You also have the option of submitting your application via mail.