The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved a request from Gov. Bev Perdue to provide low-interest loans to small North Carolina businesses and agricultural cooperatives that sustained losses from this season’s severe winter storms.
This is good news and can help affected enterprises recover from their losses and get back on their feet. The loan rate is 4 percent with terms up to 30 years, and 3 percent loans will be available for non-profit organizations.
SBA approved the disaster declaration to cover Watauga County and the adjacent counties of Ashe, Avery, Caldwell and Wilkes along with Johnson County in Tennessee.
The loans are available for losses suffered between Dec. 18, 2009 through Feb. 28, 2010. To apply or to find program information, you can call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or e-mail to disastercustomerservices@sba.gov. Applications can also be downloaded from the SBA Web site at www.wba.gov/services/disasterassistance. The deadline for submitting applications is Dec. 27.