Deadline looms for disaster assistance for Connecticut

Follow us on Twitter @nhregister

The office of Gov. M. Jodi Rell today in a statement reminded Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven county residents affected by the June 24 tornado that struck the Bridgeport area that the deadline to apply for Small Business Administration disaster assistance is Dec. 17.

The aid is also available for residents in three adjacent counties in New York, the statement said.
The deadline applies to homeowners, renters and business owners seeking low-interest loans to recover from physical damage to homes, personal property or businesses, the statement said.
A separate deadline of July 18 applies to loans for economic injuries from the storm, the statement said.
“These loans can be a tremendous help to anyone who has suffered a property loss as a result of the storm,” Rell said, also in the statement. “The strength and speed of the storm were breathtaking and far exceeded the usual force of nature in our state. Particularly because the storm struck an area where the economic recession had already taken a terrible toll, we want everyone who needs this aid to take advantage of it before the deadline.
“As we did our damage assessments we noted that the areas of Bridgeport and Stratford that were most affected were also areas where relatively few people had insurance,” she said. “Because the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied our application for assistance – and our appeal of that decision – these SBA loans are all the more important for people trying to recover from the blow.”
Residents of Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties in New York who were affected by the storms are also eligible for assistance under the declaration, the statement said.
Rell also sought disaster relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but FEMA denied both the state’s original request and an appeal filed by the Governor on Sept. 17.

The SBA is offering loans to homeowners to repair or replace damaged real estate or personal property; renters can get loans to replace damaged personal property. In both cases, the loans can be used to replace storm-damaged automobiles, the statement said.
Businesses and non-profit organizations can get loans to repair or replace damaged real estate, supplies, inventories, machinery and equipment, as well as loans of working capital to assist in business operations through the recovery period. Interest rates for the loans vary, depending on whether the borrower has access to credit elsewhere, the statement said.

For more information, contact the SBA at (800) 659-2955, by e-mail at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or online at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

Editor's note: The information in this post was provided wholly by the governor's office. It is posted nearly in its entirety here as a public service.
Tweet