SPOKANE, Wash. – Survivors of the Gray and Oregon Road Fires will be able to receive assistance from two new in-person disaster resource centers in Elk Chattaroy and Medical Lake starting on Friday.
Provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following President Biden’s major disaster declaration of Feb. 20, the new shelters are a part of the organizations’ effort to address human loss, physical damage, and economic injury that resulted from the wildfires that occurred in the greater Spokane area last August.
To receive assistance from either of the shelters, the quickest way to begin the process is by registering with FEMA online, according to a release from the SBA.
Additional support for small business owners affected by the fires can be received by enrolling in SBA through their disaster site, emailing SBA at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, calling SBA customer service at (800) 659-2955 or visiting either the Elk Chattaroy or Medical Lake centers.
The Elk Chattaroy Disaster Outreach Center is located at the Country Church of the Open Bible at 40015 North Collins Rd. and the Medical Lake Disaster Outreach Center is located at Medical Lake City Hall at 124 South Lefevre St.
Both centers are open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Assistance from the Spokane SBA Business Recovery Center, which opened on Tuesday, is also available to small business owners and is located on the first floor of the Washington Small Business Development Center in Spokane Valley at 4420 E. Eighth Ave.
The SBA center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
SBA’s assistance provides low-interest federal disaster loans for both insured and potentially un-insured fire survivors, according to SBA Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience liaison George Kostyrko.
For homeowners and renters, SBA’s Home Disaster Loans (HDL) up to $500,000 are available to help repair or replace damage to their primary residence. HDL loans to help recover additional personal property, including automobiles, can reach up to $100,000.
Up to $2 million is available for small business owners to help repair or replace disaster-damaged property including real estate, inventories, supplies, machinery and equipment through SBA’s Business Physical Disaster Private Loans. Private and non-profit organizations such as charities, churches and private universities are also eligible.
The deadline to apply for physical damage with SBA is April 20, 2024.
The only SBA specific loans available to those affected by the fires living in contiguous counties that include Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Stevens and Whitman counties in Washington state and Kootenai, Benewah and Bonner counties in Idaho are Economic Injury Disasters Loans (EIDL).
EIDL loan rates are 4 percent for businesses and small agricultural cooperatives and 2.375 percent for private non-profit organizations. These types of loans are limited to $2 million and typically last 30 years, but shorter terms are available.
The Deadline to apply for EIDL loans is Nov. 20, 2024.
There is no cost to apply for any of the SBA loans.
